MINI Convertible 2016 Review - International

MINI Convertible
International launch
Los Angeles, USA

MINI has killed off the Cabrio and replaced it with the Convertible, and in the process the third-gen modern MINI soft-top has grown up. Better built, better finished and better performing than before, the new car delivers the driving fun of the hatch – something long missing from the drop-top Coopers. The new Convertible arrives Down Under in three- and four-cylinder form with up to 170kW when the JCW arrives. Just don’t ask for a manual – with 95 per cent of MINI soft-top buyers to date opting for autos, manuals are order-only.

Almost everything buyers of new MINI Convertible need to know is contained in one paragraph of the press kit.

‘High-quality textile soft top with fully automatic opening and closing mechanism as well as sliding roof function; new drive, fully electric and therefore very quiet for the first time; also available as ‘MINI Yours’ soft top with unique woven Union Jack graphic; opening and closing of the soft top and side windows in 18 seconds, also possible during travel at speeds of up to 30 km/h…’

After all, it is all about the top, isn’t it?

In the past that’s absolutely been the case. The first couple of MINI soft-tops have been compromised; slightly more cramped, slightly less functional versions of the reborn hatchback style icons. The entire raison d’etre of the model was the roof, or lack thereof. Now, that roof is even available in a ‘woven Union Jack graphic’…

But that’s not the good news. Rather, it’s that in this new generation, the MINI Convertible has eschewed the Cabrio moniker and in the process grown up… and it’s better for it. Much!

The new four-seater MINI Convertible arrives in Australia mid-April and should change the way the model is viewed Down Under.

It will be offered in auto-only three and four-cylinder turbocharged petrol combinations and the range will (eventually) be topped by a 170kW/320Nm 2.0-litre John Cooper Works variant.

MINI’s topless ticket to ride kicks off at $37,900 (plus on-roads) for the 100kW, three-cylinder, 1.5-litre Cooper. Standard equipment includes six-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox (manual is a no cost option), 16-inch alloy wheels, cloth trim, reversing camera with guidelines, rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control with ‘Convertible Mode’.

MINI says the entry-level Cooper accelerates from 0-100km/h in 8.7sec. Fuel consumption on the official combined-cycle test is 5.3L/100km.

The four-cylinder 2.0-litre 141kW/280Nm MINI Cooper S Convertible not only adds a reasonable level of equipment and a dose of performance; it’s also likely to be the top-seller. It’s priced from $45,400 (plus on-roads). MINI’s six-speed Steptronic is again standard in the S – although this time with shift paddles.

The S rides on 17-inch alloys and features cloth/leather combination upholstery, John Cooper Works leather-bound steering wheel, LED headlights, MINI Navigation and MINI Driving Modes.

Fun is a large part of the supposed MINI DNA and there’s additional equipment to reflect that. An ‘Always Open Timer’ detects how many hours you’ve had you Convertible’s roof open (on all variants), and at night puddle lamps from under the S’s external mirrors proudly project the MINI logo. There's even a smart-phone ap that will tell you rain's coming!

Official figures have the Cooper S’s 0-100km/h acceleration at 7.1sec and its combined-cycle fuel consumption at 5.8L/100km.

The performance flagship of the new Convertible range is the above mentioned MINI John Cooper Works – not expected Down Under until September. In addition to the tweaked TwinPower powerplant, the JCW Convertible also boasts Brembo brakes, sports suspension and a more purposeful exhaust system.

The auto version of the JCW is the fastest of the brood to 100km/h, says MINI – 6.5sec, which is none too shabby. The six-speed manual is 0.1sec slower and, like all of the Convertible range Down Under, only available by special order.

Although every MINI allows for myriad customisation, the JCW takes the Convertible even further upscale with special sports seats, steering and road wheel options. Expect to pay handsomely – MINI Australia is hinting at the mid-$50K range, before you tick an option.

There’s more technology than ever in the new-generation MINI. Like its Cooper and Clubman counterparts, the trickle down of driver safety aids sees the Convertible available with options such as road sign recognition, high beam assistant, active cruise control and collision and pedestrian warning systems. We expect most of these to be optional Down Under.

