New 2016 Mini Cooper Convertible Drops Its Top

First, the Mini is rather less mini than before. Length is up by 4.5 inches; width and height grow by 1.7 and 0.8 inches, respectively; wheelbase stretches more than an inch. All of the above yields more spacious environs for passengers and more than 25 percent more cargo space, which admittedly is still tiny at 7.6 cubic feet with the top up and 5.7 cu. ft. with the top down.

The good news is that said luggage space is highly accessible, thanks to a flip-down tailgate (which can support 176 pounds) and a top stack that flips up a few inches to facilitate access. The rear seats also fold 50/50, should you have larger items to carry.

From a design standpoint, the Cooper convertible presents few surprises. As before, the roof can be partially peeled back, letting the sun shine in over just the front passengers for a sunroof effect, or it can be fully retracted, now at speeds up to 18 miles per hour and with one-button operation. Thanks to invisible pyrotechnic roll bars and a remarkably low top stack, the new model not only looks sleeker than ever, but it also solves one of its predecessor’s most vexing issues: zero rear vision.

The Mini Convertible’s body can be rendered in 11 colors, including a new “Caribbean Aqua” hue that Mini resurrected from the classic Mini’s color archives, as well as the beautiful “Melting Silver” hue recently introduced on the new Clubman. Also new is an available fabric top sewn in the pattern of the jolly ole Union Jack.

An available Malt Brown leather interior with diamond sew pattern evokes Chesterfield Sofas, says Mini, though the rest of the convertible’s list of amenities is expected to closely follow that of the hardtop. One whimsical feature returning for duty is an “Always Open Timer,” which logs all the time that the roof has been down with the motor on over the life of the car. Also available is a rain warning app that Mini says will notify the driver of impending storms, should they be so consumed with having fun that they forget to look up.

Due to added features and structural enhancements, weight has swollen between 127 and 174 lbs.; the heaviest of the lot, the Cooper S, now tips the scales at rather porky 3,025 lbs. Don’t look for any compensation under the hood; as with the hardtop, base Cooper models are powered by a 134-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, while Cooper S models get a 189-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four. Both of these are available with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions, with the automatics now able to tap into the navigation system to make predictive shifting decisions.

Floor it from a dead stop and 60 mph should appear in 8.2 seconds for the base Cooper ‘vert, according to Mini, while the gutsier S model’s time is said to drop to 6.7 seconds. If you have enough open road—and nerve—you might see a max velocity of 128 mph in the base Cooper, or 143 mph in the Cooper S.

The 2016 Cooper Convertible will appear at next month’s Los Angeles auto show before sales commence next March. Mini won’t announce pricing until sometime in January, though were betting types, we’d place our money on a starting point of about $27,000 for the Cooper Convertible and a tick under $30,000 for the S.