Photo: MINI
MINI finally decided to take the veils off its new Convertible model, ahead of its debut that is coming next month, on the floor at the Tokyo Motor Show. If you remember, the MINI hatch was also launched in Japan at the same time with premieres in London and Los Angeles back in 2013.
There seems to be a particular bond between the Brits and the Japanese market, or so they are making it appear by offering a wide variety of “special edition” models over there and launching its most important cars of the last few years in the country’s capital.
The new Convertible is not bringing any great changes in design. Just as we expected to see from the spyshots we received over time, the car is basically a hatch with a textile, foldable roof. Yes, they chose to stick with the textile option as any other take wouldn’t have made sense.
In terms of design, therefore, nothing is changed in the body. The same circular headlights are present up front along with the chrome-encircled taillights that have grown in size quite a bit compared to its predecessor.
As far as premieres go, the new convertible does bring something new to the table, and that’s the color it was presented in, Caribbean Aqua Metallic, something the full palette of paints that is already available was missing.
The top is automatic and it also has a sliding roof function that makes sure you get plenty of sun and air whenever you need it. In case you find black boring, you can now get a soft top with unique woven Union Jack graphic, an optional feature, of course.
The soft top can be opened or closed in 18 seconds and at speeds of up to 18 mph (30 km/h), even though in previous tests of convertible cars from both MINI and BMW, we found that upper limit to be a little lower. In case you go overboard with your “typical go-kart driving fun,” it’s good to know that there’s an invisible rollover protection kit integrated into the body of the car that activates automatically when needed.
Just like its hardtop brother, the new car is bigger than its predecessor. The Convertible grew by 4.5 inches in length (114 mm), 1.7 inches (43 mm) in width and 0.8 inches (20 mm) in height. The wheelbase is also longer by 1.1 inches (28 mm), the track is wider by 1.9 inches (48 mm) up front and 1.6 inches (40 mm) at the back for better handling. All these changes do bring about more room inside while also making entry easier.
One of the most important things that people using this car are interested in is the room in the trunk that is already limited on the hardtop and is even more cramped on the Convertible, as the roof cuts into it. Well, MINI claims that the luggage volume expands by more than 25 percent to 7.5 cubic feet (212 liters) when the roof is up and 5.7 cubic feet (161 liters) with it folded. You also get rear backrests with split fold, enlarged through-loading facility and Easy Load function as standard.
Since we’re talking about standard features, we should add the automatic soft top, central locking, MINI Boost radio with USB and AUX ports, Park Distance Control and AC. Of course, going through the MINI catalogue will make you want to get a bit more on the side.
LED daytime running lights and headlights are now on offer, something the old model didn’t have, as well as head-up display, Parking Assistant, Driving Assistant, pedestrian warning and collision warning, just to name a few.
In terms of engine choices, the US market will only get the Cooper and Cooper S models at first while the European ones will also get access to the Cooper D version. The outputs have remained unchanged from the Hardtop alternative, but due to the added weight of the roof, the performance and fuel economy figures are different.
After the Tokyo world debut, the car will go on sale in spring 2016 and prices are to be announced at a later date.
The new Convertible is not bringing any great changes in design. Just as we expected to see from the spyshots we received over time, the car is basically a hatch with a textile, foldable roof. Yes, they chose to stick with the textile option as any other take wouldn’t have made sense.
In terms of design, therefore, nothing is changed in the body. The same circular headlights are present up front along with the chrome-encircled taillights that have grown in size quite a bit compared to its predecessor.
As far as premieres go, the new convertible does bring something new to the table, and that’s the color it was presented in, Caribbean Aqua Metallic, something the full palette of paints that is already available was missing.
The top is automatic and it also has a sliding roof function that makes sure you get plenty of sun and air whenever you need it. In case you find black boring, you can now get a soft top with unique woven Union Jack graphic, an optional feature, of course.
The soft top can be opened or closed in 18 seconds and at speeds of up to 18 mph (30 km/h), even though in previous tests of convertible cars from both MINI and BMW, we found that upper limit to be a little lower. In case you go overboard with your “typical go-kart driving fun,” it’s good to know that there’s an invisible rollover protection kit integrated into the body of the car that activates automatically when needed.
Just like its hardtop brother, the new car is bigger than its predecessor. The Convertible grew by 4.5 inches in length (114 mm), 1.7 inches (43 mm) in width and 0.8 inches (20 mm) in height. The wheelbase is also longer by 1.1 inches (28 mm), the track is wider by 1.9 inches (48 mm) up front and 1.6 inches (40 mm) at the back for better handling. All these changes do bring about more room inside while also making entry easier.
One of the most important things that people using this car are interested in is the room in the trunk that is already limited on the hardtop and is even more cramped on the Convertible, as the roof cuts into it. Well, MINI claims that the luggage volume expands by more than 25 percent to 7.5 cubic feet (212 liters) when the roof is up and 5.7 cubic feet (161 liters) with it folded. You also get rear backrests with split fold, enlarged through-loading facility and Easy Load function as standard.
Since we’re talking about standard features, we should add the automatic soft top, central locking, MINI Boost radio with USB and AUX ports, Park Distance Control and AC. Of course, going through the MINI catalogue will make you want to get a bit more on the side.
LED daytime running lights and headlights are now on offer, something the old model didn’t have, as well as head-up display, Parking Assistant, Driving Assistant, pedestrian warning and collision warning, just to name a few.
In terms of engine choices, the US market will only get the Cooper and Cooper S models at first while the European ones will also get access to the Cooper D version. The outputs have remained unchanged from the Hardtop alternative, but due to the added weight of the roof, the performance and fuel economy figures are different.
After the Tokyo world debut, the car will go on sale in spring 2016 and prices are to be announced at a later date.
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