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I have an interview tomorrow, and while I am quite familiar with the hatchbacks, I'm not too up to speed on the other models. If you could please help me:
1. What made you choose the Cabrio over other models?
2. What trim did you choose (Justa, S, or JCW)?
3. Which options were most important to you?
I chose the Cabrio S because I wanted a small 4 seat convertible. The MINI Cabrio S, was fuel efficient, fun to drive and could be used as a vacation car. We test drove the VW EOS and I hate the way it handled. I also had two other VWs and had a lot of issues with them.
We were looking for a daily driver that could save on the commute and be the fun car. Had to be convertible with heated seats and great handling . I knew a 2 seater was no good as we are 3 and sometimes i carry more than a briefcase and gym bag. (Still wonder if the c70 from Volvo would have been enticing.) We love the MINI but My daughter is getting tall for the back seat. Anyway, for us it was never a doubt to go with the Cabrio.
I've had a MCSC and now a JCWC. Even in CA, convertibles MUST have heated seats ~ you'll put the top down so much more! The boot, even with the top down, is very good sized with easy access (especially compared to any hard top convertible!). With both rear seats able to fold down, it's really a Swiss army knife. We have a tall family and everyone fits in (though a 30 minute trip is about the limits with 4 in the car). I love driving it, especially with a stick ~ it makes even a trip to the store a blast. Discovered that dark seats are NOT a good idea ~ unless you want to know what a pancake feels like if you leave the top down. Lot of fun, great economy, perfect power and you can park it literally anywhere! The resale on my '07 was amazing, too!
My very first car was a '63 TR Spitfire roadster. I drove the heck out of it, got hooked up with a EVSCC chapter while stationed in Key West and learned a lot about Solo and track driving. Traded that in one day for a lightly used '62 BRG E Type Jaguar roadster. It didn't get tracked but it did have a minor role in helping to snag a comely co-ed. 40 years later with the kids all gone and retirement looming, co-ed and I began reminiscing the good old days of Sunday drives in the old Jag and began looking. Found our MINI cabrio and love looking for and taking road trip adventures. Amazing how a well seasoned co-ed can transition to a superlative co-pilot. I still regret letting the Jaguar get away from me.
Some things to do once you have your cabrio. If it doesn't have it, find a wind deflector. You will be glad you did and will actually be able to visit in a normal tone while at highway speeds. Go to Way Motor Works and get a 19 or 22 MM adjustable sway bar (the best mod for the money you can make) and a 'Light-In-Sight' so you don't have to lean over to see the overhead traffic lights. Go on line to Griot's Garage and order the tire repair kit with pump. The bag can also carry an extra qt. of oil and a few extra cleaning supplies, rags and windshield cleaning stuff. And for crying out loud, rotate the tires and change the oil and filter every 5K miles regardless of what anybody else says and check the fluid levels weekly.
As far as space in the boot is concerned, we get our suitcase in the boot just fine along with a few other fiddly bits and some extras in the back seat. Two or three week road trips are no sweat if you plan carefully what to take and know how to use a laundromat. Wilderness trekking helps one learn what you can get along without. Here is a link to fited suitcases just for the R52/57 if you are interested. http://www.righttoolusa.com/p/Mini-C...FYtAMgod-1oAOg
Last edited by Fly'n Brick; Apr 30, 2014 at 07:07 AM.
My choice was between the R57 and an Audi TT Roadster. I wanted a cabrio/convertible regardless. The sticking point was whether to get all the extra room in the MINI or go with the very pared down TT. In the end I couldn't find a TT that didn't have stuff falling off of it. Further, I was coming to MINI from MINI as my 2010 hardtop Cooper S was totaled in January. So I knew if I went with a newer MINI - even as a cabrio - I was going to have familiarity on my side.
That's what did it. Along with the color, the extras and the price.
No, the trunk is disappointingly small. No typical carry-on fits well. Yes, just ONE of those VERY small (or hard-sided) ones might fit.
The upside to the small trunk and using the wife's Mini as the family vehicle for one too many trips has led to getting a green light to upgrade from my '06 Jeep Grand Cherokee to a Cayenne.
No need to go all fan boy on it. It's a small trunk, arguably smaller than most folks would expect and certainly smaller than just about any other convertible in this class. Every vehicle has some range of compromises, the R57 is no exception.
I'm not going fan boy, but just disputing your statement that you can't even fit a carry on suit case into the trunk. If it abides by the airline approved sizing guidelines then it fits in an R57 without any effort at all, even with the rear shelf in the top down friendly position.
Travel Pro 9 - 22"x14"x9" with built in suit carrier:
No, the trunk is disappointingly small. No typical carry-on fits well. Yes, just ONE of those VERY small (or hard-sided) ones might fit.
The upside to the small trunk and using the wife's Mini as the family vehicle for one too many trips has led to getting a green light to upgrade from my '06 Jeep Grand Cherokee to a Cayenne.
