Mini Cooper S really hits the spot. Cheeky good looks, joyous handling, ultraquick steering, plus a supercharged engine that pulls like a husky. And now, the top goes down.
The convertible Mini brings the hot little retro car to a new level, adding top-down motoring to its list of charming attributes. And far from being just a chop-top, the convertible is a well-integrated car that is as tight and resilient as the coupe.
The S version of Mini Cooper signifies the supercharged four-cylinder engine, boosting it to 168 horsepower from 115. There also is six-speed stick shift rather than a five-speed, which makes performance more flexible and freeway cruising less noisy.
The convertible top is a nice piece of work, lowering quickly with the push of a button and stowing away behind the rear seats. It also has the unique feature of opening part way to provide a sunroof. The only downside is rear vision, which is abysmal with the top up and still not so great with the top down because of the rear headrests and twin roll bars.
The Mini convertible follows the marketing setup of fellow retro favorites Volkswagen New Beetle and Chrysler PT Cruiser. Both arrived as coupes, stirred up a ton of excitement, then were reworked as ragtops once the initial frenzy died down.
Mini taps into fond memories of tiny British Minis of the 1960s but with a modern spin for today’s driving environment. Now owned by BMW but still built in England, the modern Mini retains one of its most endearing features, affordability, providing maxi style and driving fun for a mini price tag.
