2007 MINI Cooper

Now the long period of waiting is finally coming to an end: A very special version of the MINI is making its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, injecting a fresh breeze into the world of motoring – the new MINI Convertible. Introducing this versatile four-seater, MINI is combining the distinctive pleasure of driving an open car with the unique enjoyment you can only feel at the wheel of a genuine MINI.

Combining supreme fun with practical value.
The MINI Convertible is a fully-fledged four-seater clearly standing out from the start as a genuine MINI regardless of whether the roof is up or down. For the design features and proportions so characteristic of the MINI have been consistently carried over to the MINI Convertible: The steeply raked windscreen and the optimum seating position enjoyed by the driver ensure an unforgettable open-air experience also when driving with the roof down. So the new model version leaves no doubt that motoring pleasure is an outstanding factor on all four seats of this uniquely popular cult car.

Clearly, the MINI Convertible boasts a clever all-round concept with supreme function and optimum use of space available.

Striking profile.


The new MINI Convertible is entering the market initially in the guise of the 66 kW/90 bhp MINI One and the 85 kW/115 bhp MINI Cooper. The top-of-the-range MINI Cooper S Convertible will be following later.

In standard trim the MINI Convertible comes on 15-inch steel or, respectively, light-alloy rims (MINI One/MINI Cooper) running on 175/65 R15 tyres. As an option, both models are available with attractive 16- and 17-inch light-alloy wheels, with the 17-inch five-star Bullet light-alloy wheels developed exclusively for the new open-air version.

A convertible with a sliding roof all in one.


The roof available in three colours opens up fully automatically within just 15 seconds: Pressing a button, you first open the integrated sliding roof, then the complete soft roof as such. With the soft roof folding to the rear, the roof columns are automatically retracted and the rear side windows move down at the same time. The intelligent Z-folding mechanism allows the complete roof to fold up in compact arrangement behind the rear seats, with no need for a tonneau cover.

The sliding roof integrated in the soft top can be opened infinitely up to 40 cm or 15¾´´ while driving, up to a speed of 120 km/h or 75 mph. Clearly, a feature quite unprecedented in the convertible market.

Optimum utilisation of space available.


Folding out to the back, the rear lid is held in position when open by two steel cables with a spring-mounted retractor system. This allows use of the rear lid with its hinges facing to the outside as a practical loading panel able to carry a weight of up to 80 kg or 176 lb.

The MINI Convertible is able to carry a maximum of 400 kg or 882 lb, and the luggage compartment accommodates 165 litres with the roof closed. And even with the roof down, driving in the open air, luggage compartment capacity remains a substantial 120 litres.

The Easy Load system offers generous through-loading capacity: With the roof closed, all you do is turn two levers in the luggage compartment to fold up the bottom section of the cover fastened on a tightening bracket and attach it in position. Then, with the rear lid open, you have very convenient access to the luggage compartment through a large opening able to accommodate even bulky objects. And in conjunction with the rear seat backrests folding forward and fastened securely in position, luggage compartment capacity can be increased to no less than 605 litres.

Boasting features such as its highly functional roof, the variable luggage compartment even with the roof open, an ultra-strong and stiff bodyshell, as well as the chassis with its multi-arm rear axle, the MINI Convertible sets the standard in its market segment in many other other respects too.

That go-kart feeling so typical of the MINI.

Sporting performance wherever you go.

Both versions of the MINI Convertible feature a 1.6-litre four-cylinder power unit developing maximum output of 66 kW/90 bhp in the MINI One and 85 kW/115 bhp in the MINI Cooper. Maximum torque of 140 Nm/103 lb-ft and, respectively, 150 Nm/111 lb-ft comes at just 3000 and, respectively, 4,500 rpm. A smooth-shifting five-speed manual gearbox is standard on both models. Top speed of the MINI One Convertible is 175 km/h or 109 mph, with acceleration to 100 km/h in 11.8 seconds. Fuel consumption in the composite EÚ cycle is 7.2 litres premium/100 km, equivalent to 39.2 mpg Imp.

Maximum output of 85 kW/115 bhp gives the MINI Cooper Convertible a top speed of 193 km/h or 120 mph. Acceleration to 100 km/h from a standstill comes in just 9.8 seconds, fuel consumption in the EÚ cycle is 7.3 litres/100 km, equal to 38.7 mpg Imp.

High standard of safety.

