Manic in Miniature: the 2009 Mini Cooper S Convertible

When the Mini Cooper debuted five decades ago, it broke the mold as the quintessentially universal automobile. Currying favour with everyone from royalty to couriers to race car drivers of international repute, its basic layout, spacious interior, compact proportions, and exuberant driving experience was universally lauded by critics. Buyers lines up, pocketbooks in hand, for a chance to own one, and they are still among the most collectible cars on the planet.

However, it wasn't long before American crash standards had increased dramatically, and North American buyers began to lean towards larger vehicles more suited towards the wide open spaces and vast distances required of the North American driver. However, the Mini’s reputation was carried elsewhere throughout the 90’s by the Rover corporation who continued to produce Mini’s for overseas markets up until 2000.

Meanwhile, BMW was enjoying fantastic success with every smaller vehicles. Recognizing the demand for an upscale, luxury smaller car in North America but unwilling to sacrifice the BMW brand equity on a hatchback of their own, BMW announced their purchase of the Mini nameplate amongst a plethora of others in their purchase of the Rover Car Corp (coincidentally, the purchase thereof also resulted in BMW receiving Land Rover, which was directly responsible for the creation of the X5). Following the acquisition of the almost-forgotten brand, BMW announced that North America would be receiving a new, BMW-engineered Mini to fill the (at the time) questionable “upscale hatchback” market. Critics initally lambasted the decision to enter a premium product in a segment dominated by low-budget econoboxes, however, after the first road tests started appearing on magazine covers, the tide was turning; journalists themselves were so impressed with the BMW-engineered hatch that many of them went out and bought Minis themselves.

And now the lineage has come full circle, with the creation of the second generation Mini Cooper S convertible. Already a relatively stiff car with an almost comically short wheelbase, not much was needed to lop the roof off the diminutive hatchback, and the only large departure from the hatchback chassis is a new crossmember that’s a full three times thicker than that used on the hardtop model and affixed to the chassis with “triangular welds.” While BMW did not provide specifications as to the convertible chassis' rigidity as compared to the hatchback's, they do admit the new convertible is 10% stiffer than the previous drop-top. The rest of the Mini Cooper S’ underpinnings carried over unchanged, from the turbocharged four cylinder to the lightning quick 14.1:1 steering ratio. Not surprisingly then, with the roof up, there’s not much to remind the driver that they’re driving a car that stickers for almost $6,000 more to start. Unless, of course, you consider the excellent rearview mirror-borne view of a curvaceous roll bar obscuring a tiny porthole of a rear window to be much of a reminder. Definitely a familiar sight to previous Cooper convertible owners, the new car offers slightly better visibility through the implementation of a new roll bar that extends upward in the event of a rollover, giving the protective device a slightly lower profile when unused. In either case, dropping the top improves things dramatically, and is completed in short order with a simple button push... or two. The first toggle of the header-mounted switch rolls the top back halfway, becoming something of a giant sunroof. Pressing and holding it again opens the top completely, folding it back behind the aforementioned active roll bar. Sitting atop the trunk, the convertible maintains some semblance of trunk space, and keeps a more classic convertible look with the canvas roof stacked on the rear, not unlike that of the New Beetle Cabriolet. Of course, if classic looks aren't you're thing, you'll appreciate the roof's conservance of trunk space; with a relatively small opening and just six cubic feet of space, having a convertible top that folded neatly away but obscured valuable storage room would be a travesty.

