We don’t get many Minis each year, but when we do it’s always a fun week. Especially if that Mini is tuned to “S” trim and its roof is chopped to make way for a retractable soft top.
In our garage this week is the 2019 Mini Cooper S Convertible, trimmed out with this year’s special Starlight Blue Edition Package. That means it gets an exclusive and eye-arresting coat of Starlight Blue Metallic paint, unique 17-inch machine-finished Rail Spoke alloy wheels with black painted pockets on 205/45 all-season runflat tires, and Black Line piano black exterior trim replacing much of the chrome, including the grille surround and the headlamp/taillight surrounds, while the side mirror caps are finished in glossy black too.
The upgrade continues with rain-sensing auto on/off LED headlamps featuring dynamic cornering capability, LED fog lights, piano black lacquered interior trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, Connected Navigation Plus within the infotainment system, Harman Kardon audio, satellite radio, Carbon Black leatherette upholstery, and heatable front seats, while my tester’s only standalone option is its $2,900 automatic transmission, all of which brings the base price of $33,990 up to $38,290, plus freight and fees.
Just to be clear, you can get into a new 2019 Mini Cooper Convertible for as little as $29,640 plus freight and fees, the higher price just noted due being to my test model’s aforementioned “S” trim. You can actually get into the base 3-Door hardtop for as little as $23,090, while the Mini 5-Door starts at $24,390 and six-door Clubman hits the road for $28,690. There are other Mini models available, but for now I’ll leave it to the car lineup and point you to CarCostCanada for detailed pricing info on every new vehicle available, including otherwise hard to find dealer invoice pricing and manufacturer rebate information that could save you thousands.
Something else you should be aware of is the premium level of quality that goes into each and every Mini model. This little Cooper S Convertible is extremely well put together, from its exterior fit to its interior finishings. The paintwork is superb and detailing fabulous, from my tester’s intricately designed LED headlamps and Union Jack imprinted taillights to its high-quality leather-wrapped steering wheel and stitched leather shift knob, not to mention the pod of primary instruments hovering over the steering column, the ever-changing ring of colour encircling the high-definition 8.8-inch infotainment display, the row of dazzling chromed toggles (and red ignition switch) on the centre stack and similar set of switches on the overhead console, these latter two eccentricities happily gracing every Mini model.
I could go on, but rather than turn this simple “Garage” overview into a full road test, which will be coming shortly, know that one of Mini’s most agreeable attributes is on-road character. Again, we won’t even tease our experiential notes, which aren’t even completed being that we’ve only spent a couple of days with the car, but instead fill you with some nuts and bolts details such as 189 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque from the 16-valve twin scroll turbocharge 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, a spirited 7.2 seconds from standstill to 100km/h with the six-speed manual or an even quicker 7.1 seconds with the as-tested six-speed automatic, an independent front strut and multi-link rear suspension, and so much more.
The upgrade to Cooper S trim means that a host of performance-oriented features get added, including selectable driving modes including default “MID”, “GREEN” and “SPORT” for enhanced acceleration and steering response, more heavily bolstered heated sport seats, a panoramic sunroof, and more.
There’s a lot more to the 2019 Mini Cooper S Convertible than I’ll go into here in this Garage review, including how all of these features work, the quality of workmanship inside and out, how the top operates and seals off the outside world, plus of course the way it drives. So make sure to come back to TheCarMagazine for the full review soon…