Benefitting from its stiff body structure and restraint system comprising, inter alia, two 'intelligent' frontal airbags and two seat-integrated head/thorax side airbags as standard, the MINI Convertible naturally complies with the world's strictest crash standards required by law. A wide range of constructional improvements and features ensures a particularly high standard of torsional stiffness preventing the door-sills from bending in in the event of a head-on collision and offering the occupants optimum protection in an impact from the side.

Should the MINI Convertible ever be involved in a rollover, the A-pillars encompassing a tube made of ultra-strong steel guarantee a strong load-bearing function. And at the rear double rollbars made of high-strength aluminium tubes, complete with integrated headrests, afford superior passenger safety.

A high standard of active safety is ensured, inter alia, by four disc brakes, four-sensor ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), as well as Cornering Brake Control (CBC). Available as an option, Automatic Stability and Traction Control (ASC+T) as well as Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) help to provide superior driving and tracking stability in an extreme situation.

MINI in colour.

The MINI Convertible is available in 10 exterior colours, two of which are reserved exclusively to this open-air model: Hot Orange and, to provide a particular effect, Cool Blue. And while the MINI One Convertible comes only with a black roof, the roof of the open-air MINI Cooper is available in Black, Blue, and Green. The exterior mirror housings, in turn, are again finished in Black on the 'basic' model and come in body colour on the MINI Cooper Convertible.

High-quality textile materials and surfaces give the interior special harmony and balance. The dashboard and door linings are available in Silver and Anthracite and also come as a further choice in wood and aluminium trim.

The seat upholstery is available in 3 different types of cloth, 3 combinations of cloth and leather, and with three different choices of all-leather upholstery.

Everything goes.

The wide range of standard equipment featured from the start on the new Convertible comprises, inter alia, an electrically operated roof complete with sliding roof function, a heated glass rear window, two frontal and two head/thorax side airbags, four-sensor ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), BMW's Tyre Defect Indicator (TDI), electrically operated rear-view mirrors and window lifts, power steering, Park Distance Control (PDC), a rev counter, height adjustment on the both driver's seat and steering column, as well as central locking with remote control plus comfort opening.

To fulfill all kinds of individual and personal wishes, the MINI Convertible comes with an equally wide range of special equipment comprising features such as xenon headlights, a TV navigation system with a 16:9 colour display, high-quality HiFi audio systems, a heated rear window, automatic air conditioning, a wind deflector, a wide range of light-alloy wheels, a multifunction steering wheel, a rain sensor, and the interior mirror complete with anti-dazzle function.

Successful and popular.

Apart from the MINI Convertible making its debut in Geneva, the four existing fixed-roof models already very successful in the market are naturally also to be admired at the Show: the MINI One, MINI One D, MINI Cooper, and MINI Cooper S. And 'popular' is indeed the right word to describe these successful models already delivered to more than 176,000 thrilled customers the world over.

Source - Mini

Here comes the first generation change since the start of a new era: The new MINI is warming up to continue the outstanding success of its predecessor. Consistently enhanced and refined in design, the new MINI comes in a new look and boasts all-new drivetrain technology for even greater agility.

Due to enter the market in late 2006, the MINI Cooper is powered by a 1.6-litre normal-aspiration engine developing maximum output of 88 kW/120 hp, the MINI Cooper S comes with an even more powerful and dynamic 128 kW/175 hp turbocharged engine.

The 'basic' version, the new MINI One, will be following in the first half of 2007, its 1.4-litre power unit developing maximum output of 70 kW/95 hp.

And finally the range will be joined, also in the first half of 2007, by the new MINI Diesel featuring the most advanced and sophisticated turbodiesel technology.

The four-cylinder petrol engines come from a brand-new range of power units developed from a clean sheet of paper and boasting a number of highly innovative technical features. The interior is also brand-new in its design, while the exterior has been through a process of design evolution maintaining
the unmistakable character of the MINI. Indeed, the specific features of the car's body and interior now come out even more convincingly, clearly reflecting the typical character of the brand. And together with the modified chassis and suspension, the modern power units further sharpen the already legendary go-kart feeling so characteristic of the modern MINI.

At the same time it is not only the design and drive technology of the new model, but also the wide range of standard equipment and the sophisticated finish, that make the new MINI so unique, reflecting the premium standard of the brand in every respect.

Even more distinctive than before: unmistakable features of MINI design.

In its dimensions, the new MINI has grown slightly over the size of the first generation. The larger dimensions at the front serve inter alia to fulfil future safety standards and requirements, with the new MINI Cooper being 60 millimetres or 2.87´´ longer than its predecessor, the new MINI Cooper S 61 millimetres or 2.36´´ longer.

