2009 Mini Cabrio Reviews

Blank switch covers on the dashboard of a new car say something about the owner. It says: You are a cheapskate. You couldn't afford to buy the extras that come with the switches to fill these holes. So for the life of your car, they stare blankly back at every occupant and silently scream ‘cheapskate’.Thankfully, there are ways to fill ugly and embarrassing blanks in a new car's dashboard. Mini has found the ideal fitment to its Cabrio S Chilli, a model that frustratingly spent some time in my hands getting wet in a few days of winter rain.It is the ‘absolutely unique Always-Open Timer’. In plain English, it tells you how long the roof has been open and so important is this device that it sits big and proud alongside the tachometer. Why? Because, Mini says, ‘this unprecedented instrument shows the driver and passengers the time they have spent driving with the roof down, motivating the driver to really enjoy the thrill of open-air motoring as frequently as possible’.There are SO many things I want to say about this, but I'm going to be kind and just suggest that blank switch covers would actually be better looking, cheaper and serve a greater function.Drivetrain On a kinder note, the Mini Cabrio S is a gem. It's all to do with the bright, lively and even fuel-miserly 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, turbocharged engine that constantly lures the driver to revel in its prodigious torque and sweet nigh-revving exhaust note. The transmission is a six-speed manual — though an auto is available — which is equally as delightful and a joy to stir.The engine, also used by Peugeot in its 207 model, has already been voted as one of the world's best and for very good reason. If it has a fault it lies in the noise generated by the driver's active right foot.Body and space Don't think that the Mini is a small car. It's a scale model of the original 1960s creation but has been super-sized so it has proportions close to the Golf or Corolla hatch. That indicates room for four but in effect is a 2+2 with the children allocated in the diminutive, yet beautifully crafted, rear seats.The Cabrio gets a fabric roof with electric drive and includes a clever ‘targa-style’ setting that opens just the section above the front occupants' heads. Better is that this function can be opened and closed at speeds up to 30km/h. If the weather is inclement — as it was for the majority of this test — then Mini this year provides climate airconditioning as standard.For protection in a roll-over, there is a single-piece rollbar behind the rear seats that arises automatically in 150 milliseconds. I doubt if you'd need this. The Mini Cabrio — tested in its S Chilli version which adds more features plus the turbocharged engine — hangs on like a limit through the bends.Driving This is really one of the best fun cars — along with the Mazda MX-5 which incidentally is its biggest rival — on the market.The short wheelbase, wide track and sharp steering ratio make it go-kart accurate and with the ability to change its line through the corner. But the ride on the run-flat tyres is firm and sometimes harsh and usually noisy. It works well, however, on smooth bitumen. The Mini Cabrio S Chilli is a great package — at least from a drivetrain point of view.But the Mini demands sympathetic and well-heeled buyers. These are people who can live with its small cabin, hodge-podge switch and gauge placement and the unconventional placement of the windscreen somewhere near the headlights.It would never win any aesthetic prize. Like the original Mini, the speedo is a huge dinner plate disc in the centre of the dash. It is within easy view of any occupant and can become an issue if you pick a pedantic passenger. Toggle switches are placed — predominantly — in the centre of the dash and can be awkward to quickly locate.Then there's the stupid ignition key that has to slide into position one-way up and then a starter button has to be pressed. Too fussy! But I'm probably being too fussy myself. This is a style car and the function may be less important to its buyers.PricingIt's not cheap. Prices for the Cabrios start at a reasonable $39,800 but you have to fill in the blank dashboard panels so the option list can get a healthy work out. As tested, the car was $51,600. That includes the Always-Open Timer that told me the brief time spent with my head in the fresh air cost $2345.45 a minute. And that's a figure any owner would not want to gauge.Mini Cooper S Cabrio Chilli Price: $51,600Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, turbochargedPower: 128kW @ 5500rpmTorque: 240Nm @ 1600-5000rpmPerformance: 0-100km/h: 7.1 secondsFuel economy (official): 7.2 litres/100km, (tested): 8.4 litres/100kmEmissions: 171g/km (Corolla: 175g/km)Transmission: 6-speed manual; front-driveVerdict: 85/100Rivals: Audi A3 Cabriolet 1.6 ($43,900) — 87/100Mazda MX-5 ($43,850) — 92/100Lotus Elise 1.8S ($69,990) — 91/100BMW 120i Convertible ($52,900) — 88/100

