2006 Mini Cooper Review

Specifications

Micro-Wave

The original MINI was a car that was truly timeless, a brilliant icon of motoring history. It won the hearts of the public, the praise of rally and touring car drivers, and it just so happened to be the perfect blank canvas for engineers and designers to tinker with. Nearly everything imaginable was done to transform the original MINI into something else. Internally, the car was converted into a station wagon complete with double-Dutch doors and wood paneling, plus there was the Jeep-like Moke, the pick-up, and it was even scaled up to create the Maxi. At the request of celebrities, the MINI was given the full-out luxury treatment to match its character, while Ringo Starr had his MINI sedan turned into a hatchback, so he could transport his drum kit. But with all of these modifications, the most logical thing to do - chop off the top - was never an official conversion, not until 1993 when MINI (then under MG-Rover) worked with Karmann to make just a handful of convertibles.

Things are a bit different now. The convertible market is one thats grown in volume, particularly in Europe and Asia, with plenty of soft and folding hardtop entries from Opel, Nissan, Citroen, Peugeot and Volkswagen. With the segment in full bloom, the opportunity was right for MINI to make the conversion to soft-top form. It works too; the MINIs cute and classic styling lends itself very well to top-down style. Given the retro look of the car, its only right that it feature a roof thats equally retro in appearance. Roof up, the boxy shape of the MINI is preserved; open it up and the roof folds into a neat pile that hangs over the tail end of the cabin.

From afar it may look like something from the 60s, but the roof is a thoroughly modern piece of engineering. Crafted of heavy-duty canvas, with a heated glass rear screen, the Webasto-designed soft-top even manages to have a couple of clever tricks up its sleeve. Being quick, and lacking any manual latches are just two of them, but, more impressively, this soft-top has a built-in sunroof function. Just push the button on the overhead console and the first 15.7 inches of the cloth roof, from windshield frame to mid-cabin, peels back on a set of electric rollers, with the roofs beefy frame rails in place. This can be done up to speeds of 75 mph. Continue to hold the button, and the rest of the roof continues to collapse away. Leave the roof up, and the cabin becomes so quiet that its easy enough to forget that its a convertible - that is, until you get a glimpse of the rear roll bars and pothole-sized view out the rear glass in the rearview mirror.

Modifications to the chassis are something thats also considered first rate, and the method in which the weaknesses were found is undeniably 21st century. Through the use of computer engineering software, engineers found the car particularly lacking in a couple of unexpected areas. Like having metal screws or a plate installed in your leg, the Cooper Convertible underwent the automotive equivalent of reconstructive surgery to bump up its structural rigidity to acceptable levels when the roof is down. Slice and dice a specimen, and the following can be found: extra metal on the rear seat-pan, tubular reinforcements in the windshield frame, thicker steel between the rear damper towers, steel thats three times as thick in the door sills, and triangular braces between the chassis rails and around the front suspension.

The Fisher-Price look of the speedometer and instruments might be starting to wear thin on a new crowd, but it still looks and feels right to me, much like the intimate layout between the driver and chunky three-spoke steering wheel and snug seat.

The MINI is marketed as a convertible capable of taking four people on board, and sure enough it can, but space has been compromised for the convertible roof. The extended seat pan has eaten 1.6 inches of space out of the rear legroom, while elbow and shoulder room has been reduced to make room for the folding roof and its motors. Sitting in back also means sitting more upright: the seatbacks angle has been reduced by 15 degrees in order to maintain a trunk. Proper head restraints and three-point seatbelts are standard, as are LATCH child seat anchors. Its sufficient for children, and for less-leggy adults, but only on short trips.

With a body layout that marries interior space maximization with overhang minimization, the folding roof system eats up a fair bit of the MINIs already small trunk. Compared to the standard car, its able to carry 5.8 cu-ft with the roof up (4.2 cu-ft when the roofs down) in its square-ish trunk that can be expanded by folding down the rear seatbacks. But theres more to it than just a smaller space, because the regular Cooper model is a true hatchback that relies on a fixed metal roof and full-sized rear screen, having an easily accessible trunk would not be possible. The solution to the problem comes from the original MINI, which featured a bottom-hinged access bay to the trunk, tethered like a pick-up truck to slow the panels descent. A greater-sized opening can be achieved by pulling on a set of latches in the trunk which pops the rear portion of the canvas roof up, allowing for a couple of cm more access space, and an explanation for the break in the chrome accent around the window line.

Lopping the roof off the MINI didnt really do much to affect the way that the Cooper S drives. The drivetrain, consisting of a chunky, meaty six-speed manual (or optional paddleshift six-speed auto) is still great, as is the supercharged 1.6-liter inline four, which has no difficulty in coping with the 220 pound gain over the hardtop. If you often drive with a car loaded up with people and gear, the Cooper S might be the model to go with; the standard 115 horsepower, naturally-aspirated four will no doubt feel taxed under heavy acceleration or up-hill jaunts. Outright performance of the 168-horsepower convertible is slightly down; the car now takes 7.3 seconds to reach 60 mph instead of 7.1, but this is still a brisk vehicle with remarkable in-gear punch. Furthermore, what little is traded off is made up by the fact that you hear more of the engine - the fantastic high-pitched whine, the exhausts deep, popping, burbling tune, and the wind rushing through the cabin.

The big worry that concerned MINI fans is whether or not the Cooper S drop-top is able to cut it in the corners the same way the hardtop can. Truth is, they have nothing to worry about: its still a fantastic driving machine. Torsional rigidity of the convertible model is rated at a respectable 0.74 lb-ft/degree, which keeps the structure free of wobbles and shakes; while the bracing under the front suspension keeps the wheels firmly parallel to the road.

The limited slip differential also helps to sort the issue of transmitting the 162 lb-ft of torque through the front wheel with little fuss. Outright cornering capabilities have diminished ever so slightly, yielding a nose slightly more prone to understeer and marginally less crisp turn-in due to the higher centre of gravity and increase of weight, but the steering still talks to you in a manner thats loud and clear. At the end of the day, if a convertible for driving is what you want, then the MINIs a reliable choice for civilized thrills.

And now we get to the problems. With the sports suspension and 17-inch wheels on run-flat tires, it makes for a fairly bouncy ride; and the bluntly shaped nose means fuel consumption can be a little bit steep if youre pressing on. But the big problem that most people will face with the Cooper S Convertible is pricing. Its understood that removing a roof with this kind of precision and care will add to the price, but with a starting MSRP of $25,400 for the Cooper S, thats fairly steep for a subcompact drop-top. Our tester came with the $1,400 Premium Package (Harman/Kardon stereo, parking sensors, auto-dimming mirror, automatic wipers and headlamps, heated seats), $1,400 Sport package (big wheels, DSC and fog lights), $300 Cold Weather package (heated washer system, dual power adjustable heated folding exterior rearview mirrors, front dual heated seats with two settings), plus LSD ($500) and body-colored interior trim ($200) brought the asking price up to $28,700. It wasnt even stuffed to the gills with features - doing so could instantaneously raise your blood pressure beyond healthy measures. Add on an automatic gearbox, proper leather seats, a six-disc CD changer and digital climate control and thatll go up to nearly $40K. A fully-loaded Cooper S Works Convertible can hit over $46 grand before taxes. Ouch!

While there are other convertibles for sale in the U.S. that can provide similar levels of performance for significantly less money, there are nevertheless few that can put something together in a package as compact or as well engineered. Instinctively, a car like the Cooper S Convertible becomes something you purchase with your heart, not just with your head. But if its your wallet that governs your purchases and the MINIs a must, check out the standard Cooper Convertible, which starts at $21,950.