Mini Introduces its New Convertible

Mini Cooper S Convertible

In the 2014 model year, the Mini Cooper underwent a redesign that resulted in a larger footprint, and a complete overhaul of the interior and exterior. Despite this overhaul, the Cooper was still easily recognizable. While the standard model gained a new look, the convertible model continued unchanged in 2014 and 2015. Today, Mini has finally unveiled the redesigned version of the Cooper Convertible.

The redesigned Mini Cooper Convertible carries all of the same changes as the hardtop models, including the new headlights, grille, hood, taillights, and more. Other than the styling changes inside and out, the new Mini Cooper Convertible is no longer so mini, as it is 4.8 inches longer, 1.7 inches wider, and 0.8 inches taller than the last-gen model. Its wheelbase has also grown by 1.1 inches and its luggage capacity is up 25 percent to 7.6 cubic feet.

Mini Cooper Convertible

The retractable top is made from fabric to help keep the weight down, and going from shelter to sunshine takes just 18 seconds. What’s more, you can also drop the top at speeds of up to 18 mph, cause who has time to stop to drop the top these days?

Like its hardtop sibling, the Cooper Convertible is available with three- and four-cylinder Mini TwinPower Turbo engines. The standard 1.5-liter three-pot puts out 134 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, which gets the pint-sized drop top to 60 mph in as few as 8.2 seconds with the manual transmission. The top speed rings in at 128 mph.

Mini Cooper Convertible

Moving in to the Cooper S Convertible, Mini drops in a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo engine that produces 189 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. With the manual transmission, the S model sprints to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, while the auto transmission takes an extra 0.1 seconds to hit highway speeds. The Cooper S’ top speed checks in at 142 mph with the auto transmission and 143 mph with the manual.

Mini will make the Cooper Convertible available in March of 2016, which means it will almost certainly be a 2017 model year. There is, however, a slim possibility that it arrives as a 2016 model year, but this is highly unlikely. Stay tuned for more info.