The smile-inducing droptop version of the upgraded Mini will go on sale later this month boasting lower fuel use, better outputs and lower emissions.The Mini icon — celebrating 50 years this year — is offering the new Cabrio as a Cooper and Cooper S straight off the bat, with the Chilli option pack available in both variants.Starting price for the new droptop is $39,800 for the Cooper, an increase of $2300 over the outgoing model.The top end Cooper S model rises by $1500 to be priced from $48,000; an automatic transmission adds $2350 to the bottom line and the Chilli pack another $3600.Tick a few option boxes and the pricetag quickly rises to more than $60,000 — a lot of money for a little sporty.The Bluetooth/USB connection will add $750, or $1470 if you want it integrated into the armrest.Leather trim, depending on the original model, adds between $1460 and $2950.Mini national manager Justin Hocevar says the new Mini Cabrio is the only premium cabrio in its segment will continue to deliver typical Mini driving pleasure, borrowing a trademark phrase from its BMW parent.“Compared with their predecessors both the new Cooper Cabrio and the new Cooper S Cabrio offer better performance on substantially less fuel and with much lower emissions,” he says.The new Cabrio has attempted to address some of the criticisms levelled at its predecessor, with the rear passengers protected in a rollover by a pop-up roll-hoop system that deploys in 150 milliseconds.The previous model's fixed rollhoops impeded rear vision for the driver, something that has been remedied to some extent by the new set-up, but the large blind spots at the rear corners remain, making car park manoeuvres still something of a mystery.The pop-up roll-hoop system also allows the new Cabrio an extra five litres of boot space, with better access thanks to an Easy-Load expandable aperture for the boot. With the roof down the boot space is 125 litres (up five), rising to 170 litres when the roof is up and 660 litres with the rear seat folded down.Even with the top — which is available in black, brown or a denim colour, depending on paint colour — down, there are still some rearward vision restrictions, as the folded roof can obscure the view of traffic behind, no mean feat given the low ride of the Cabrio.Mini is also claiming an increase in body stiffness — thanks predominantly to reinforced side-sills — of 10 per cent, with a weight reduction of 10kg.Fuel consumption has also been cut — by 16 per cent in the Cooper to 6.1l/100km and 18 per cent in the Cooper S, down to 7.2l/100km, coincidentally the number achieved on the launch drive program south-west of Melbourne.One the sillier gauges — right up there with the economy gauge in an old Commodore or the "accurate" boost pressure gauges on some turbos — is the "Always Open Timer" tacked on to the left-hand side of the tachometer.Supposedly a fun feature and a non-negotiable part of the Chilli pack, it displays how much time you've spent driving with the roof down, but all it really does with any degree of function is block one of the air vents.The roof mechanism takes 15 seconds and can be operated up to 30km/h, with the additional flexibility of lifting the forward section of the roof, offering targa-top style driving without exposing the back seats, but aerodynamics make sure there's plenty of wind in the hair regardless of t-top or fully-dropped roof mode.The company expects the Cooper S to represent around 55 per cent of the new Cabrio's sales, with the Cooper more likely to be bought with a six-speed automatic.The Chilli pack ups the wheel size for either model (16in on the Cooper and 17 on the S), as well as adding cloth/leather trim, upgrading the sound system and adding Xenon headlights on Cooper S — the sales boffins say the take up of Chilli is around 60 per cent. DrivingThe only model driven on the launch was the Cooper S Chilli manual and immediately the turbo powerplant