Sometime a few months ago, me and a friend took out the new MINI Cooper S Convertible.
It was February and it was cold.
Like 2 degrees above freezing cold.
This is rather significant as we were out and supposed to test a CONVERTIBLE.
So down goes the top and just like the first generation convertible, this new one has a “sunroof”.
By pressing the switch the roof retracts to its first position, which exposes the front seats.
If you continue to hold down the switch (for 15 secs), the roof will completely retract.
One thing we noticed is that the roof doesn’t completely retract/store itself behind the rear seats.
A good portion of it lies stacked at the rear which blocks some of the visibility.
To set the roof back up, simply press and hold the switch for another 15 seconds.
On the outside, the front is a bit higher and rounder and aside from this nothing else seems to have been radically redesigned.
This little cutie gets standard 16-inch wheels with run-flat tires, but for a more aggressive look optional 17-inch Black Star Bullet alloys are available.
On the inside, the dash looks like just any other MINI dash except for one new gadget: The Openometer.
Located left of the tachometer, it tracks the amount of time you drive with the top down.
More on the Openometer and the Convertible later.
Just like the other MINIs, the convertible comes in 3 flavors, the Base, S and John Cooper Works.
All are powered by a 1.6 liter four cylinder engine but naturally producing different horsepower.
The base is at 118, the turbocharged S punches out 172hp and of course the direct injection JCW cranking out 208hp.
The base hits 60mph in a decent 8.9 seconds and the turbocharged S cuts it down to 7 seconds.
So you think nothing more can be said that hasn’t been said about the MINI.
It’s cute, a cool ride and you can’t really expect anything more.
So you thought.
Then they go and come out with the 2009 MINI Convertible.
At the Detroit auto show the “oohs” and “ahhs” started all over again.
With the top down, the first thing you notice is that gone are the double hoops which actually was a safety feature designed to protect passengers during a rollover.
What MINI did in the 09 convertible is this: If and when the standard stability controls’ inertial sensors detect an imminent rollover, a pyrotechnic charge deploys a bar and a ratchet mechanism keeps it in its extended position.
Bad thing is in order to secure/reset it again to its standby position, you’ll need to bring it back to a service center.
No DIY here.
On the outside, we noticed the redesigned 16 inch wheels (there’s an optional 17 incher available) and were told by the MINI people that the new convertible comes with a tuned suspension that’s supposed to be comfortable for any type of passenger.
Standard are Cornering Brake control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, ABS, Dynamic Stability Control and Hill Start-Off Assistance. Optional is Dynamic Traction Control with Electronic Differential Lock Control which is a front wheel limited slip differential system.
In Detroit we were also shown the MINIs flexible storage system by way of the rear seats capable of being folded down completely.
At the left of the tachometer sits the “Openometer”, a gadget unique to the convertible.
What this does is that it tracks the amount of time that the car is driven with the top down.
The needle moves clockwise for each minute up to 60 minutes thereafter LEDs light up for each hour.
The chassis computer tracks the overall/total topdown time for the cars’ entire lifespan.
It serves no useful purpose.
It doesn’t improve the mileage or performance or anything like that.
It’s just a cute little widget.
You should probably take a stop by your Dallas Mini Dealer to find out more.