Written by: Martin Ward
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 

Pau is in the Pyrenees in France about 100 miles north of the Spanish border. This location is often chosen by BMW and Mini for many of their launches as the weather is generally good, the scenery is breathtaking and there is exclusive use of the Pau circuit.

 

It is very difficult to spot the difference when first comparing the new Mini Convertible to the old and it was the same case with the Hatchback version. Unless you park the old and new side by side; then the difference becomes easy to see. The one main change that tells the two apart is that the rear boot hinges on the new car are not visible. These are now integrated into the boot. The front lights are now a part of the bonnet so the lights go up with it when it is opened. This means that they are not left behind, leaving two very large holes in the bonnet. There are many changes to the styling but it is when you drive the new car that the improvements can really be noticed. The new Convertible is absolutely rock solid. There is no scuttle shake at whatever speed you are doing and on any road condition the car just sits on the road with no body movement or roll. The body has been strengthened by 10% and this is very noticeable and appreciated. The ride and comfort has been vastly improved and you really feel you could travel hundreds of miles in this small Convertible. We drove it around 200 miles in one day on the foothills of the mountains and got out as fresh as we had got in. We had the roof down all the time and there is very little buffeting from the wind. It just felt like a great car to drive and to be driven in, although I don’t think I would have wanted to travel that distance in the rear as it is a bit tight for room.

 

There will be three models available at launch; these will be the Cooper, priced from £15,995, the Cooper S priced from £18,995 and the highly tuned John Cooper Works (JCW) priced from £23,470. We drove the Cooper and Cooper S and found the Cooper to be the most user friendly and best value. Mini say the model mix will be Cooper 63%, Cooper S 33% and JCW 4%. The Mini One Convertible will not be introduced until next year.

 

The second day we went to Pau Circuit, a privately owned track that is in constant use for corporate events, testing and individuals who want to use their own cars or bikes with unlimited speed restrictions. It allows them to do this in a relatively safe environment. We could only use the JCW models on the track. These produce 211hp, go from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and stick to the road as if fastened with Velcro. They are just incredible and unless you drive one, it is difficult to explain just how good they are; it just holds to the road brilliantly. The new car has improved Co2 emission figures, an average of 10% improved fuel efficiency and all Mini’s now have a 6 speed manual gearbox and air conditioning as standard.

 

The new Mini Convertible has so many improvements under the skin that it makes the few noticeable styling changes seem insignificant. It is a better drive, safer, more economical and has lower Co2 emissions but above all, it is so much fun to drive.

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