Going back and forth between a coupe and convertible. Besides cost, what are the reasons NOT to buy the convertible? I notice of course that the vast majority of you have coupes, is cost the main reason?

Or is it:

1) Extra weight (slower)?
2) Body flex? (Is there much?...I can't remember from my last test drive.)
3) Less room in back seat?
4) More road noise with the top up? (Too much noise?)
5) Loss of side curtain air bags.

Anything else?

Thanks.

 

6) You sunburn easily...

 

7. In my personal opinion, the car doesn't look as good in 'vert form.
8. Some clubs won't let you track a 'vert.

 

poor visibility with top up and not much better with top down, I ask a few owners at MOTD and they said the visibility SUCKS....

 

Loss of visibility/need for reverse sensor should probably go on the list.

I will say that each of these items, while drawbacks, don't individually seem to be huge issues to me. Perhaps taken cumulatively, yes.

I test drove in a Cooper cabrio (manual) and found it performed basically the same as my hard top. If you would enjoy top down motoring, I wouldn't let any of these stop you. Depends what you want out of your MINI.

 

Tons of noise when the top is closed and the visibility is horrible.

 

...you live above the Arctic Circle and own no insulated clothes... ;-)

 

The only 'flex' I notice is that the rear view mirror will vibrate a bit on certain surfaces. It's not available with the sports plus suspension. But for some of us the slightly less stiff car and suspension is worth the trade off for a convert. Is a hard top stiffer? Yes. Were nearly all sports cars a convert when I was a kid anyway? Yes. If you want the stiffest possible car for Auto X then a hardtop is your ticket. If you want the fun open motoring and are willing to have a small performnace penalty then go topless. For some of us, the fun of the open air experience adds more than the loss of stiffness.

MUCH less room in back. I run my seats way back so no one could normally sit there. I can move em up to take extras to dinner or such. No large hatch area, small trunk. It's not my only car so I sould not have cared if it had been a two seater.

I find noise fine on the highway, but that's personal. I WILL say it's nice for a convert, easy to talk and the noise doesn't seem any worse on 70 MPH legal roads than 55 MPH. O fcourse it's louder than a hardtop by far.

Lots of folks have issues with the rear visibility. I personally don't understand why it's quite become such a big gripe. They say it has huge blind spots. Well, the rear view mirror view has tunnel vision to be sure. But if the side mirrors are set correctly I have NO GAPS whatsoever. Then again, I also drive a truck and am used to having to use all 3 mirrors and setting them correctly. If you know how to properly set up mirrors on a vehicle you will find it works fine.

In a 'normal' vehicle you can use the rear view or side for seeing certain areas. In the convert you use the mirrors like a truck. Indeed even at that I still find it easiest to park where I can pull straight through, or back in while I'm out in the aisle and have the best possible view. Then when I'm leaving and have the disadvantage of having cars right and left I can come out frontwards. But I do that in ALL cars now.

Some peoples distaste for the rear view and lack of space are the major complaints. Me, you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.

I Love it. I'd suggest another test drive... Or find someone near you to let you ride shotgun for a while too.

 

Well, I think that it is kinda ugly with the top up. Plus, it will use more gas becasue it is heavier, and created DRAG. Its a little pricier. If you want the feel, just open the sunroof and both windows. That will help.

 

9. Because there are jerks in the world that will slice your top just because they are jerks.

My previous car was a VW convertible and I've had 6 convertibles in my life (4 Miatas and 2 VWs), and I love them, but I would never buy one again. I feel the MINI equipped with a sunroof feels a lot like having a convertible. That's why I decided on the MINI.

 

The rear visibility is a bit of an issue but an easily fixed one. Between the Parking Distance Control (which I've found really reliable) and an after-market back-up camera, I feel like I have better visibility than anything I've ever driven.

The road noise is an issue because it's a convertible. Of all of the convertibles I've owned, the MINI has been the quietest AND has no leaks in the top, another convertible rarity.

As for the suspension, I stiffened things up with the M7 USS and had no problems this weekend keeping up on the Dragon.

