Toggle switches for the power windows, door locks and fog light are mounted on the center of the dash. It takes some time to get used to looking at the center of the dash for the speedometer. The Mini’s tachometer is directly behind the steering wheel while a large speedometer is mounted in the center of the dash. If you’re driving on the highway, a detachable wind blocker snaps in place over the back seat and helps negate wind buffeting in the cabin. Though the Mini is technically a four-seater, legroom in back is suitable for kids at best. Attack corners, which the Mini loves to do, and it retains its composure. The steering is quick and direct, and you can shift gears with a flick of the wrist. The Mini handles like a grown-up go-kart. The tight shift linkage and stubby shift lever make it fun to run through the gears. The transmission was a five-speed manual. The engine produces 115 horsepower, but it is rated at 23 mpg in the city and 32 on the highway. I drove the regular model, and its transversely mounted, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine had more than enough poke. The supercharged Cooper S starts at $26,050. The next Mini convertible will have a lower back seat and improved rear vision.Ĭonvertible prices begin at $22,600. Rear parking sensors are standard, in part because it is hard to see out the back. You have to be especially adept at using the outside mirrors, and backing out of parking spots requires great care. The rear seats have aluminum hoops integrated into the headrests for rollover protection, and they are tall enough to spoil rear vision even with the top down. The folded top stacks neatly behind the back seat and infringes very little on the already small trunk. The droptop Mini is not a hatchet job, but a sophisticated convertible whose fully automatic power top can be opened partway like a sunroof, or all the way, at the touch of a button. The power top goes up and down easily, and scurrying around with the top down is a blast. The Mini is a hoot, and a convertible is even more fun. That will change soon as BMW, owner of the Mini brand, moves convertible production to the new platform for 2009. While the second-generation Mini Cooper has been on the market for some time, the 2008 convertible is based on the first-generation car.
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