Got to test drive a Cabrio S today.WOWWas that funI was at the dealer to get some wheel cleaner,and show them how the mesh in the vents under the wipers were toast,and the Cabrio had just come back from another test drive,and they asked me if I wanted to go for a little motor.Well no kidding I wanted to go.Never driven a S before,let alone the fact it was a soft top.Only went out for about 20 minutes,they had the black lab navigator,but I would love one.Now if I got a zany money making scheme,or start to buy lottery tickets and win big I'm in
Oh they are going to change the vents for some 05 ones that have no mesh:smile:

 

lotsie,

I'm jealous I want my Cabrio! Sunnie is at the VPC as of today Hopefully next weekend I'll be topless Now YOU will have to work on getting a little topless beauty:smile:

Lois

 

Lot, I drove one last week too ('05 MSCS Cool Blue) and it was a fun ride, but not for me.

The car did certainly felt slower off the line in comparison to my '04 MCS and I honestly did not think the new "revised" 6-speed Getrag was that big of a deal.

Very nice car and the top mechanism is superb. Having said that, I much prefer the looks (And rigidity) of the solid roof MINI. You loose a lot of cargo space going with the convertible as the hatchback design is replaced with a "real" small boot and the rear passenger shoulder room is also reduced due to the top mechanism.

Very beautiful and fun car, ONLY IF, you are into open top motoring.

 

I also forgot to mention that the '05 MCSC that I test drove last week had only 250 miles on the odo and the car was exhibiting an annoying uneven idle/engine stuttering while in neutral waiting for a traffic light change.

 

lotsie - glad you had fun!!!:smile: Thanks for the report. You've gotten me even MORE excited now.....mine is headed this way as we speak in an enclosed carrier from the East Coast - Yayyy! I should be motoring in it by next Tuesday....Yippeee!!

Chow!

Donna

 

We actually test drove a 05MCSC Cool Blue 2 weeks ago. Luckily it did not exhibit any problems in the 30 minutes we drove it. Kind of hard to assess a car in that short period of time. All I know is that it was a blast & everything worked the way it should. The boot is a lot smaller but it will hold much more than the Miata does & we always have the 03 MINI to be the work horse.

Lois

 

I don't think a Cabrio could be my only car,like my MC is.I too like the space in the back of the car.Besides the dog is always back there. I haul alot of tools around,so I need good lock up.Now if I could have both,,,,,,,,

 

I drove the cabrio for about 35 minutes as well. Everything was perfect with the exception of the stuttering at idle.

 

My whole 20 minutes was on the highway and a clover leaf,that I went through 3 times,didn't spend much time launching

 

Like many others here I drove a CB MCSC a couple weeks ago. Nice, but not for me. Not big on blowing wind: a moonroof is enough for me. And it was kinda hard to judge performance because there's noticeable wind drag on the rear seat backs. But yes I noticed more pull in low to mid range, there was no rough idling, and the new exahust sound is quite distinctive--not hooligan-ish boy-racer loud, but there.

 

Gotta love those cloverleaf designs, eh? LOL! Can't wait to motor with Donna in her new Cabrio! YAY!!!!!

Clover

 

Update to the 2004 mesh grills - they don't have the "sponge" like material that wears out.

 

I had mine replaced at my 25K service, no questions asked. I just asked my SA to switch them out, and it was done.

I drove an MCC, BRG/B, a few weeks ago. While it was kind of fun to go for a ride with the top down, the beast was sluggish and heavy off the line, and the sitelines out the back were terrible, even with the top down! Not a car for me... I wonder how different (more gutsy) the MCSC is compared to the base model?

 

It would be my "other" car,roof down ALL the time
Fun to drive in the snow,top down,heat on,back roads with the sun out

 

...and heated seats :smile: :smile:

 

I drove an 05 MCSC back to back with an 04 MCS Coupe on Saturday at my dealer. My MA was that cool that he had the keys waiting for me. If you're in NJ I recommend you see Ben@Morristown Mini.

Needless to say I thought the changes in both the engine and trans were noticeable right away. You can really feel the extra mid range torque the new car has. Not only that but the pops in the exhaust are very audible. I'd say they are cool for the enthusiast but for you're average person I would think they'd be annoying, personally I love em I love the new headlights as well on the car.

Currently I own a miata and I have to say although I'm not a huge fan of 4 seater convertibles the MCSC really impressed with it's structural rigidity. It was solid with no cowl shake what so ever over bumps and uneven surfaces. Mini did an excellent job with that. My miata with a full bolt in roll bar didn't feel quite as stiff. Needless to say I was really impressed with the car but i thought it was a tad overpriced.
Mike

 

The Cabrio MCS that I drove was $44,000,CND.

 

Goes without saying

 

If you think about it..... You are paying MORE for LESS car!


Both convertible versions of the MC and MCS are US$5,000 more than thier hardtop counterparts. A fully loaded MCSC can easily hit the $35K or more.

I think that is excessive IMO. You are threading into BMW 3 series convertible price territory....

 

I took El Diablito by the local Mini dealer.... I wouldn't trade it for any of the coopers... holy cow they are flat out ridiculous in price.... What I have into my cooper S vs a stock w/jcw is less and faster and handles better... again I thank the kid in LA who needed money which made this all possible
happy in cali

 

To me, the '05 MCSC I test drove a couple of weeks ago, felt much slower off the line than my '04 MCS.

I did not feel that much difference. I still prefer my hardtop MCS.

 

Cooper S doesn't need more mid-range. It needs more low end torque.

 

I agree. MCS has never lacked in the mid/upper RPM range dept.

 

I feel like the stock S has plenty of low and mid-range grunt but IMHO the top-end push is disappointing. It doesn't pull very hard after 4.5 or 5K. So I got the JCW kit - problem solved nicely . It pulls like a freight train all the way through redline.

 

I can show you a couple of hills in S.F. that will demonstrate the lack of low end or poor gearing in the MCS. A MCS will not leave off idle from a stop without a lot of revs(2.5-3k min) on these hills. In constrast, my old mustang..weighing almost 900 lb more will take off from an idle without any problems. Not what you would expect from a performance hatch/car. I have not experienced driving a MCS that has a pulley change or a JCW on these kinds of hills. It could make a difference. But on flat surfaces, the MCS has plenty of torque.