made its presence felt with braps, rumbles, snuffles and pops on the down-change, with an almost immediate surge from just about anywhere in the rev range.Rear seat room behind a 190cm-plus driver and passenger is minimal but tall occupants can accommodate limbs easily for a decent driving position.Rear vision is still an issue but otherwise the fun drive experience of previous BMW-built Minis remains — flat, grippy handling with plenty of driver smiles.The turbocharged powerplant does its best to make the front wheels squirm and will succeed under hard acceleration from slow corners, prompting the (standard range-wide) stability control into action.The gearchange is slick and reasonably sharp, although it's not difficult to push too far across into the realm of reverse — but most of the time the gearbox and well-placed pedals made for an entertaining drive.The pricetag looks impressive but the segment has a few droptops that offer more space and metal for the money, but putting a price on the go-kart handling and the fun drive experience is difficult ... that's what the company will count on.Price: from $39,800.Engine: 1.6-litre 16-valve four-cylinder; S — 1.6-litre 16-valve direct-injection twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder.Transmission: six-speed manual or automatic, front-wheel drive.Power: 88kW @ 6000rpm; 128kW @ 5500rpm.Torque: 160Nm @ 4250rpm; 240Nm (260Nm on overboost) from 1600 to 5000rpm.Performance: 0-100km/h 9.8 seconds (S 7.4). Top speed 198km/h (S- 222km/h).Fuel consumption: 6.1litres/100km (S — 7.2), tank 40litres (S — 50).Emissions: 145g/km (S — 171).In its class:Holden Astra Twin Top, from $45,790.Ford Focus Cabriolet, from $45,490.Peugeot 207CC, from $34,990.Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet, from $44,990.

Some would say it's a brave move to launch a new car which makes an extroverted statement about success and a carefree lifestyle as the world reels from the numbing chill of recession.New car sales worldwide are plummeting but BMW's Mini moment in the sun has arrived.It already had its second generation, oh-so-cool convertible locked into production well before the economic crisis loomed and now it seems there could be a ray of sunshine for Mini amongst the gloom and doom.Its seemingly less than perfect timing could work in its favour with the new cabrio likely to appeal to buyers downsizing from more expensive or less efficient models.An upbeat head of Mini's marketing communications Andreas Hofmann says the Mini's enviable appeal as a fun car and its reputation for fuel efficiency were strong selling points."Our timing (in launching the new Mini convertible) will work in our favour. Buyers are downsizing and that will be a bonus for us, especially in the United Sates and even in Australia,” Hofmann said at the launch of the Mini cabrio in Austria."Even in this climate if a product is right, it will sell," he said.Australia gets the new soft top in Cooper and more potent Cooper S guise in April. It picks up all the styling and mechanical changes introduced in the hatch two years ago, including the 1.6-litre petrol four cylinder motor. In the Cooper S there's been a switch to a twin-scroll turbocharged engine instead of the old supercharged motor. Diesel, too, is under consideration and will probably come later in the year.So it is largely a good news story for the new Mini: it's greener, more frugal, and the cabriolet addresses most of the styling negatives associated with the old version.That puts Mini in a good position to take the fight for sales up to rivals like the Audi A3, Peugeot 207, VW Eos, Mazda MX5 and Holden's Astra. You can also add Fiat's 500 convertible which will be launched in Europe in May.ON THE ROADWho said the Germans don't have a sense of humour?Who else would launch a convertible in Austria as Europe struggles through one of its bleakest winters in living memory. While Australia struggled with heat waves, in the foothills of the Austrian Alps the temperature struggling to get to zero, snow sat a metre deep on the roadside and houses were half hidden under white blankets.There were plenty of puzzled looks from the Austrians, swathed in layers of winter coats, pondering why these strange tourists were driving with the roof down. But Mini reckons there's no reason why you can't drive a cabrio in all seasons and they are right.Certainly the provided thermal jackets, combined with the Mini's new automatic airconditioning