In the words of MINI's Chief Designer Gert Hildebrand, 'we have set off this increase in size optically by working on various exterior details'. Following the philosophy of 'moving from the original to the original', Hildebrand and his team have re-designed the entire car while preserving and authentically updating the characteristic look of the MINI.

As a result, the new MINI is characterised, as before, by short body overhangs front and rear as well as large wheels highlighting the muscular sideline of the car. Features naturally retained are the unmistakable highlights of the MINI such as the hexagonal radiator grille, the large, round headlights moved far to the outside, the complete 'band' of glass stretching round the passenger compartment, as well as the diagonal seam between the engine compartment lid and the side direction indicators clearly bearing testimony to the welding seams at the same point on the classic Mini. And another feature virtually natural on the car is the size, position and arrangement of the upright, almost vertical rear light clusters.

The front end of the new MINI is also characterised by the position lights and foglamps beneath the main headlights. Indeed, these additional light units serve as 'beauty spots' in the face of the new MINI, while the direction indicator lights are now integrated in the headlight units themselves.

The MINI Cooper S differs from the MINI Cooper inter alia through its even more muscular powerdome and its opening in the engine compartment lid. On both model variants, vertical air flow edges on the C-pillars and individual spoilers at the rear end of the roof enhance the level of aerodynamics to an even higher standard than before.

The typical MINI Center Speedo re-interpreted.

This clear focus on clear shapes and design elements gives the interior a particularly sturdy, functional and purist, but also light and generous look. Sophisticated, high-quality materials and soft surface contours, finally, round off the characteristic ambience of the interior in the new MINI.

The most striking and conspicuous feature within the cockpit of the new MINI is the Center Speedo even larger than in the former model. This central display and control instrument, acknowledged for a long time as an icon in the interior design of the MINI, has not only grown in size, but also in functional significance.

Hence, the Center Speedo now comprises not only the analogue speedometer, but also all entertainment and, as an option, navigation functions. With the entire centre console becoming even slimmer and more subdued as a result, the footwells are correspondingly larger. The door and ignition key, finally, is now a round signal sensor in typical MINI design, with the driver pressing a start/stop button to switch the engine on and off.

New petrol engines, complete range of safety features.


Displacing 1.6 litres, the four-cylinder turbocharged power unit of the MINI Cooper S now develops an even more impressive 128 kW/175 hp, the right kind of power to turn the MINI Cooper S into a truly outstanding experience in motoring fun. The engine is boosted in power by means of a twin-scroll turbocharger driven by the separate emission flow from two cylinders at a time. As a result, the turbocharger serves to boost engine power significantly from low engine speeds, providing a truly impressive effect: The 1.6-litre four-cylinder featured in the MINI Cooper S accelerates the car with the kind of power and performance otherwise to be found only in much larger normal-aspiration models.

The MINI Cooper also boasts a 1.6-litre power unit, this time, however, with normal aspiration and maximum output of 88 kW/120 hp. Intake valve control featuring the BMW Group's unique VALVETRONIC technology is fully variable, valve stroke and opening times being adjusted infinitely and with electronic management to the respective power requirements. This innovative valve control ensures not only a particularly high standard of responsiveness and superior motoring refinement, but also superior fuel economy and optimised emission management.

Compared with the MINI Cooper, the chassis and suspension of the MINI Cooper S is a lot firmer and more dynamic. And as an option both models are available with sports suspension for an even higher standard of fun and enjoyment at the wheel.

Reflecting the MINI's commitment to premium, both models come with a wide range of safety features. Six airbags, for example, are naturally featured as standard to ensure comprehensive occupant protection on all seats. Active safety of the highest calibre is ensured in critical situations, in turn, by ABS anti-lock brakes, EBD Electronic Brake Force Distribution, CBC Cornering Brake Control, ASC+T Automatic Stability Control + Traction standard on the Cooper S and with on-off control by the driver, as well as DSC Dynamic Stability Control.

The Brake Assistant in the new MINI reliably detects application of the brakes in an emergency and builds up maximum brake pressure at the fastest conceivable rate. Yet another new function is Hill Assist uphill starting-off assistance combined with DSC, which activates the brakes when setting off on a gradient to prevent the car from rolling back.

The new MINI takes up the overwhelming success of its predecessor already accounting for sales of more than 800,000 units and immensely popular among a growing community of MINI aficionados the world over. And applying the high standards of quality, technology and safety consistently upheld by
the BMW Group, the new MINI, more than ever before, underlines its claim to leadership in this segment.

Source - BMW Group