Hello y'all!
As a tin-top 51 plate Auto Mini Cooper driver I thought I was in the fun club already. How wrong I was! Don't get me wrong, the Mini Cooper I have is a joy to drive, and being my first auto I was amazed at how easy it was, but driving this test drive opened my eyes
The Chili Red Manual Mini One Convertible was on the forcourt so we went out for a drive. I got to have a play with the amazing roof again, which I was pleased about. That roof is always going back and forth (it did so several times for other people while I was there) and I've never seen so much as a wobble or a pause. The glove compartment on the 2005 models seems to be a lot better than that which was available as an option on the earlier models, with a smoother action and better quality feel. My Cooper has a shelf instead which my CD's have never seen eye to eye with. I got in the car (paying attention to the improved door armrests and seats) and took a few seconds remembering what a gearstick and clutch were... then we were off
The first thing I noticed was how nippy the One was. Contrasted with my Auto Mini Cooper, it actually felt faster from a standing start. I'm totally looking forward to driving a manual again now. Accelleration in the higher speeds and gears was as I expected, but I was still impressed with the 1.6 litre engines performance. I'll certainly look at Mini Ones in a new light after driving one.
The second thing I noticed was how incredibly agile the car was. It was as fun to drive as my Cooper as far as handling is concerned, with one big difference... NO ROOF! My smile literally went from ear to ear for the duration of the drive, as we powered around listening to the BOOST CD stereo (a noticable improvement on the standard in my Cooper). Wind was absolutely minimal up to speeds of around 60mph, so unless you intend to motorway drive with the roof down and/or have a fear of imperfecting your hairstyle, the wind deflector isn't really necessary. Remember boys and girls, wind is fun - this is open top driving we're talking about. Fitting wind deflectors isn't fun :P
The "new" manual gearbox really was a joy. Gearchanges were smooth and predictable, and the clutch was bang on. Breaks were great, and the larger rear view mirror was very helpful.
It was a brilliant experience. If I was that impressed by the One, I have no idea what I'm going to be like when my
MCSC arrives, and then again when the
JCW tuning kit goes on late September.
Basically, if you haven't driven a Mini Convertible yet, I
INSIST you go for a test drive immediately!
Abs
Jul 6th, 2004, 01:11 PM
Mini One Convertible Test Drive 
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