Standard safety kit does however include new ‘rollover protection elements’ – now fully concealed – hence the cleaner rear lines with the roof down. If the Convertible’s computers detect the risk of a rollover, two alloy ‘rollover protection bars’ are triggered pyrotechnically within 110ms. Along with the convertible-specific reinforced windscreen frame these help form ‘a stable survival space for vehicle occupants’.

The system also includes front airbags as well as side head-thorax airbags which are integrated in the front seat’s backrests. The Convertible’s bonnet is also ‘partially active’ to ensure ‘optimised pedestrian protection’.

So what else has changed in this generation? Structurally plenty.

The Convertible gets model-specific reinforcement under the engine, in the sills and both front and rear bulkheads. The result is a significantly more rigid body-in-white.

Like its hatch and Clubman counterparts, the new F56 Convertible has also grown in this generation. In contrast with the R57 model it replaces, the new soft-top is 98mm longer overall, 44mm wider and 7mm higher. It also rides on a longer wheelbase (up 28mm) and wider track (42mm more at the front and 34mm more at the rear).

The bottom-hinged boot lid remains but luggage capacity has risen 25 per cent to 215L with the folding roof raised. Roof lowered, boot space is reduced to 160L.

Some additional amenity is delivered via folding rear seats and a slightly enlarged through-loading facility. When the roof is closed MINI’s Easy Load function ‘enables the soft top frame to be swung higher up than in the predecessor model so as to facilitate stowage of large-format luggage items.’

ISOFIX child seat restraint points are fitted in the rear and also the front passenger seat, at least in overseas versions.

MINI says other changes include re-shaped rear seats that offer a longer cushion and a less upright, more comfortable seating position. There seems to be more room up front and also a valuable (MINI-measured) 36mm extra kneeroom. The front seats now slide further forward to aid access to the rear pews.

MINI launched the new Convertible in what purports to be the home of the personal car (and perhaps convertible), Los Angeles. And perhaps it was the choice of location that in part meant I expected little from the little soft-top. I was mistaken…

We drove Cooper S variants (manual and auto) at the car’s launch and the car was a surprise – a pleasant surprise. Indeed, the new generation is a step-change in terms of refinement and driving dynamics.

With the roof down and no (optional) windblocker in place the cabin is relatively calm up to around 110km/h. Roof up there’s compromised rear three-quarter vision, which will make parallel parking a chore.

Not so successful is the unique-to-MINI ‘sunroof’, a sliding section of the cloth roof. Even at relatively low speeds this creates a noisy buffeting effect. Better to drop the whole roof – it’s an entirely automatic process, with not even a latch to operate.

What impresses is the reduction in scuttle shake on this generation. The new car has a more solid feel and in many other ways the new car has a much more ‘premium’ presence.

There’s more elbow room and cabin materials appear to have taken a step up. That said, I’m no longer a fan of the large central circular instrument binnacle. This is one aspect of ‘MINI DNA’ that’s passed its use by date.

On the road, the new car has better handling and a more resolved feel than previous generations of Cabrio. It also rides significantly better and is the better for it.

On the bumpy and at times poorly surfaced curves of Mulholland Highway and Decker Road in the canyons above Malibu (that’s three names I just dropped!), the old car would have struggled for grip and traction and would not have invited any sort of pace. In contrast, the new car is positively sporting – as the brand would say a MINI should be.

The JCW version should bring with it proper hot hatch-style thrills if the Cooper S is anything to go by.

There's plenty of power even from low engine revs -- maximum torque is available from just 1250rpm. The 2.0-litre four has an excellent mid-range in Cooper S tune, which means the manual car that we drove could be left in higher gears and not ‘rowed’ along. The auto makes progress smooth and deceptively quick.

Use the paddles and there’s a pleasant twin-clutch-like feel to the changes, but in reality auto will do 95 per cent of what any buyer wants.

Frankly I hadn’t expected to be writing so positively about a car I’ve always seen as a necessary evil within the MINI line-up. This is actually a soft-top a sporty driver could get to love, in an almost MX-5-like way.

Blasphemy? Perhaps, but you drive one and come away without a smile. I dare you…