 

My wife and i had a cabrio and a miata - we looked at the MCS cabrio, but we both ended up with coupes. Visability really is terrible, and the loss of the hatch - you can stuff a suprising amount of stuff back there!

Also, as others have said, the huge sunroof helps with soft top withdraw.

-jac

 

My next store neighbor had a mini convertible and traded it in after 9 months. They did not like the poor visability and the impact on space that the top took up. The visability issue did not inspire a feeling of being very safe. The impact of space made the car impractical as a daily driver.

I had a Miata for 4 years and the visability was somewhat of an issue that can adjusted by driving techniques. Of course, I have driven semi's in the past so having massive blind spots was the norm,,,although you are bit bigger in an 18 wheeler. The annoyance for me was the top being slashed on 3 different occasions,,, not for stealing anything, just to vandilize the car - this was done in upscale suburbs, not in an innercity.

Depending on where you live, a convertible might not be all its cracked up to be. In Houston, with our levels of heat and humidity, the only time I used my Miata with the top down during the summer months was in the evening. Spring and Fall is when the top was down the most. Also, if you drive alot in stop and go traffic, having the top down is not the most fun due to the exhaust fumes from other cars.

I didnt even give a soft top Mini a look based on my experience with my Miata. If I lived in different place like San Diego that is relativily mild year round, I may have considered it provided I could keep it garaged at night to avoid the midnight slashers - of course, you could become very good with a needle and fishing line like I did sewing up my roof.

Final thought, if I really was going to get a rag top, I would be thinking roadsters like a Miata or Honda S2000, the hardtop Mini is part of the historical character of the car,, just my 2 bits.

 

None.

 

Good question and great feedback. We have a cabrio on order and reading through this really helps. Thanks.

 

Yes! Visibility SUCKS!! Absolutely horrible. When backing out of a parking space, you must rely solely on your mirrors and sometimes even that isn't enough. I don't own one - I have a hardtop but I test drove one. Yikes! Unless you plan on having the top down at all times, you're going to have a hard time seeing cars next to you... and you'll definitely have a hard time pulling out of a parking space.

 

My wife and I have never owned a convertible so I was really suprised when we both decided to get the cabrio. Curse that salesman for letting us sit in one with the top down...

There was a brief stint where I was regretting getting the cabrio due to all the reasons that were stated above, except for the road noise (that didn't bother me too much). The biggest concern for me though was if the roof stopped working or malfunctioned. I was also thinking that I wouldn't be able to join in on some driving events (driving classes, autox events, etc.). I even went as far as getting in touch with dealers asking how much they would give us if we traded it in.

We talked about it at length and decided to keep the cabrio. We have lots of fun motoring around in our MINI, but the most fun we had was when the top was down. Whether it was cruising down the PCH (pacific coast highway) or going on a canyon run with our local club members, our enjoyment increased with the openness of our cabrio. We took a long hard look at our MINI and decided that we got the car because it was tons of fun to drive and the convertible top added to that enjoyment. Track days are not important or a necessity, I was just curious about them and if I wanted there are clubs (like the BMWCCA) out there that allow cabrios in their autox events. It also helps that we live in sunny so cal!

 

The rear visibility is terrible on the convertible. If you have a wife, she will probably not want to drive with the top down because it messes up her hair (from personal experience)!

 

Without doubt, rear visibility is the biggest deal breaker when people test drive the MINI cabrio. Nobody wants to feel unsafe or have anxiety when backing up or changing lanes. The other concerns such as the rear seat, storage space or noise are minor in comparison. I was anxious myself about rear visibility and even started a thread on the subject before placing my cabrio order.

As others have mentioned, you learn to use the mirrors. If you've ever had to drive a U-Haul truck or van, it's like that, and you adjust quickly. However, a brief dealer test drive isn't going to leave you with much confidence.

I have two mods that have helped greatly. A Multivex mirror on the passenger side completely eliminates my blind spots. With the Multivex and the PDC, I feel very comfortable driving the MINI cabrio. The Multivex helps both with backing up and with right side visibility.

I also installed the OEM rear view camera, and this really takes things to another level. With both the Multivex and the camera, my cabrio now has the best rear visibility of any car I have owned.

