2009 Mini Cooper Convertible San Diego CA
2009 Mini Cooper Convertible
October 14, 2009 By Brian Alexander, Road Test Editor
2009 MINI Cooper Convertible 
2009 MINI Cooper
Convertible
DriverSide Overview
Quirky as the Mini Cooper may be, it has nothing on the Mini Cooper Convertible , easily the look-at-me head of the Mini household. Simply put, chopping the top off takes the Mini’s loveable, adolescent styling to a new level. But what about the drive? For a Mini to truly be a Mini, it has to be lithe yet surefooted, inertia-free yet controllable and exploitable all at once. And this one is, but there is a price to be paid – the chassis possesses all the give of a slab of marble. Hit a bump, and with an unforgiving thud, you’ll know it. But if you’re the kind who likes a sporting ride and the option of sitting under the sun, this may be the car for you. Torque steer is of no concern in the non-turbo Minis, and the automatic gearbox has fantastic response. Plus, as with all Minis, you can have it however you want it thanks to a near endless – albeit expensive – options list. However if it’s a cosseting, smooth, top-down tourer you seek, look elsewhere, as the Mini’s stiff ride and high level of road noise will likely prove unlivable.
What's to Like
The snappy handling and quick, precise steering the Mini Cooper hardtop is known for remain present in convertible form, and the car is a blast to hustle. Automatic transmissions usually aren’t at their best in small-engine, low-horsepower cars, but the six-speed slusher in the Mini demonstrates that near-manual responses are possible with just 118 horsepower.
What's Not to Like
Blind spot visibility is so ridiculously compromised with the top up, you might as well not even take the time to look before changing lanes. With the top down, rearward visibility becomes problematic, so simply “dropping the top” doesn’t exactly solve the problem. The ride is stiff enough to knock the change out of your pockets on harsh surfaces, and uneven pavement will have the chassis shaking and bending. And we’re relatively certain road noise is louder when the top is up than it is with the top down. We’re just not certain how that’s possible.
The Drive:
DriverSide Driving Impressions
All the bite-size thrills of the standard Mini Cooper are present in the Cooper Convertible – most notably the rev-me-to-death tendencies of the inertia-free 1.6-liter engine – despite the fact that it has gained a few hundred pounds in the drop-top transformation. Despite the extra bracing, the chassis still suffers from cowl shake over rough surfaces and the steering can get lively over seams and jarring bumps in the asphalt, but it maintains its direct feel and mid-corner composure nonetheless.