Test Drive: MINI Cooper

Small car, big fun: MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE PROVIDES MORE REASONS TO DRIVE THIS LITTLE CAR

By Ron Moorhead

Mini USA, the company that brought one of the most exciting and fun-to-drive automobiles to North America, infuses even more excitement with the introduction of a soft-top convertible model.

Not only does the Mini convertible have the identical performance and handling characteristics, it offers the ability to enjoy your motoring adventure with the wind blowing through your hair. Through an inventive design, the convertible top has two modes in which enjoy that wind.

With just a flick of a power switch mounted on the top of the windshield, you can power the top back to its first stop, which opens up a 16-inch full-width sunroof. Or, if you prefer, hold the switch down and the top folds completely down behind the rear-seat headrests and roll bars. That's right, roll bars. The Mini comes with two individual roll-over hoops installed behind the rear seat. These roll-over hoops are part of the safety system, which includes a heavily reinforced windshield frame. The top can also be operated via the remote key fob used for the door locks.

The top in its up position very closely follows that of the original coupe profile. Mini designers intended the convertible to follow the profile of the coupe, helping to retain the family resemblance. This car is every bit a Mini.

Driving the car is certainly the most fun, although there are many who feel just sitting back and admiring their Mini is as enjoyable. But this car is just too fun to drive to let it sit stationary. I had the pleasure of experiencing the first Mini Convertible driving the country roads just outside Mini-apolis, Mini-sota. (My apologies to Minnesotans.) Anyway, how can you go wrong with driving through the beautiful countryside provided by the Land of 10,000 Lakes?

As with the Mini coupe, the convertible comes in two models, the Cooper and the more powerful Cooper S. The Cooper is outfitted to meet most drivers' wants and needs. The design of the platform and drive train welcomes adventurous driving. Yet the car also can be civilized and quite comfortable for the daily commute. And after being on the roads and streets for years now, I am surprised the Mini coupe continues to garner smiles, waves and a whole lot of thumbs-up gestures. It seems to put a happy face on all who come in contact with it. But the biggest smile of all comes from the person lucky enough to be sitting behind the steering wheel. And that person's smile is easy to see when the top is down.

The Cooper is powered by a small but potent 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that gives the car a spirited character. Producing an admirable 115 horsepower and 111 lbs.-ft. of torque, this little car will spirit you through the turns of your favorite country road like a sports car. Strap in the potent supercharger of the Cooper S model and that power jumps to 168 horsepower and 162 lbs.-ft. of torque. With additional power comes a major increase in the fun. Able to negotiate turns with tremendous agility, the Cooper S jumps at the chance to accelerate out of those turns and down the straight bits, to the next and the next and the next. If you aren't careful this could get to be habit-forming. Can't you just see it now--Mini Anonymous groups popping up all over the country. "Hi, my name's Ron and I can't stop driving my Mini."

There are three available transmissions. A five-speed manual is standard fare for the Cooper, which also has a continuous variable automatic transmission (CVT) available. The Cooper S gets a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox that elevates the driving fun even more.

The interior is designed much as the coupe, with the trademark center dash-mounted speedometer and retro-looking toggle switches just below and the steering column-mounted tachometer. A sport gauge package is available that moves the speedometer next to the tach on the steering column and in its place are multi-gauges that include oil pressure and amp meter.

The trunk, while not as monstrous as a family sedan, is reasonably sized, but fold the rear seat down and you get a cargo space that holds 21 cubic feet of stuff. In fact, the rear seat probably should remain a place for inanimate objects. I adjusted the driver seat for my optimum position and there was virtually no leg room available behind my seat. And though I discovered I could adjust the seat to give a small person room behind me, I would not want to subject that person, or myself, to this inconvenience for much more than a few miles.

Whether you choose the Cooper or the Cooper S makes little difference, because both vehicles will inject a high level of enjoyment into your driving. Put the top down, let the sun flow in and the wind flow through your hair, and watch as the grin on your face grows ever larger in response to the miles ticking over on the odometer.