IN THE INTERESTS of retaining our new policy here at Motors of trying to keep people cheerful, this week we bring you what is surely one of the most cheery forms of transport imaginable – the Mini Convertible.
Unfortunately some of the cheer was taken from this message by news that BMW were laying off 850 staff at the MINI’s production plant in England – giving the workers just an hour’s notice and leaving many with no redundancy pay-off.
That’s one way to dampen your enthusiasm for a car brand, even if it offers the motorist a lot more fun than most of its rivals.
The new convertible takes to forecourts next month, regardless of how many are employed in its creation.
This is the second generation of soft-top Minis to arrive since BMW took the reigns of the Briths car marque.
The first convertible wasn’t perfect. The styling changes required to turn the cute hatchback into an open-top car wound up somewhat half-baked, leaving the car looking a little on the awkward side with the roof down, and the car’s exquisite handling suffered a little through losing its top.
A new version arrives in Ireland at the tail-end of next month and, naturally enough, it adopts many of the styling cues of the new version of the hatchback, which has been on sale for some time now.
This means that the car has a slightly more muscular appearance with a higher beltline and this new version also has a single-piece roll bar that sits lower than before and only pops up in the event of a rollover.
This provides for greater rear visibility, but it also makes the car look more roadster-like than the previous version.
The roof takes just 15 seconds to fold away and this can be done at speeds of up to 30km/h. A new optional feature is the always-open timer, which tells the driver how long they have spent with the roof option, the logic being that it will encourage the user to spend more time enjoying open-top motoring. Yes, you are right – this is completely pointless.
Of infinitely more use is the easy-load system, essentially a larger opening into the luggage compartment. Rear-seat backrests also fold down individually into lockable positions, which adds up to an increased luggage capacity of 125 litres with the roof open, 170 litres with the roof closed and up to 660 litres with the two rear-seat backrests folded down.
As with the newer version of the Mini hatchback, the convertible comes with BMW’s latest technology for reducing both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. These include Brake Energy Regeneration, which means that engine overrun or braking energy is used to power on-board electrics, and an auto start/stop function, which switches off the engine if the driver engages neutral at traffic lights. These help the two engines, the 122bhp 1.6-litre engine in the Cooper and the 175bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre in the Cooper S, to reduce CO22 emissions by up to 23 per cent, compared to the car’s respective predecessors. CO2 emissions are 137g/km on the Cooper and 153g/km on the Cooper S.
We tried just one version of the convertible at the snowy test event in Austria and this was the turbocharged Cooper S version. It won’t be much surprise to report that it’s a total hoot to drive, with plenty of life from the 175bhp unit.
Handling feels much better too, the new convertible feeling stiffer than before yet bounce- and rattle-free, even when shod with 17” alloy wheels.
Roof up or down, it’s a really superb little car. And, in a time when buyers are concerned about buying new cars, it’s pretty comforting to know that the Mini Convertible is one of the least depreciating cars on the planet.
When it comes to retaining its value over three years, there are few – if any – cars on the European market that can match a Mini without a roof.
It is fair to say that most customers for the Mini Convertible will be female. This is not a car that many men will feel too at home in, which is a shame because it is without a doubt the best small convertible this side of the Mazda MX-5.
This latest Mini iteration is set to arrive in Ireland in March. Prices for the Cooper Convertible start at €28,700, with the Cooper S model costing €35,000; both of these are on the road prices.
For just €250, Mini buyers can opt for the TLC package, which provides servicing for five years (or 80,000km), which is another good reason to be cheerful.
Fun cars such as the Mini might become victims of this year’s undiluted misery, but we hope not.
Not only is this a superb little convertible, but its huge residual value, low emissions and small running costs mean it is about as sound a car as you can buy in a financial sense. Who says frugal can’t be fun?
Factfile Mini Cooper S Convertible
Engine: 1,598cc four-cylinder turbo putting out 175bhp and 240Nm torque (260Nm with overboost)
Performance: top speed 222km/h ; 0-100km/h 7.4 secs
Fuel economy: 6.4l/100km
CO2 emissions: 153g/km
Motor tax band: C (€302) Price: €35,000
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
Engine: 1,598cc four-cylinder putting out 120bhp and 160Nm torque
Performance: top speed 198km/h ; 0-100km/h 9.8 secs
Fuel economy: 5.7l/100km
CO2 emissions: 137g/km
Motor tax Band: B (€156) Price: €28,700
Both cars will go on sale in Ireland on March 28th