Mini Cooper Cabrio 2005 review

The Mini is an iconic car that has holds huge appeal for both young and old alike and the cabrio version of the car should make many new friends.

Mini Cooper Cabrio is priced from $35,900.

• The 1.6-litre four cylinder engine generates 85kW of power at 6000rpm and maximum torque of 150Nm 4500rpm. It is a willing worker but labours under the load down low.
• A five-speed manual is standard but our test car was fitted with the CVT auto. You get the option of D, Sport D or changing gears like a manual, either with the gearshift or with steering wheel mounted change paddles.
• The transmission makes the most of the smallish engine and the result is lively performance, provided you keep up the revs. But there's a bit of a lull before it gets going off the line.
• Like its hard topped sibling, the Mini Cabrio handles like a go-kart. Add in stability and traction control and this is one very stable motor car.
• We found the steering wheel change paddles easy to use, but the traditional gear shift was stiff during manual operation. You can flick seamlessly between the two and the transmission changes up automatically before redline is reached.
• The fabric covered roof is a snap to operate. There's no catches to release, just push the button and down it comes. Four buttons are located above the rear vision mirror, two for opening and closing the roof, the other two for operating the windows.
• The roof can also be operated from the remote and has a sunroof option which allows it to be opened halfway, providing a large 400mm opening. This can be done on the move up to a speed of 120km/h.
• Vision with the top up is limited, especially towards the rear. There's no B pillar but the C pillar more than makes up for this with a small rear window albeit a glass one. Add in some rain and changing lanes can be a bit of a lottery.
• In terms of parking, it's a good thing then that all versions of the cabrio get a parking distance sensor as standard.
• If you prefer travelling with the roof up, and most people who own a convertible would rather die than do so, airconditioning is also standard.
• Safety stuff includes ABS, Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), as well as a strengthened bodyshell that incorporates strong tubes in- serted into the A pillars and dual rollover hoops with integrated headrests behind the two rear seats.
• Not much room in the back seat nor in the boot for that matter, so this could be a consideration if size matters.
• Although it takes premium unleaded, the Mini is a light sipper.