2005 MINI Cooper S Convertible

When BMW purchased Britain's now-faltering Rover a few years ago, they soon rejuvenated its best-known car, the legendary MINI, and completely redid the aging icon, updating the original's cheeky styling, competitive performance and great handling with a retro-modern design that's packed with smart engineering and contemporary safety features. Since its re-introduction, over 400,000 MINIs have been sold worldwide, more than ten percent of those in the U.S. The new convertible is the first in a series of model extensions to widen the born-again brand's appeal.

Big Style

Slightly facelifted for '05, the MINI comes in both Cooper ($21,500, 115 hp) and Cooper S (168 hp) versions. The Cooper S model's suspension is firmer than the Cooper's, with a minor tradeoff in ride comfort due to convertible-specific chassis and body stiffening. Because unit volume is generally smaller, buyers of import convertibles often pay a severe premium for an open-topped ride vs. their company's hardtop counterparts. That's not so with the MINI.


For just $5 grand over the Cooper S coupe, you get the convertible with a fully automatic, nicely padded, electro-hydraulic top system. It's equipped with a heated glass rear window that can be folded halfway, or completely down in fifteen seconds. A hard-shell sliding sunroof panel can be opened for a landau effect, or the top can be lowered completely, even from outside the car (with the key fob). A clever Z-shaped folding system permits the folded top to rest over the rear of the passenger compartment, keeping the rear seats free. The hard section then becomes the tonneau cover. This car's structure is so rigid that a "basket handle" bar is unnecessary. Behind the rear seats, twin tubular roll bars, part of a sturdy, W-shaped stiffening structure, help protect the occupants in the unlikely event of a flip.


The ragtop's weight penalty is an acceptable 220 pounds. Unlike a roadster, there's room for four adults here, but smallish-ones in back. The rear seats fold, boosting cargo capacity to 21.3 cu. ft. The MINI has virtually all the safety technology BMW builds into its bigger cars, including side airbags as standard equipment. Buyers can opt for two new convertible-only colors: Cool Blue and Hot Orange. Tops come in black, green or blue. The tailgate splits and the lower section (which can hold up to 175 lbs.) opens flat. Rearward vision with the top up is somewhat restricted. And with the top down, the roll bar hoops impede your line of sight a bit. BMW has included its Park Distance Control feature, so the MINI warns its driver of impending parking crunches. There's an effective optional wind blocker, but it covers the rear seats, turning the car into a roadster and eliminating double-dating.

Mad Dash

The Cooper S is very quiet with the top erected, rather noisy with the sunroof—open, and tolerably quiet with the top down. The MINI's distinctive, center-located gauge cluster, a carry-over from the original model, can be replaced with red LED dials in an optional Chrono Gauge Package. The speedo and tach move onto the steering column, but they're hard to see in bright sunlight. There's no room for a spare; the MINI rides on Run-Flat tires. That's soon forgotten, though. The real MINI fun quotient comes on strong when you hit the road.