MINI has sent out the press release and photo pack for its new MINI convertible, and I have to say “eh.” It the same looks as the MINI hatchback, and the first generation new MINI convertible. The interior is still cartoonish, the back seat appears to be of about the same usefulness as the first gen convertible (which would be nearly none) and the trunk still has the funny fold-down tailgate. MINI says they’ve made incremental improvements (in addition to the new platform for the car, which is now the same as the hatch has had for the last two years). The roof also slides back to function as a moonroof without actually folding the whole top down, like on the last model, and now the roll hoops don’t stick out as much. Engines are the same as the MINI Cooper and Cooper S hatchback versions, so 118 or 172 ponies are your options. As for me, I’d rather have a Miata. Fortunately for MINI, loads of people won’t agree. I’d bet on a waiting list.
Another money maker. I fail to see difference except for safety bar being absent.
I loved my Miatas, but I am just too old to go back to folding myself in and out of one of those. The MINI may not be quite the driver’s car, but it is more comfortable and easy to get into for tall folks.
I can’t see much visible difference on these new ones though. Maybe an expert could fill us in on the visual cues.
Old trick: chop the head off a hatchback and call it a convertible. The result invariably looks like a pram. This is one Mini that just isn’t cool.
I think that it looks cute. Then I took a look at the price, via Jalopnik. Then I gagged.
http://jalopnik.com/5099767/2009-mini-cooper-cooper-s-convertible-officially-reveal-whopping-price-jump
That “half a hat” look is a very old British thing — I remember our family having a ’55 Hillman and then a ’57 Ford Consul convertible that allowed the front seats to sunbathe by a jackknife fold in the top’s side rails. Of course, on the Hillman, the center hinge had an extension with a thumbwheel to secure and reinforce the extended side rail. The extension would snap shut with considerable force, potentially de-fingering the unwary. Fortunately, the folks at Ford of England put the vicious clamp on an additional hinge so only the inner surface of the main hinge could deliver a bite. Love to have seen the CPSC look into that one!
Then I took a look at the price, via Jalopnik. Then I gagged.
With the state of the economy and what will be a product with a waiting list, it’s the smart thing to do. It’s the law of supply and demand.
It also blows away the argument that you can’t make a big profit off of small cars! Wait till you see the price for the JCW version. After seeing the 4 stooges begging for money, it’s refreshing to see a company with a good product that people want commanding a premium price and management smart enough to take advantage of the situation.
mcs, for the price, I’d rather take the Cooper S hardtop and use the price difference to buy some bolt-on parts from Alta…
# ferrarimanf355 :
mcs, for the price, I’d rather take the Cooper S hardtop and use the price difference to buy some bolt-on parts from Alta…
To be totally honest with you, I’d do the same. The glass sun roof option gives you lots of open air at a lower price.
But my point was that it was good to see a car company that was smart enough to find a way to make a bit more cash during lean times. Rather than being forced to offer “employee pricing,” they can actually get away with cranking up prices by 10%.
Unless they’ve improved the rear blind spot visibility substantially, there will continue to be a lot of 6-month-old used Mini Convertibles on the market. I traded my Cooper S convertible for a hardtop and have (heh) never looked back.