As winter begins to settle over most of India, Mini couldn’t have chosen a better moment to bring one of its most iconic cars back to our market, the Cooper S Convertible. If there’s one thing a drop-top should always deliver, it’s a sense of fun, and this one nails it. It’s quick, it corners with that familiar overgrown go-kart attitude, and it carries itself with the same playful charm the Mini badge has always promised.
This mildly refreshed Mini is genuinely gorgeous. The classic Mini face, the redesigned bug-eye headlights and the softened edges give it the right dose of nostalgia and attitude. Drop the soft-top, and it gets even better, shifting from cute to cheeky in one move. Roof down, it carries a sportier, more carefree stance that fits perfectly with the way it drives. What this really tells you is that, much like the hatchback, the foundations underneath haven’t been reinvented, even if the face is all-new.
The soft top itself works in two stages, sliding back halfway like a sunroof or folding all the way down into the space behind the rear seats. Mini claims it can be operated at up to 30 kph in 18 seconds, though in our runs it refused to budge past 24 kph. In true Mini fashion, there’s even a top-down counter that logs how long you’ve been driving with the roof open. Utterly unnecessary, completely delightful.
Move inside, and the sense of theatre continues. Mini has become something of an interior trendsetter, and that dinner-plate touchscreen is a stunning thing to sit in front of. It’s crisp, colourful and perfectly visible even with the roof down under Jaisalmer’s brutal sun. The circular display, which is the world’s first-ever OLED screen in a production car, runs the new Mini Operating System 9 and is the hub for everything from navigation to your media. It’s delightfully intuitive, and the graphics are so sharp that the whole experience feels highly modern, a stark contrast to the car’s retro charm.
The materials feel fun and thoughtfully chosen, with technical fabrics across most major touchpoints, and a dashboard that bursts to life with ambient lighting that shifts according to the drive mode. Flick it into Go-Kart mode, and the cabin glows an eager red.
One quirk worth noting: until Mini decides to introduce the JCW pack for the Convertible, you don’t get gearshift paddles. It keeps the two-pedal simplicity intact, but some drivers might miss that extra bit of involvement.
Mini has specced the Convertible with ‘Favoured Pack’ option, which brings in a heated sport steering wheel and those snug sport seats wrapped in recycled Vecsin upholstery. They’re genuinely lovely to spend time in. With two massage functions, they can either unwind after a long day or gently nudge you awake when the desert heat starts to get a bit too cosy.
Now, the back seats… honestly, they may as well not exist. There’s virtually no legroom, not even the kind you politely pretend to tolerate. Even a child seat would struggle to fit back there. Mini could have easily skipped the rear bench altogether and turned that space into a handy cargo shelf. It would have saved weight, added practicality, and made far more sense in a car that’s clearly meant for two people and a weekend’s worth of luggage. Speaking of luggage, the boot is also compromised; with just 215 litres (and even less when the roof is stowed), you’ll struggle to fit anything larger than two cabin bags.
Underneath, the Cooper S Convertible still sits on a reworked version of the previous Mini’s platform, and the engine will feel familiar to anyone who’s driven the older car. It’s the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, only now it’s been given a healthy bump. Power is up to 204 bhp and 30.6 kgm, and everything still goes to the front wheels.
Fire it up using the little toggle in the centre console, and the car immediately sets the tone. That aircraft-style twist switch is such a small thing, yet it adds so much drama to the start-up moment. The engine settles into a soft burble, the exhaust isn’t loud but has a nice raspy edge, and Mini even sneaks in an artificial soundtrack through the speakers. Purists will roll their eyes, but honestly, it does make the whole experience feel more alive. The BMW-sourced motor itself is a gem. It’s eager, smooth and always ready to rev, and the surge of power it delivers every time you tap the throttle keeps you chasing the next stretch of open road.
Mini claims 0–100 kph in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 240 kph with the roof up. Numbers aside, flick it into Go-Kart mode, and the Cooper S feels properly quick. Out on Jaisalmer’s empty roads, the combination of instant shove and endless desert views had me grinning the entire time. It’s exactly the reaction Mini engineers want from you, and the car knows it.
Where it really shines is in the corners. The Convertible might be the more laid-back member of the Mini family, but it still loves being pushed. It turns in sharply, the steering feels connected, and once you settle into a rhythm, it clings to the road with the kind of confidence that has defined Minis for decades. A lot of that magic comes from the preloaded anti-roll bar mounts and the tweaks Mini has made to the steering and stability systems, but on the road, you don’t think about the engineering. You just feel how willing the car is to play along.
However, that confidence comes at a predictable cost: ride comfort. On the pristine roads of Jaisalmer, the Mini felt perfectly at home, hunkering down and delivering a taut, connected experience. But the suspension is definitely set up on the stiffer side to maintain that legendary ‘go-kart’ feel. While it’s highly engaging on a smooth road, you can imagine the ride being on the harsher side on Mumbai’s rougher, paved tarmac, forcing you to slow down significantly for speed breakers and patched-up sections. This is a compromise you accept for the handling prowess; it’s a focused machine, not a plush commuter.
At the end of the day, the Cooper S Convertible isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t pretend to be. The back seats are more decorative than usable, the platform isn’t brand-new, and the roof mechanism has its quirks. But here’s the thing, none of that really dents its appeal because this is still the most affordable way to buy yourself a proper top-down experience in India. And for a lot of people, that’s reason enough.
Honestly, I get it. If I had spare cash lying around and wanted something that could turn an ordinary drive into a little moment of joy, this is exactly the kind of car I’d pick. It’s playful, energetic and full of personality, and it delivers that wind-in-your-hair feeling without demanding supercar money.
Will the magic last beyond winter? Maybe not. But for the months when the weather is kind, and the skies are clear, few cars make you feel as alive as this one does. And sometimes, that fleeting joy is worth every rupee.