 

Keep in mind that the convertible wasn't available until '05. Hard tops had a 3 year head-start.

 

Ugly

 

Hardtops are boring.....you might as well buy a Civic. (Just kidding!!!) The cabrio is for people who love the outdoors, can stand a little wind in the hair, embrace living to the fullest and can adapt to extremes. If you like riding a motorcycle, you'll like the cabrio. If you want to feel "safe" like most other cagers buy the hardtop. Rear visibilty is not that great in ANY convertible with the top up. As stated above, you have to adapt. Also, as far as road noise, try driving on the interstate for 4 hours in a Miata with the top up and you'll never complain about the little bit of road noise in the MINI again. The MINI is much quieter than other ragtops. Hardtops are a dime a dozen and the hardtop sunroof is way more noisy and turbulent than the cabrio. Remember, the rear windows go down on a cabrio to give wind flow, the hardtop doesn't. All that air has nowhere to go but around inside the cabin. If you like open top motoring there really is NO comparison between the hardtop sunroof and the cabrio.

 

I've owned three convertibles in the past (all mustangs and still have one).
The current one I have is a garage queen.

The main thing with a convertible is that it gets TO DAMN HOT in the summer here in Denver, CO. About the only time I drive with the top down is in the spring/Fall. Optimal temps for convertibles are around 75 degrees with the sun shining. Otherwise your burning hot. <grin>

Don't forget the hat and sun screen too.

God I wish I still live in San Diego, CA. That was optimal weather for converts except for the occasional hot spell.

 

1. A couple of hundred pounds heavier (hey, a hardtop with an extra passenger gets you to the same place) - but one might argue that the extra weight is lower to the ground than on hardtop, particularly versus sunroof models. There should not be any variance in speed or gas mileage other than that noticed by carrying extra passengers or cargo.

2. There is additional bracing in the rear to compensate (which probably accounts for some of the extra weight) and I added a strut brace for the front just in case it helps. I have noticed no discernable flex - but definately some understeer in certain circumstances and will soon add a sway bar to manage that - which is not a Cabrio thing.

3. Back seat is definately smaller - and will hold two adults but with less elbow room. My car is used for one or two passengers 90% of the time with occasional rear seat use - and to date no one has complained except in the usual joking sense you always get with MINIs.

4. Interestingly I don't often notice additional noise with the roof up except at certain frequencies (certain types of sounds) that come through the rear corner fabric. Generally I don't need to raise radio to compensate or raise voice at highway speeds up to 85. Beyond that, I just tend to enjoy my two-piece symphony (supercharger and exhaust) and am glad that such noise makes it through the fabric.

5. I don't know about others but my Cabrio has side curtain air bags. They are mounted in the seats and inflate out against the side of the car from there instead of dropping down from ceiling.

VISIBILITY - I had heard that it was terrible before buying the Cabrio and found it to be much better than expected. Someone once said that the only time they had a problem was at an sharp radius airport merge ramp joining traffic flow from the left - it just so happened that I had such a circumstance last week and found this to be good advice (had to merge blind amid honking horns). Still, the sensors work great for close quarters and I am planning on the camera as well since I have NAV - with an over-ride switch to use while in motion for extra safety merging. The rear sensors are STANDARD on the cabrio but the Camera is N/A in the US - you need to order it from UK and install yourself. Not a huge problem installing.

TEMPERATURE - I got the car in February and ran it through cold weather and snow. With heating systems and heated seats (a must for the Cabrio) there was never a time I felt colder than I felt I should be. Temps were down to teens this winter where I am at.

SUSPENSION - One drawback is that the JCW Suspension CANNOT be fit to the Cabrio. If you want full JCW, you are out of luck.

Now, what you have not asked is all the reasons FOR owning a Cabrio. I got mine in Feb and am having the best driving Spring of my life. I am pinching myself I am so lucky to have this car....

Bill

 

If I am not mistaken, the coupe's airbags are:

FRONT
FRONT-SIDE
SIDE CURTAIN (head protection for front and rear passengers)

The convertible has:

FRONT
FRONT-SIDE

The front-side airbags may have a little bit of head protection, but I'm pretty sure in the Mini they are for hip/shoulder protection.