However, small as the trunk may be, Mini has supplied other orifices that can be employed to store most items, with the most spacious storage space being the rear seats. With a relatively short clutch stroke and a 32” inseam, I was forced to introduce my seatback to the rear seat’s cushion, making the seating position aft of the driver suitable only for small dogs and even smaller children, and neither at the same time. BMW themselves freely support this misuse of the Mini's rear seats, as the supplied wind blocker closes off the rear seats entirely, making them even better for storing goods. Of course, by closing off the seats and sitting directly behind the driver's seat, it reduces wind turbulence and noise to an almost nonexistent level. Also, the wind blocker shelf contains two very nifty drop-down zippered pockets that are perfect storage places for the sundries that convertible ownership requires; sunscreen, big hats, chap stick and windbreakers. Coincidentally, the pockets are also the easiest storage places to reach when outside the vehicle, making them even handier. In front, deep door pockets make for excellent map storage, and the same dual glovebox system as the standard Mini Cooper S gives your insurance, registration, and other smaller packages a secure home. The remainer of the interior is rendered in the same emphatically youthful, retro-style as the hatchback, albeit with a new gauge. Mounting next to the tachometer, the convertible features a relatively complicated top-down clock that allows you to keep track of your sun exposure with each roof retraction, while the on-board information display tallies up the car's total hours of top-down motoring.

Under way and moving through sedate Vancouver traffic, the convertible variant feels every bit as well sorted as the standard Cooper S, with the same quick and quirky reactions to everything from steering wheel inputs to inappropriate button pushes  (those familiar with the Mini’s polite chime know what I speak of). I won’t bore you with the familiar hyperbole outlining the Mini’s nimbleness; you’ve probably heard it all before in every other review of the Mini Cooper S ever published. Instead, suffice it to say that in the cut and thrust of urban environments, it’s a scalpel in a sledgehammer world.

But, get it out onto a winding back road with some dubious pavement repairs, and the convertible begins to differentiate itself from the hatchback. Undulations and potholes create an unfamiliar disconnect between the steering wheel and the front end as the chassis flexes, and the sensation isn’t helped any by the combination of the run-flat tires and very, very, very firm suspension that seems to transfer most of the impact to the chassis itself rather than isolate it. Obviously effecting the driving experience, the combination of this jarring ride and slightly more flexible chassis accentuate the turbocharged Mini's propensity for torque steer as the lack of tire compliance overworks the suspension almost constantly. The end result is a frenetic experience with a car that shoots from corner to corner with explosive force, rather than flowing through them. Inside, there’s the effect of all this on the more perceivable flexy bits, like the windows. Merely riding on top of one another, the front and rear windows clatter against each other, and a few of our tester’s plastic parts did falter under the punishment of the suspension’s firmness. Clearly designed for Germany’s excellent road surfaces, the diminutive Mini seemed ill-prepared for the backroads of British Columbia’s front-heave-stricken coastal region, and the occasional run-in with the last vestiges of gravel and salt from the winter’s snow kept the small-diameter steering wheel dancing in my hands with torque steer and course corrections.

Now, all this may lead you to the premature (and incorrect) assumption that the Mini Cooper S convertible is, quite simply, not that good. Au contraire. Although it did exhibit some torque steer and chassis flex, it was still fantastic enough to entice yours truly to put over 2,000 kilometres on its odometer (much to the chagrin of BMW’s press fleet coordinator – my apologies, again!), and not a single one of those were consumed by commuting or errands. Driven at a relaxed pace, the Mini’s excellent wind-handling properties were appreciated, as was its ability to pull away on a wave of turbocharged torque through nearly every gear. It's small size still comes in handy in traffic, and it excels in the urban environment. Driven in anger, the clamour of the interior is more than matched by the charasmatic engine note, whistling of the turbocharger blow-off valve, and howling tires. The steering wheel thrashes about like a pissed off badger, and the ability to explode out of a corner exit keep the left foot and right hand busy working the gearbox to keep up. Drive it softly, and you won't ruffle a hair on your date's head. Drive it hard and you and your date will arrive with muscles still straining under sweat-drenched shirts.

While it may lack the most stoic qualities of its hardtop cousin, the convertible is arguably the more intriguing model by virtue of the split personality imbued by its imperfections. It does require more attention from its driver, and lacks some of the hard top’s practicality, but rewards with a far more visceral experience. And although that may make it less likely to be an individual’s only vehicle, it simultaneously makes for a far more entertaining second car that can still be driven to work every day.