The Mini Cooper S Convertible may not be practical as an only car, but it is fun to drive.

By Keith Griffin

My 17-year-old daughter is a car enthusiast, which is understandable. Thanks to living with an automotive reviewer her entire life, she has been in over 900 vehicles. Even in her car seat days, she would giggle when a car accelerated quickly.

So, it was noticeable when she said this about the 2025 Mini Cooper S Convertible: “If I were rich, I would buy this as my second car.” That’s pretty spot on because the Mini Cooper S is fun to drive, but it doesn’t have a practical bone in its body.

Mini Cooper S wheels. Courtesy photo

All-New For 2025

This little four-seater was surprisingly accommodating of my large frame. Headroom wasn’t an issue, nor was legroom. However, there was no legroom in the second row behind me. Best guess is two people, 5’6”, could sit back-to-back.

The power soft top opens fully in just 18 seconds, even when the car is driven at speeds up to 19 mph, allowing drivers always to enjoy the breeze and sunshine. The Cooper S Convertible has heated seats and steering wheel. It’s a perfect top-down choice for spring, summer, or fall. (Don’t forget to pack your hair ties.)

The fully automatic soft top can be opened in two ways: either fully retracted, or like a sunroof, where the front section of the roof may be slid open up to 16 inches, regardless of the speed driven. Kudos to the Mini Cooper S for being a relatively quiet convertible. That’s a testament to the build quality.

The Mini Cooper Convertible comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 161 horsepower and a maximum of 184 ft-lbs. of torque. This propels the 0-60 mph in 7.9 seconds. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the MINI Cooper S Convertible is further tuned to produce 201 horsepower and a maximum of 221 ft-lbs. of torque, with 0-60 mph arriving in just 6.7 seconds.

The Mini Cooper S has a Go Kart mode that shows acceleration, torque, horsepower, and G-force. It makes one want to enter curves aggressively, which is why the mode was largely snapped off.

Fuel economy is not good for such a small car. The EPA rates the Cooper S convertible at a combined 30 mpg. My experience in a mixture of combined highway and city driving was 25 mpg. Of course, that could have something to do with the car’s quick acceleration.

Mini Cooper S dashboard. Courtesy photo

Not All Perfect

A distracting feature of the Mini Cooper S is the center-mounted control screen that shows speed, fuel capacity, AC and heating, media controls, and speed limit. Even after six days behind the wheel, I still instinctively looked behind the steering wheel for the information. Also, the large, circular display shows all in the car how fast you are going. That’s not good when backseat drivers accompany you. Then again, there is little backseat space, so that might be moot!

Longtime West Hartford resident Keith Griffin is a veteran auto journalist whose work has been published in U.S. News & World Report, The Boston Globe, and online for various New York Times companies. He is a past president of the New England Motor Press Association.

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