MINI Cooper S Convertible review

Driving position 

MINIs have always been, well, ‘mini’, but these days they’re far bigger than before. The brand’s SUVs are more than double the size of the original Cooper. 

But, especially in the case of the Cooper S Convertible, the cabin maintains that zippy hatchback-like feel a MINI should have. 

There’s plenty of adjustment in the seat. It isn’t electrically adjustable like many modern cars, but it’s easy enough to get comfy. 

The seats themselves are very supportive and are slightly bolstered to keep you in place when tackling twisty country roads. Taller drivers may need to duck down to see traffic lights when the roof is up, but this is the case with almost any convertible hatchback. 

The steering wheel is nice and chunky, like the rest of MINI’s cars. It's technically a three-spoke wheel with a thin fabric strap as the middle spoke. 

It’s grippy and all the physical controls are easy to use – thankfully, there aren’t any touch-capacitive ones. 

Tech and features 

MINI sells the Cooper (both hatchback and convertible) in three different trims: Classic, Exclusive and Sport. Our Classic test car is the ‘base’ Cooper S but still comes with all the important features. 

The cabin itself is very minimalist, with a big, quirky 9.4-inch circular OLED screen dominating the dashboard. 

Every function of the car is controlled via this display, whether it’s the heating, settings, sat-nav or music.  

You can tell MINI has spent a lot of time perfecting this screen because it’s incredibly intuitive and the crisp graphics are brilliant. 

Of course, it’s got wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but they do show as a rectangle on the MINI’s unique circular screen. 

The main focus of the MINI Cooper Convertible is, of course, its retractable roof. It opens in 18 seconds and closes in 15 seconds (while driving up to 19mph) at the push of a roof-mounted switch. 

What makes it pretty unique is that you can open the roof halfway to feel more like a sunroof, which sounds like a gimmick but is actually very useful. 

Another neat trick of the roof is that it’ll tell you how many times it’s been opened/closed on the screen – if that’s your thing. 

Engines and power 

Under the bonnet of our Cooper S Convertible test car is a raspy 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 204hp. There’s also the Cooper C which has a 1.5-litre three-cylinder with 163hp. 

Both versions are front-wheel drive and mated to an automatic gearbox only. This helps the Cooper S get from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds, whereas the Cooper C is a little slower at 8.2 seconds. 

Roof down and zipping across Barcelona’s mountain range (where MINI hosted the launch) is where the Cooper S comes alive. The throaty exhaust note and a hint of turbo flutter are nice and clear with the top down. 

MINI gives you the choice of seven different drive modes it calls ‘Experiences’: Core, Green, Vivid, Timeless, Balance, Personal and Go-Kart. 

Most people are going to leave it in the standard Core mode but if you fancy kicking things up a notch, Go-Kart mode gives you a sharper throttle response and a little more noise from the (hidden) exhaust tips.  

Side note: MINI, why have you hidden the exhaust tips? They looked so good on the old car. 

Our one actual ‘gripe’ is that it doesn’t come with paddle shifters – these are reserved for JCW variants. 

The car’s gearbox probably does a better job at changing gear than us, but it would be nice to have the option regardless. 

Handling and ride comfort 

Being so small, you can’t get into a MINI Cooper thinking it’s going to ride like a Rolls-Royce, because it certainly doesn’t.  

It’s set up to have sporty suspension that’s slightly firmer than rivals, which makes it handle so nicely around bends. 

And because the seats are so comfortable, you can appreciate the driving experience without rattling your spine to pieces.  

Arrive at a smooth, twisty bit of tarmac and you’ll be glad you’re in this car. Roof down, exhaust growling. Bliss. 

Boot space 

Now, a point has to be deducted for boot space. Rivals consistently have almost double the 160 litres (with the roof down) the MINI has.  

It’s just not a lot of storage space, despite being an improvement over previous models. 

To soften the blow a bit, you do have 215 litres when the roof’s up. And if you fold down two of the 60:40 split rear seats, you get 440 litres. Fold down all three rear seats and you have 665 litres. 

Rear seats 

Rear-seat space is improved over previous models, but there still isn’t masses of space, as you’d expect from a car of this size. 

Smaller children should be absolutely fine on regular journeys, but adults may struggle to fit in the back. More than six foot? Forget it. 

For 99% of the time, we’d recommend a Cooper Convertible be used as a two-seater with those rear seats being used as added storage for bags, coats etc. 

Storage solutions 

Based on the boot space alone, it’s safe to presume the Cooper Convertible doesn’t have the best storage options in the cabin, although there are some. 

The door bins are big enough for regular-sized bottles and some cars come with an optional central storage compartment that can fit tissues, sweets, wallets etc. 

But overall, we’d recommend using the rear seats to store anything larger. 

Safety 

Being part of the BMW family, safety is taken very seriously for all MINI models, with a wide range of onboard features. 

This includes lane keep assist, blind spot detection, rear-collision prevention, forward collision warning, speed limit assist, parking assist, a rear-view camera and much more. 

Fuel economy 

The Cooper S we tested has a claimed fuel efficiency of 42.8mpg, which for a hot hatch, is very impressive. 

Opt for the less powerful Cooper C to ‘be more sensible’, and you’ll get between 42.8 and 43.5mpg – there really isn’t much in it. 

Reliability 

Being so new, it’s hard to comment on the car’s exact reliability, but judging by the existing MINI Cooper models – both petrol and electric – we can say it’ll be a very dependable car. 

From the factory, MINI offers a fairly standard three-year/unlimited mileage warranty. And, if you’re buying a used one from cinch, you can always add an extended warranty to make your cover last longer.