Minis are notoriously quirky, and the 2016 Mini Cooper S Convertible is no exception. Most of the little droptop’s eccentricities are shared with its Hardtop counterpart—like the one we recently parted ways with after spending 40,000 miles behind its three-spoke steering wheel. Peculiarities include a headlight switch mounted low by the driver’s left knee and angled toward the floor, as well as a cumbersome center armrest that interferes with both the shifting of the Mini’s satisfying six-speed manual transmission and access to the car’s available navigation controls.
The Mini Cooper is a great car for people who are single and don't have many backseat passengers. It small size is a great quality for a vehicle because it can be parked anywhere, and you won't have trouble getting into parking spaces.
© MICHAEL SIMARI The 2016 Mini Cooper S Convertible may not be perfect, but it's hard to frown about a manual transmission and a convertible top. Ergonomic oddities notwithstanding, there’s a lot to like about Mini’s latest ragtop, which is now built on the larger, third-generation platform that debuted under the 2014 Hardtop. Let’s address the elephant in the room first: The 2016 Mini Cooper S Convertible isn’t cheap. With a starting price of $30,450, it costs $2760 more than a base Fiat 500C Abarth (and $5500 more than a base Mini Cooper S Hardtop). Unlike the Fiat, though, the Mini is a true convertible—there are no B- or C-pillars or fixed pieces of side glass. If a glorified sunroof suffices, give the Fiat a look. But for the wind-in-your-hair experience associated with convertible ownership, the chic little Italian feels inhibited.
© MICHAEL SIMARI 2016-mini-cooper-s-convertible-6mt-inline1-photo-669520-s-original In addition to standard features such as dual-zone automatic climate control, well-bolstered leatherette sport seats, and Mini’s cheeky Always Open Timer that clocks how long you’ve driven with the top down, our test car also included a $500 coat of Melting Silver metallic paint, a $1500 Sport package (adaptive dampers, 17-inch wheels, and LED foglights and headlights), and a $1700 Technology package that includes an 8.8-inch center-mounted display screen with navigation, a rearview camera, and rear parking sensors. Among the nickel-and-dime items was the $250 Storage package, consisting of a storage net in the passenger footwell and two in the cargo area as well as a 12-volt power socket back there. Many automakers would make all those things standard in upper trim levels such as the S, but that’s not the Mini way. All told, our test car rang in at $34,450, yet it lacked common features like heated seats, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a proximity-sensing keyless-entry system (although it did have keyless start).
It’s Tricky
Mini incentivizes using the key fob by letting customers drop the little car’s top with a simple, prolonged push of its unlock button. Operating the top remotely is merely its, ahem, opening act. With it up, get inside and tap the header-mounted toggle switch, and the front portion of the roof slides back like a sunroof, even at highway speeds. It’s a parlor trick shared with the two previous Mini convertibles, and its simple ingenuity continues to delight.
The Cooper S Convertible’s real stunt is its ability to fold its top entirely in as little as 18 seconds at speeds up to 18 mph (the top closes in the same amount of time and at the same speeds). And thanks to hidden roll bars that can quickly pop up if the vehicle senses an impending rollover, the latest convertible offers superior rearward visibility compared with its predecessors. This isn’t to say it’s perfect—the stacked top still blocks too much of the view—but it’s far better than previous iterations of the British droptop, especially when it comes to top-up visibility, as the car’s roll bars no longer block large portions of the rear glass window. A regulatory quirk forbids Mini from offering Americans the fold-down rear headrests it uses in Europe, but if no one is sitting back there, the ones used here can be removed entirely.
In ditching the metal roof, though, Mini also threw out much of the little car’s torsional rigidity. On all but the smoothest surfaces, the convertible’s chassis wiggles and jiggles over road irregularities, particularly when the Dynamic Damper Control is set to Sport mode. Opt for Normal mode, and the ride quality improves; cowl shake, however, remains.
Rattle and Hum
Haynes Mini Cooper Manuals
The sprightly Brit’s rigid ride is a boon in the handling department, where quick steering responses and minimal body roll make the car a joy to toss around tight turns. Equipped with grippy Pirelli P Zero run-flat summer tires, the Cooper S Convertible circled our skidpad at 0.91 g—only 0.01 g off the last John Cooper Works Hardtop we tested.
