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The wraps have finally come off the heavily revised MINI Cooper Convertible, which now features a number of welcome updates from its slick three-door hatchback sibling.
The drop-top will be offered with a pair of four-cylinder petrol engines, with more variants still to come, while other highlights include a new interior, fresh exterior design and an upgraded technology package.
Instead of following in the footsteps of the newly-launched MINI Cooper hatchback, the Convertible’s overall aesthetic sticks more closely to its predecessor’s. The most obvious tweaks come around the grille and new headlights, which look visually similar to the Chinese-built electric MINI. However, the car’s basic body shape is retained, so it sticks with matt black wheelarch surrounds and sills, rather than the MINI Cooper E’s arch-less design.
Other compromises that have had to be made for the lower-volume Convertible include keeping the previous car’s rounded rear lights, although they do feature new internals with a similar dot-matrix structure to other MINI models. These can also be personalised from within the cabin to show different lighting signatures – a feature also available on the LED headlights.
The changes, plus fresh colours, wheels and badging, clearly distinguish the MINI Cooper Convertible from its predecessor, and this sense is heightened when you explore the cabin. As with its sibling, the drop-top features a brand new minimalist interior, completely altering the feel of the cabin from the driver’s seat.
Gone is the tall dashboard and odd ‘square-in-a-circle’ infotainment screen, and in its place is a cutting-edge 9.4-inch OLED display that floats above an upholstered dashboard. This houses the main infotainment screen and key driver information such as speed, fuel and navigation. High-spec models feature a further head-up display in front of the steering wheel, helping bring some of this information back into the driver’s eyeline.
Under this sits a simple control panel that incorporates the gear selector, start toggle and a mode switch. Extended use of textured fabrics and clever perforations on the leather seats help to keep the minimalist interior from looking too stark, with different colour options available that range from light and contemporary, to darker and sportier shades.
UK models will be offered with two engines and in three trims, with a few option packs also available. All models are fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard.
Base Cooper Convertible C models feature BMW’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 161bhp and 250Nm of torque. It’ll reach 62mph in 8.2 seconds and cost from £26,200. The more powerful Cooper Convertible S is rated at 201bhp and 300Nm, cutting the 0-62mph time down to 6.9 seconds. It’ll cost from £30,600 in its base trim.
MINI will also offer three different equipment lines for both powertrain options, with Classic, Sport and Exclusive each providing distinctive design elements and varying levels of standard equipment. Beyond this are three upgrade levels (1, 2 and 3), with each adding more equipment to the list.
We expect there to be a John Cooper Works variant arriving soon with more power from the same 2.0-litre engine, plus a range of tweaks, including bigger brakes and revised suspension.
An all-electric convertible is not imminent, though. Despite offering an all-electric MINI Convertible in very limited numbers in 2023, a series-production electric convertible will not be on the cards until production of the MINI Cooper E is moved to Oxford in 2026.
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