It’s sunny and the weather is nice around Nurburg, the home of the world famous Green Hell. Therefore, most manufacturers will want to take full advantage of the new atmospheric conditions. Amongst them you’ll find MINI.
The British company is currently testing its upcoming models including the Clubman and the Convertible, both of them in Cooper S guises. While earlier we saw the 6-door model at play, this time we’re taking a look at the drop top.
Wearing a textile roof, the MINI was spotted driving close to the very limit of grip around the Nurburgring, to see exactly how the UKL1 platform deals with the new configuration that allows the driver to enjoy open top fun.
Under the bonnet we can hear a 2-liter 4-cylinder powerplant making 192 HP and up to 300 Nm (220 lb-ft) of torque at work, a completely new engine developed for next gen models. Wearing the B48 codename, the turbocharged petrol unit will also be used on the 2 Series Active Tourer and other cars in the near future.
Unfortunately, up until now we didn’t hear one official word about the car and that could point at a late 2014 release as a 2015 model. However, the same could be said about the 5-door model. That one too was kept extremely hush hush until MINI simply presented it through a virtual photo gallery, no concept or nothing coming before it, as we’ve grown used to.
If the Clubman had the concept launched at the Geneva Motor Show, the Convertible apparently won’t benefit from the same treatment. It’s all the same to us anyway, we’re just anxious to drive the new drop-top MINI in the warm summer sun as soon as possible.
As for the technical details, the same combinations will be used, including 1.2-, 1.5- and 2-liter units with 3 or 4 cylinders working on either gasoline or diesel. Almost all of them will be available with either a 6-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual gearbox.
If our predictions come true, we could see the Convertible launched at Paris this autumn with sales starting next spring. Prices should include a considerable premium over the 3-door hardtop model.
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