I’m a massive fan of Minis, both literally and figuratively. I’m 6-foot-8 and own a four-door 2017 Mini Cooper S hatchback, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love my car. In the modern profit-driven automotive market, automakers are consolidating product lines and simplifying option packages, often leading to more practical but more boring cars. Sure, the new herd of vehicles from Mini have grown a bit, but they still ooze character and sacrifice some practicality for the sake of whimsy. The recently unveiled fourth-generation Mini Cooper Convertible takes the new Mini recipe of more power, more cuteness and streamlined looks and raises the roof on the equation. In a sea of incredibly logical, often dull cars, the 2025 Mini Cooper Convertible is a rare bundle of silly fun.
Full Disclosure: BMW flew me out to South Carolina, put me up in a lovely hotel, and fed me lots of delicious Southern food at its annual Test Fest. I previewed the new Mini Cooper Convertible, meaning I drove it for about 30 minutes, as well as a slew of other vehicles. I got a glimpse into the future of the BMW group and I am grateful for the opportunity.
As with the rest of the 2025 Mini Cooper lineup, the convertible now gains a standard turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that routes 161 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels, while the Mini Cooper S has a 2.0-liter turbo four that cranks up the power to 201 horses and 221 torques. Both those numbers are higher than the outgoing car, and the base Cooper now produces almost as much power as the outgoing Cooper S. Sadly there are no more manual transmissions offered, making the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic standard equipment.
I briefly drove a Cooper S Convertible and am happy to report it made me giggle almost immediately. Chopping the top off of a car obviously compromises its structural integrity, and whereas some modern droptops are still impossibly stiff, the Mini’s structure still jiggles and shimmies a bit more than expected. Its handling characteristics are not as responsive as its hardtop siblings, but you don’t buy a convertible if you’re searching for unparalleled dynamic prowess. You buy a convertible because you are willing to sacrifice some practicality in order to harvest some sweet, often elusive serotonin whenever you drop the top. That top is the same as the outgoing car, so it retains the dual-position retractable “sunroof” that only opens the front section, or it folds entirely away in 18 seconds at speeds under 19 mph.
Compared to the outgoing Cooper S, the more powerful new car definitely feels peppier, especially once you’re already on the move. Try launching the new Cooper S from a standing stop and you’ll find traction issues and pretty significant torque steer, but once you’re moving, the 221 pound-feet of torque feel plentiful in this diminutive droptop. The chassis flex makes it feel less buttoned-down than hardtop Minis but still more responsive than many cars on the road, and quick steering retains the car’s agile demeanor without feeling darty.
Is there any room in the trunk for groceries? If you live alone, then yes! If you need to shop for more than one or two, you’ll likely have to fold down the back seats. Are those back seats spacious enough for the whole family? Not likely, unless your family is vertically challenged. Is it a logical purchase decision? Absolutely not, but it sure is a laugh. Putting the top down in a Mini is a truly unique experience. Since the windshield is quite vertical and far in front of the driver, there’s a virtually unparalleled amount of open air between the top of the windshield and the driver’s field of view. Where other convertibles have sweeping styling that causes the top of the windshield to basically sit at the driver’s head, the Cooper Convertible feels more open air than other open air cars, and I friggin’ love it. Plus, I fit comfortably behind the wheel despite standing nearly a foot taller than the average man.
New Mini interiors are centered around a circular OLED touchscreen that now replaces a physical gauge cluster altogether, similar to Tesla products. Mercifully, Mini made the once-optional heads-up display standard equipment on the new car, so buyers will have to get used to looking at the plexiglass screen with speed projections instead of physical gauges or even a driver’s display. Frustratingly, Mini also did away with the outgoing car’s physical climate control knobs and most radio controls, so they too are all buried in the central screen. This consolidation has resulted in a pretty complicated infotainment ecosystem. It takes a minimum of two taps to get to anything you want to change, even fan speed. There is a small bar of physical controls at the base of the center stack that houses the gear selector toggle, the faux old timey key-shaped starter toggle, the drive mode selector and the volume knob, but those are truly the bare minimum for analog controls.
The new interior design frees up some space for small item storage up front, and there are lots of new features that appear on the Cooper for the first time ever including optional power seats with a massaging driver’s seat, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, and surround view cameras. These systems are all welcome additions, and work well. The updated interior also has playful mood lighting and a nice use of colorful fabric trim
Expect to see the new 2025 Mini Cooper Convertible in showrooms early next year. The standard model will have a base price of $34,945 including $995 destination, while Cooper S Convertibles will start at $38,195. Both of those prices are actually slightly lower than the outgoing model. There ain’t many affordable convertibles around anymore; only the magnificent Mazda Miata and the muscular Ford Mustang exist anywhere near the marvelous Mini’s price tag. If you want four seats in your affordable convertible, it’s either the Mini or the Mustang, and I know which one I’m taking.
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