Road Test: Mini Cooper S Cabrio

Top down in a Mini convertible to MINI United 2009 exploring the true nature of the MINI brand and its lifestyle. It is truly the best way of experiencing the new R57 Mini Cooper S Cabrio – the latest member of the second-generation MINI. Based on the newly developed hatchback it uses the same power train; a 1.6 liter turbo engine with 175hp and ensures a combination of GO-cart characteristics with the roof down and the sun in your face; life is so hard!

Those who are familiar with the MINI heritage will immediately see the differences in style with its predecessor. Its slightly larger size, hidden hinges and electromechanically operated pop-up rollover bars behind the rear seats are hardly to miss. The new bars replace the fixed ones from its predecessor and improve visibility. However the folded top still dominates your rear view. The top is available in black, brown or denim and folds down in 15 seconds as long as you keep the speed below 20mph.

Under the hood you will find the same engine and front wheel drive system used in the Cooper S hatchback. Six-speed or automatic transmissions are available delivering a sprint from 0-60mph in about seven seconds. The test car was equipped with 17 inch run flat tyres which generated a large amount of torque steer from a standstill or while powering out of low-speed corners. This behaviour is highly unexpected when you are not used to the power the little car produces and simple a no-go when you have a sporty drive.

The nervous behaviour of the front wheels can be tamed being easy on the throttle. If you found the correct handling then an accurate and nicely weighted steering pops up, exactly what you would expect from a MINI. High-speeds are fun, but do you show the second bummer. You will notice tail lifts and tail jiggling while taking the high-speed corners. Especially when you change the speed and direction.

To ensure enough stifness the chassis has been reinforced. MINI doubled the under floor cross member and stiffened the A-pillars and side sills. Unfortunately the whole structure exhibits enough flex and shake noticeable while driving. The brakes are nicely responsive and progressive. The gearbox feels mature, but is less sportive than expected. The long transition of the clutch pedal asks effort.

An extra on the convertible is a special Openometer. A gimmick placed on the steering column to the left of the tachometer tracking the amount of time the MINI is driven with the top down. The needle rotates clockwise for every minute you drive the car in open mode, up to 60 minutes. At that point it, it flips back to the start point. Inside the meter LEDs illuminate for each hour you’re driving open. We easily managed to “fill” the meter after one day of driving. It is even possible to have a nice phone conversation with the roof in drop-top mode using the available Bluetooth car kit system. Nice! Closing the roof means killing any noise you would have experienced before. However it will create huge blind spots on both sides.

John Cooper Works
Ensuring exclusivity means something in the world of MINI. That is why the German/British company opened up a possibility to enhance your car with some personal extras. The package is called John Cooper Works or JCW. There are special accessories available in which you can enhance your car like different rims, a body kit, Recaro seats, steering wheel, shift knob, a set of oil temperature meters and an engine upgrade up to 192bhp.

But this means tuning an existing car! You can also get a full package delivered from the factory on a brand new Mini Cooper S delivering power and performance through a 155kW/211hp four-cylinder engine derived from motorsport. This is the same amount of hp you get in a MINI Challenge car! You will also get larger and powerful disc brakes on all four wheels, DSC Dynamic Stability Control including DTC Dynamic Traction Control and an electronically controlled locking function on the front axle differential. All highly needed!

Now we are talking! 211 in stead of 175, enough gimmicks to properly generate more and more fun you are really asking for while driving this MINI. However, more power on the front wheels means enhancing some of the issues mentioned above.

The secret of the true GO-cart feeling
As we discussed the Cooper S Cabrio is sporty, feisty, and a friend to any corner, like each Mini within the line-up. However the torque steering, chassis flex, and stiff ride are there for the taking. The JCW package will help a lot, but will not unveil the secret of the true GO-cart feeling.

So how can you create the true GO-cart feeling? Power, torque and abilities are there… The secret of pulling this out of the current MINI isn’t hard. The only thing we can tell you is that is there and we have experienced it. Underneath the “happy family every day domestic” chassis characteristics are true racing and cornering features which made the MINI heritage. Just by lowering the car, changing tyres, enhancing the airflow underneath the car and installing several stiffing tools like truth braces and dampers a new world opens up. One in which you will see what a MINI is capable of. Torque steering will vanish and chassis flex is much less. The MINI becomes an one of a kind small city racer which can easily be used for high-speed daily transportation or as smile-enlarging track racer.

The new Mini Cooper S and its Clubman and Cabrio family members are true MINIs. Unfortunately you will never experience its “FULL” underlying 50-year driving heritage without tuning this lifestyle vehicle to the max. Underneath its smiling face is a racer capable of showing you an angry and hungry face and ensuring you the best drive you have ever experienced in a small city car and capable of keeping up with numerous “so-called” supercars.

Photos:
Bart Goossens – Mbargo.be
Christiaan Ploeger – ChristiaanPloeger.com