© MICHAEL SIMARI 2016-mini-cooper-s-convertible-6mt-inline2-photo-669521-s-original Despite weighing 2978 pounds, this stick-shift Cooper S proved lively in a straight line, recording a zero-to-60-mph run of 6.2 seconds and sprinting through the quarter-mile in 14.7 seconds at 96 mph. These figures better what we achieved in a 147-pound-lighter previous-gen, six-speed-manual Mini Cooper S Convertible by 0.5 and 0.4 seconds and 3 mph.
Credit the smooth and responsive 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. With 189 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque, the nearly turbo-lag-free four-banger (peak torque arrives at 1250 rpm) bests the old car’s 1.6-liter turbo four by 8 horsepower and 15 lb-ft. Unfortunately, the engine’s extra displacement and the car’s additional weight take their toll at the fuel pump, as this Mini earns unimpressive (for its size) EPA fuel-economy figures of 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highway—down 3 and 2 mpg compared with the old car. Our test car sipped a gallon of premium fuel every 24 miles.
Junk in the Trunk
Thanks to a growth spurt that adds 1.1 inches to the wheelbase and 5.1 inches to overall length, it’s now possible to fit actual (small) human beings in the Mini’s cramped 50/50 split-folding rear seats. Likewise, the Cooper S Convertible’s bottom-hinged trunklid opens to reveal a reasonably roomy cargo hold. At 7.6 cubic feet, the Mini’s trunk actually bests the bigger, similarly priced Volkswagen Beetle convertible 2.0T R-Line’s by 0.5 cubic foot. With tops down, though, the Beetle has a 1.4-cubic-foot edge.
Although we bemoaned the Mini Hardtop’s added girth, the extra inches actually befit the convertible. Simply put, the functional gains (most notably, a reasonably sized trunk and a more habitable rear seat) outweigh the dynamic deficiencies.
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The history of the MINI Cooper is, to say the least. As of the mid-2000s, the MINI Cooper was resurrected in BMW’s takeover and relaunch of the marque as the Cooper and Cooper S variants, which have been successful. Beginning with the British Motor Corporation the Cooper's space-saving transverse engine and FWD layout allowed 80% of the floorpan's area to be used for passengers and luggage, making it a massive hit in England and abroad. However, before you tinker with your Cooper make sure you have a Mini Cooper service manual to get the job done right.
The birth of the Mini Cooper can be traced to BMC designer Sir Alex Issigonis, who started developing the Mini in the 1950s. The Mini was Issigonis's response to the Suez fuel crises England and others were suffering at the time. Featuring a 4 cylinder engine, and a two-door monocoque shell, the Mark I Mini was released in 1959. Windows xp pci driver download. During the 1960s, the Mini's popularity made it an icon of the decade.
The Mini Cooper was a special version of the first generation Mini. John Cooper, of the Cooper Car Company, saw a potential in the Mini to create a motorsports version of the Mark Mini. In 1961, Copper launched the Mini Cooper, and the Mini Cooper S. The Cooper featured an 848 cc engine, while the S had a 1071 cc engine. The Cooper S’s popularity as the sportier version of the Mini was heightened by its subsequent wins at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967.
Mini Cooper Save The Manuals
In the '70s and '80s, the Mini Cooper’s brand license pasted through many hands. New models were made during this time, but most continued to build on the original Cooper and Cooper S designs. By the 1990s, the Rover Group owned the rights to the Mini brand. BMW bought RG and with RG came the rights to the Mini brand. Although BMW sold RG at the end of the 1990s, BMW retained the Mini marque. Since the 2000s, they have revived the marque.
Mini Cooper Owners Manual 2011
Important changes to the new Mini included a Toyota diesel engine, as well as convertible and hatch models. Further modifications were made to the Cooper to include concept cars and kits. The past years has consequently seen new Cooper, and Cooper S models. The Cooper brand continues to be a staple of the Mini’s appeal and doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Make sure you grab your Mini Cooper repair manual today.