MINI reveals new Convertible

Of course that intro is misleading. Britain doesn’t typically have a long enough summer to take the roof off a drop-top, even if the new MINI Convertible’s roof gets it done in 18 seconds.

The third model off MINI’s new modular UKL front-drive architecture, the four-seat MINI Convertible (previously called the Cabrio) is one of the obvious survivors in boss Peter Schwarzenbauer’s model-slashing regime. It should be. Its predecessors have all sold by the bucket load.

It joins the three-door MINI hatch and the five-door MINI Clubman as the standard bearers of the MINI range, and it’s bigger than before in almost every significant dimension.

Less “mini” with every passing generation, the Convertible is 98mm longer than the old car, 44mm wider, 7mm taller and the wheelbase is 28mm longer, too. The overhangs are longer at both ends, the rear track width is up 34mm and the front end’s track is 42mm wider. We could go on like this, but it’s a product of the UKL architecture, and MINI’s product planners just happen to think that’s what Convertible owners want.

It’s still only 3821mm long (though the Cooper S is 39mm longer), 1727mm wide and 1415mm high, with a 2495mm wheelbase.

It’s not all negative, with the luggage space growing 25 per cent to 215 litres, though that drops to 160 litres when the multi-layer cloth roof is folded down. MINI has finally given it full electronic operation, so it has a sliding function as well as being able to retract or rise at up to 30km/h.

There are also pop-up rollover protection bars that are invisible to the naked eye, but obvious to the upside down occupants. Those in the rear are obviously drawing the short straw, but their seat bases are longer than before, the rear width is up 34mm at the shoulders and 112mm at the elbow, while there’s another 36mm of knee room.

There are some additional quirks, too, such as allowing the roof to be opened via a button on the key, plus allowing the front part of the roof to slide back up to 40mm to give it a sunroof-style effect.

It has climate-control air-conditioning as standard equipment (a dual-zone set-up is optional), and its audio system includes an AUX-in plug and a USB socket, plus you can option up all manner of Union Jack paraphernalia everywhere from the roof to the mirrors to the seats.

It has ramped up the weirdness with an Always Open Timer, which measures the amount of time the Convertible spends with the roof down, from the time it’s bought.

It will launch in three-cylinder Cooper, four-cylinder Cooper S and three-cylinder Cooper D (diesel) variants initially, so they’ll respectively deliver 100kW, 141kW and 85kW.

The 1275kg (DIN) Cooper S gets the same direct-injection turbo petrol motor, with variable valve lift and timing, as the Cooper S hatch, and it brings 280Nm of torque to the fight at just 1250rpm (though it can briefly overboost for 300Nm), then holds that until 4000rpm. The power peaks between 5000 and 6000rpm, which is good enough to get the automatic version to 100km/h in 7.1 seconds and to give it a top speed of 230km/h.

The automatic is not only a bit quicker than the manual, but a bit more frugal, posting an NEDC consumption figure of 5.6L/100km (compared to 6.0L/100km for the manual).

The three-cylinder Cooper loses 500cc of engine capacity, but the rest of the engine hardware is identical to the Cooper S, with the 1.5-litre motor delivering 100kW of power from 4400rpm and 220Nm of torque at 1250.

The 1205kg (DIN) car’s acceleration to 100km/h blows out to 8.7 seconds and its top speed drops to 208km/h, but its NEDC figure also falls, bringing it in at 4.9L/100km (114g/km).

It might only have 85kW of power at 4000rpm, but the 1.5-litre, three-cylinder Cooper D diesel motor doesn’t want for torque, delivering 270Nm of the stuff from 1750rpm to 2250. The 1245kg car only just sneaks beneath the 10-second barrier in the sprint to 100km/h, but it pulls the NEDC number even lower, with 3.8L/100km and its CO2 emissions plummet to 105g/km.

All models will be standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, though a six-speed automatic is optional and the Cooper S slusher gets steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.

Its wheel and tyre options range from 15 to 18 inches, sitting beneath the same MacPherson strut front end and multi-link rear found in the hatch. Two-way adjustable dampers are available for the first time, though the standard damper is a fixed-rate unit.