- Original Base Price: $36,600; Black Book Value: $26,625; Red Book Value: $28,825
- Engine: 1.6-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder
- Horsepower/Torque: 168 hp/162 lb-ft
- Transmission: Six-speed manual and automatic
- Drive: Front-wheel-drive
- Fuel Economy (litres/100 km): 9.5 city/6.7 highway (manual transmission); premium gas
- Alternatives: VW New Beetle Cabrio, Toyota Solara V-6, Pontiac G6 GTP, Nissan 350Z Roadster, Mazda Miata (MX5), Honda S2000
Right from the beginning, the new Mini appealed to enthusiasts and regular folks alike. Fast, nimble, well-built, cool, it has it all.
The Cooper S Convertible, in particular, is one of the closest things we have to those iconic British sports cars — Morgan, MGB, Austin-Healey, TR4, etc — that changed the face of motoring back in the 1950s and 1960s.
But it wasn't cheap. In 2006, with all the bells and whistles, the Cooper S Convertible carried a base price of well over $36,000, and you could easily top 40-grand with a few extras. These days, you can pick one up for considerably less, although it has held its value quite well.
According to the Canadian Black Book, a two-year-old Cooper S Convertible is worth $26,625, while the Red Book has it at $28,825.
So what do you get for your money? Let's start with the drivetrain. The engine is the same 1.6-litre unit found in the garden-variety Mini, but in this case, it's supercharged with an intercooler and oil cooler, and develops 168 horsepower, which is 53 more than the stock version. This made the Cooper S Convertible a fairly rapid little car, with a 0-100 km/h time of 7.4 seconds, according to the company.
You could choose from a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. Either way, you got go-kart handling, outstanding acceleration, a high degree of tossability and, all things considered, a stiff but fairly civilized ride.
Because of its small wheelbase and oversize brakes (ABS came standard with the S), the Cooper S could keep up with many "pure" sports cars when it comes to straightening out corners. In fact, there aren't many automobiles, period, that can match it when the road gets twisty. It has always had a huge driveability factor that many other makers can only envy; even when you're not driving particularly fast, it feels like you're going like stink.
The manageable-sized convertible top is activated by a console-mounted button and it automatically lowers the windows and tucks the top away behind the back seats. It comes with a glass rear window and, because of its small size, is out of the way pronto — about 20 seconds from closed to fully open and vice-versa.
It also functions as kind of a power sun-roof. If you don't want the full wind in your face experience, you can roll it back about 400 mm — just enough to let a little fresh air in.
But one of the Cooper S Convertible's few weak points is rearward visibility; it's just about non-existent when the top is up, and not that great when it's down. Backing up is much harder than it should be, but that said, most people that purchased the car were so enthusiastic about the rest of it, they overlooked this little flaw.
Another bone of contention is the location of the power window switches, which are located on either side of the centre console, instead of on the doors. And of course, there is virtually no rear-seat leg-room on the Cooper S Convertible, then or now. The pint-sized seats back there are suitable only for kids, pets, and really small adults.
There is a trunk, just big enough to carry a small gym bag or pair of golf shoes — but it's better than nothing at all.
During the design process, BMW made a point of extensively reinforcing the Mini Convertible, and it's some 50 kilograms heavier than its hardtop counterpart, with minimal body flex. For real enthusiasts, this also made it a titch slower than the regular model — but not by much.
Lots of options and various packages were available. For example, the Premium package featured heated front seats, upgraded stereo, universal remote control and snazzy "chrome line" interior. The Sport Package, meanwhile, included Dynamic Stability Control, larger 17-inch wheels and tires, and fog-lights. You could also get a navigation system, "Checkmate" exterior graphics, and a limited-slip differential that added to the car's already formidable handling and performance capability.
No recall notices are on file with Transport Canada yet, and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is equally silent about the Mini Cooper S Convertible.
However, there are three technical service bulletins to report — two for cooling system contretemps and one warning that the car is equipped with nitrogen-filled tires. This is also the case with the new Honda Fit, incidentally, and could present a problem if and when you get a flat and need it repaired. You can't exactly inflate your tires with nitrogen at the local gas station.
Marketing research firm J.D. Power, meanwhile, loves the Cooper S Convertible's style and performance, but is less than lukewarm when it comes to overall quality, scoring it below average in things like overall quality design and interior design quality. Predicted reliability, according to the company, is "about average" and, for those concerned with safety, it gets four out of five stars in every category.