I know this is from 2014, but the trunk on my 2012 R57 Cabrio is plenty big. I carry my Think Tank Camera bag (just legal carry-on size); a zippered tool tube that holds two quarts of oil, a roll of toilet paper, some baseball caps and some coins for meters and other machines; a sixpack beer box with a chamois, a horsehair brush, some towels, a blanket for the beach and suntan lotion; a camera tripod and monopod; and sometimes a foldable beach chair.
Seems to me that the trunk is just about the same size as the one I had on my 2010 MINI Cooper S hardtop.
And it looks like when I have the top up there is extra room on the shelf where the roof sits - I bet I could use that for even more stuff.
I wouldn't call the trunk "very good sized". I was disappointed to discover it's actually not tall enough to cram a carry-on suitcase into it.
At the risk of being indelicate, the boot in my R57 fits a carry-on suitcase with plenty of room around it. I believe I can get a carry-on and my under-seat camera bag in the back easily.
So, you may be loading it differently or the carry-on you're bringing on trips is not actually the size that fits in the luggage 'fitment' cage at the gate at the airport.
I'll guess you might be loading it differently. My regular gear in the way back is a whole detailing kit, a tool kit with an extra quart of oil and my 21-inch ThinkTank Airport Essentials camera bag.
I know I am quite late to this thread, but thought I would add my story. I was born in the USA after WW2 was over and our troops returned home. My father brought along an English war bride. I was born in 1950 and 1952 traveled by the Queen Mary ocean liner to England. It was the first of many trips to England. We would travel there many times, as I was growing up. WE always rented a Morris 1000 and I always thought these tiny cars were cool. Back home we had whales, like Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile. in 1964 I went to Germany for three years of school, where I acquired a Lotus. It was a European continental market, with left hand steering. Tiny little Coventry Climax 4 cylinder, Sating it was a coupe, with no real model designation. It came with a book, showing it was assembled in Germany and driven there for a few years, before I got it. This thing was so fun to drive. I got my license the day I turned 15! I was thrilled I had a 30 mile drive every day, for school. The Autobahn had no speed limits in those days, so as soon as I got on it, it was pedal to the metal, until I arrived close to where I lived. The roads from that point were twisty tiny roads, that challenged your driving skills. I went back to the USA in 1967. I was not able to bring the car back, as USA requirements for the car, could not be done at that time (USA required safety glass windshield, sealed beam headlights, miles per hour speedometer (mine had a km per hour speedo). I was sad, because I loved this car! When I got back to the USA, I really got into cars! I started with a 1956 Chevy Belair , the settled on a 1961 factory mechanically fuel injected Corvette. It was rocketship, but had no and I mean NO handling! It was actually a death trap in the twisties! My car buying was furious and I owned many American and European cars, and a couple of 1978 Toyota Supra's One NA and the other turbo, which was very quick car that handled well, but was still too big, to give me the feel of the Lotus days. I did have a 1967 Morris Garage MGB, that I adapted a all syncro electric overdrive and it handled pretty good. Just not as I remembered the Lotus. When BMW brought out the new Mini in 2002. I just smiled, but because I am quite a big guy, realizing I could never even fit into my beloved Lotus, let aside this tiny Mini. I was heart broken, so I never tried it.Move ahead to 2017. My sister said, "why don't you try to get in one!" To my surprise, I fit in! within days, I found a 05 MCS with chrono package and had to have it. I blame this car on my obsession with these little gen 1 Mini Coopers! I kept collecting them and soon had too many, so I got a dealers license and started selling them. I looked for almost a year to find a 06 MCS JCW model. I still drive it daily and daily it puts a smile on my face! I live rural and in the twisties of southern Oregon! Life is great!
My daily 06 MCS factory JCW with chrono package It is a labor of love, to be a daily driver, but worth it!
So in the end, I did not get a gen 2 cabrio, but I do have an 08 cabrio (really still just gen 1)
Last edited by ItsmeWayne; Jul 2, 2019 at 08:41 AM.
Reason: spelling as usual
but because I am quite a big guy, realizing I could never even fit into my beloved Lotus, let aside this tiny Mini.
For me it was the Jaguar E-type coupe. Loved my neighbor's V12 coupe (not a convertible). Sad realization as an adult standing 6'3"... I was never going to be an E-type owner... They're a LOT smaller than you'd think!
Though I did briefly have an MGB convertible. "Lucas, prince of darkness" rang true.
The best modern convertibles I've had were a 2000 Miata, (which became difficult to get in and out of, and had no back seat,) and a 2006 VW Beetle, (which is surprisingly roomy, but has poor visibility all around, and I'm 6'1",) but the Mini S is by far my favorite. 6 spd turbo is a hoot and it handles like a go cart.
And why a ragtop? Why not?! Gotta have a convertible.
