A Literal Breath of Fresh Air
It's coming up on a 12-hour work day. I'm tired and I just want to go home. But home is another 45 minute drive away. Sigh. Yet, as I walk to the parking lot and spot my 2005 MINI Cooper S Cabriolet, the exhaustion and stress of my tedious job melt away (and I'm not talking about my writing gig). In fact, I run up the parking lot stairs in excitement because, after a day of scattered showers and sunny patches, the sunny patches remain enabling me to drop the top of my test MINI for a breezy and speedy drive home.
If someone were to ask me if I could sum up the MINI Cooper's personality in one word, a while ago I would have said 'fun'. Now I would say 'rejuvenating'. Rejuvenating? Yes, the MINI's personality taps into the tank of extra energy and excitement I thought I had exhausted throughout the day. It puts the smile back on my face and makes me look forward to driving no matter what the circumstances are, except maybe for rain, because then I can't go topless.
But rain or shine, top up or top down, the MINI convertible handles like a dream. I recall from my previous test drives about how similar both the hard top and drop top feel with regards to handling, possibly due to the Cooper S Cabriolet only weighing an extra 75 kilos (165 pounds). Often times, the drop- top version of a hard top can feel a little flimsier in the
suspension department, but not here. The four-wheel independent, sport-tuned suspension just loves being thrown into tight turns and curves and tackles them oh-so-well. And if slippage occurs, the standard automatic stability control + traction (ASC+T) comes into action faster than you can say, well, slippage.
Getting to a speed that allows me to put the MINI convertible to the test was quick and easy, especially with the standard 6-speed manual transmission. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in the S is a mere 7.4 seconds due to its 1.6L, 16-valve, DOHC I-4 engine that produces 170 supercharged horses and 162 lb-ft of torque, and its top speed is 215 km/h. And the street-legal, topless go-cart feels even quicker than its numbers suggest, and I love it. The feeling of my hair-blowing, the tunes blasting, and the sun shining in the MINI is pure bliss.
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| The MINI puts the smile back on my face and makes me look forward to driving no matter what the circumstances are. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
If someone were to ask me if I could sum up the MINI Cooper's personality in one word, a while ago I would have said 'fun'. Now I would say 'rejuvenating'. Rejuvenating? Yes, the MINI's personality taps into the tank of extra energy and excitement I thought I had exhausted throughout the day. It puts the smile back on my face and makes me look forward to driving no matter what the circumstances are, except maybe for rain, because then I can't go topless.
But rain or shine, top up or top down, the MINI convertible handles like a dream. I recall from my previous test drives about how similar both the hard top and drop top feel with regards to handling, possibly due to the Cooper S Cabriolet only weighing an extra 75 kilos (165 pounds). Often times, the drop- top version of a hard top can feel a little flimsier in the
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| This topless go-cart feels even quicker than its acceleration numbers suggest. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
Getting to a speed that allows me to put the MINI convertible to the test was quick and easy, especially with the standard 6-speed manual transmission. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in the S is a mere 7.4 seconds due to its 1.6L, 16-valve, DOHC I-4 engine that produces 170 supercharged horses and 162 lb-ft of torque, and its top speed is 215 km/h. And the street-legal, topless go-cart feels even quicker than its numbers suggest, and I love it. The feeling of my hair-blowing, the tunes blasting, and the sun shining in the MINI is pure bliss.