Mini is readying its R56-based replacement for the current Cooper droptop, and it will retain its cloth roof. While there's been widespread adoption of retractable hardtops, the Coop is staying soft. That's good for weight and center of gravity, so the 'vert will still handle charmingly. True to the Cooper's retro mission, Senior VP of Brand Management, Kay Segler contends that the cloth roof offers an experience more true to classic alfresco motoring. The reasoning is that traditional convertible tops open wider than hardtops, so the skyward vistas are less impeded in the Cooper, which is why they pledge to never luxe up their car with metal origami. It could also be that there's no place to put the larger roof stack of a folding hardtop.
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John Johnson @ Mar 14th 2008 9:09AM
"The reasoning is that traditional convertible tops open wider than hardtops, so the skyward vistas are less impeded in the Cooper"
^LOL What? A hard top, when down, somehow makes the sky narrower? Did I read that right?
FThorn @ Mar 14th 2008 9:10AM
Yes. Nonsensical.
Gregg @ Mar 14th 2008 9:24AM
The point, which you appear to deliberately miss or ignore, is that a cloth top allows for a greater overall opening up of the car. A hardtop would also require an awkward rear bulge grafted on to the MINI's lines, in order to accomodate the metal stack.
John Johnson @ Mar 14th 2008 9:31AM
"skyward vistas are less impeded" - no two ways about that one. You could say cabin or trunk space would be compromised and that would be a very agreeable statement. But open top = open top. If it's not there, it doesn't matter if it's metal, cloth, or cheese.
FThorn @ Mar 14th 2008 9:55AM
Not missing anything. If one does not understand, it's the fault of the sender. (COMM 101)
Now, PERHAPS the point that a SMART convertible is less open, because it's drastically different.
You show me how the ONE car that I know of that has BOTH a hard and soft option (the Chrysler Sebring) has a different view of the sky for one versus the other.
Gregg @ Mar 14th 2008 12:42PM
Well, I guess you two are like a dog with a bone. Yes, of course, Your are both right. It could have been stated differently, more accurately and more clearly, but a cloth top more easily allows a greater area of cars like the Mini to be opened up than a metal folding hardtop would. Now, did you really think the writer's point was that the sky was more open on a cloth-topped convertible?
tenfifteen @ Mar 14th 2008 9:13AM
Having driven a convertible Cooper S as a dealer loaner while my '02 was getting serviced, I just have to say I hope they improve the car significantly. I know there are tradeoffs with a convertible, but as it is, the car's a dog, imho.
First, the body roll is just unbelievable; feels incredibly loose and wobbly. I'm sure some people don't notice it, but to me it was very pronounced (this was an '06 "S" model).
Second and far more important from a safety standpoint, the only way to drive this thing is top down. With the top up, you've got gigantic blind spots on the sides, and the hole through the gigantic roll hoops in the back seems to be dime-sized.
3seriesisking @ Mar 14th 2008 11:21AM
I 100% agree with you there. A friend of mine has an 06' S convertible and from the times I've driven it, I really didn't care for it. The point you made about the blind spots are dead on, I worry about her driving that thing to this day. Now the regular S's are nice but those convertibles are in definite need of some more follow-through thought.
Alex @ Mar 14th 2008 9:14AM
"It could also be that there's no place to put the larger roof stack of a folding hardtop."
DING DING DING!
FThorn @ Mar 14th 2008 10:01AM
Painfully obvious there's no room to put a hard top.
Either way, the MINI is my favorite car out there right now.
KarlInSanDiego @ Mar 14th 2008 11:07AM
More likely R56 engineers didn't like the way the weight would trash the gains in mileage that the new engines brought. That and expense are good reasons to not go hardtop. I got 41.6 mpg today in my R56 Cooper S in mixed driving this morning, but I can still walk most cars out there.
tenfifteen @ Mar 14th 2008 12:20PM
Good to know. Still 'about to upgrade' the wife's '04 S due to her new commute (34mi versus the current 7mi). I test drove one, and didn't really wear it out, but I got into it a couple of times... far more low-end grunt than I expected, felt at least as quick as my moderately-modded '02 (which will walk just about anything this side of a non-STI WRX)
speedball3 @ Mar 14th 2008 11:30AM
"which is why they pledge to never luxe up their car with metal origami."
MINI and pledges... HA!! Before the redesign, their websites said they would NEVER use turbochargers, superchargers are the only way to go for instant throttle response. Then turbochargers got better (or someone started making smaller ones) and suddenly MINI forgets they said to never use turbos.
JMC 3 @ Mar 14th 2008 1:05PM
Id love to see a 2 door coupe with a trunk in the Mini Cooper style.