system, did the job at keeping frostbite at bay.You certainly don't buy a cabrio to be practical, but this one packs plenty of appeal and some gimmicks.Mini, a brand which likes to be off centre, has blessed the motoring world with a new term, the Always Open Timer, which was quickly dubbed the openonameter.This supposedly clever little dashboard display keeps track of how many hours you have driven topless. Why? Beats me, but it's a great conversation opener.Mini says it "encourages open air motoring." I thought that's the very reason you buy a cabrio in the first place. So now you can have a dashboard display to make you feel good.The neatly designed powered roof opens in 15 seconds flat. It's not the fastest in the business but it can be done at speeds up to 30km/h so you can impress your passengers or fellow road users with Mini's card folding trick on the run.You can also slide the leading edge back to create a sunroof. The top folds down onto the boot lid. It looks neater than before but there's no room for it to disappear completely.The pair of rollover hoops in the old model, which blocked the rear view, have been replaced with a single pop up bar which is far neater affair. The rear window doesn't have wiper so on wet days or in snow you have to rely on your door mirrors. This Mini suffers the same fate as most convertibles in that rear quarter visibility is still minimal thanks to the chunky design of the soft top.The back seat looks purpose built for kids, not adults, but Mini has done a good job in maximising luggage space, albeit you can only get a couple of small suitcases in there, but you can access the rear seat which splits and folds.Under the bonnet, the 1.6-litre four cylinder in the base Cooper model is good for 88kW and 160 Nm of torque. It's no rocket, but the Mini has impressive fuel consumption on its side.The Cooper S is a delightfully different beast and you can pick it from a distance because of the power bulge on the bonnet. It offers added spice with 128kW and 240Nm but uses more fuel. Acceleration off the line takes a claimed 7.4 seconds to get to 100km/h; the base Cooper does it in a leisurely 9.8 seconds.Fuel consumption is rated at 6.1l/100km in the Cooper and 7.2l/100km for the Cooper S but the best we could do was 9l.100km on icy roads.We only drove the Cooper S version which showed little evidence that the extra 100kg the electric soft top adds hampered performance. It may be a different story in the non-turbo version. Nor did we see any evidence of scuttle shake which the previous model suffered from.The Cooper S's ride remains firm to the point of being uncomfortable, especially on broken surfaces, thanks to its larger wheels, run-flat rubber and sporty suspension set up.But it makes up for the hard ride with its reassuring grip and balanced handling, especially in tight twisty roads where there are constant changes of direction.Our six-speed manual test car came equipped with Mini's new stop start system which switches the engine off automatically when stopped to save fuel. Depressing the clutch fires up the engine again. It's a feature we will soon see in Australia on the Mini diesel hatch, but Mini is expected to introduce it on the petrol cabrio next year.Cabrio pricing is expected to rise between 3 and 5 per cent over the outgoing model, which would position the Cooper at just under $39,000 and the Cooper S at under $48,000. You do get some extra equipment like automatic air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity and USB port for MP3 players to offset the price rise.The cabrio has all the traditional Mini DNA: sharp steering, poise and from the turbo, plenty of punch. Our drive in Austria proved this week, there's nothing chilling or numbing about the Mini's appeal.Price: Not finalised but expect the Cooper to sell for just under $39,000 and the Cooper S for about $48,000. SnapshotBMW Mini convertibleOn sale: AprilEngines: Cooper: Four cylinder, 1.6 litre naturally aspirated, 88kW at 6000rpm; 160Nm at 4250. CO2: 145g/km; Cooper S 171g/kmCooper S: 1.6-litre twin scroll turbocharged, 128kW at 5500rpm; 240Nm at 1600rpm (can be briefly boosted to 260Nm under full throttle).Performance: Cooper, 0-100km/h 9.8 seconds (manual) 11.1s (auto). Cooper S 7.4s (manual) 7.7s (automatic)Transmission: Six-speed manual or automatic optionalEconomy: Cooper, 6.1/l100km; Cooper S, 7.2l/100km. As tested (Cooper S): 9l/100km to 11l/100km depending on road conditions.