MINI Convertible (09 on) - Review

With the roof up, the MINI is very refined and surprisingly quiet - even at motorway speeds. The smooth ride helps too, although there is the occasional rattle from the rear of the roof over uneven roads. Drop the top down and buffeting is kept to a minimum so it's possible to hold a civilised conversation even when driving quickly. The wind deflector makes a huge difference - so it seems mean that MINI doesn't offer it as standard. You'll have to fork out an extra £180 for one. And while it may be a four-seater, the rear seats in are tiny and pretty much useless with anyone of an average height sitting in the front. However, they're handy as extra luggage room.

The biggest change inside the MINI Convertible is the rear rollover hoops. In the first model they were fixed in place and so rear visibility was very poor. This version uses a single bar which pops up the event of an accident - as a result the view backwards is vastly improved. The roof itself folds down in just 15 seconds and it's fully automatic with no catches to release. Cleverly a section can be opened to create a sunroof effect while the whole roof opens and closes at up to 20mph - useful in traffic. The boot is an improvement over the old model but with just 170 litres it's still fairly small (although slightly larger than the standard hatchback). With the roof lowered this is cut to 125-litres and while the opening is fairly wide, you'll struggle with anything other than a few bags of shopping or an overnight bag. On the plus side, the rear seats do fold flat for larger items.

The MINI Convertible has the same retro-inspired interior as the rest of the range. The large central speedo dominates the cabin and includes the stereo controls and display - if you go for the optional sat nav this is where it is housed. The rev counter is the only dial in front of the driver and the driving position itself is spot on with plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering column. The quality of the finish and materials used helps justify the high price tag while upmarket touches include a key that slides into a slot in the dashboard plus a start/stop button to fire up the engine. The Convertible comes with an optional dial called the Openometer. This measures the amount of time you spend driving with the roof down - but while it looks quite nice, it seems fairly pointless and certainly isn't worth paying extra for. Also, despite the new lower rollover hoops, reverse or parallel parking is never easy with the roof up as it creates large rear pillars.