6:33 pm, December 2, 2008
MINI has unveiled official pictures of its new Convertible. The drop-top MINI arrives at dealers in March 2009.
Two models will be available. The 1.6 Cooper Convertible costs £15,995, and the 1.6 turbo Cooper S Convertible costs £18,995.
The design is not radically different to the outgoing model, of which over 164,000 were sold. BMW has chosen an evolutionary approach, retaining the folding canvas soft-top roof.
A folding hard-top roof, similar to the Peugeot 207 CC, was ruled out.
Dealers will be able to sell the merits of 2 Convertible-specific colours – Interchange Yellow and Horizon Blue. Customers will also choose from black, blue or brown hood trims.
The roof itself lowers in 15 seconds, and there is a slide-back sunroof function which operates at up to 75mph. The roof itself can be fully lowered if the car is doing below 20mph.
Air con is standard, the glovebox is lockable, and all models feature standard ESP.
Optional, for around £100, is an ‘Openometer’. This is a gauge that clocks up time driving roof-down. A gimmick that MINI expects owners to engage with; incentive packages around it are being discussed.
The new MINI Convertible’s boot is barely bigger than the old car’s tiny luggage compartment. But it is much more economical.
Cooper versions average 49.6mph, a 21 per cent improvement. The 175bhp Cooper S returns 44.1mpg, which is a 23 per cent improvement. Both models are available with an optional automatic gearbox.
