Since these new Coopers are convertibles, there's no better place to start than by checking out the pros and cons of the Mini's ragtop. The cloth lid is fully automatic, and by pushing a button on the windshield header the top recedes or raises in about 15 seconds, with no latches to turn or boots to button up. When dropped, the top sits in a fairly flat stack behind the back seats. When raised, the top features a flat profile, preserving the original lines of the hatchback's design

In addition to open and closed modes, there's also a third option - sliding the cloth top back along the roof rails to create a sunroof. This setting gives you an opening nearly 16 inches long, and Mini says that the driver can operate the slider up to a speed of 75 mph. The sunroof feature, while novel, makes for a noisier cabin than driving either top-up or -down; the wind sifting through the boxy opening clearly makes itself known.

It is far better, in our view, to drop the top completely. When the top is collapsed into its tidy stack, there's little turbulence in the cabin, allowing for normal conversations at speed. Two things work in your favor here - the high profile of the rear seat headrests/roll bars and the folding windscreen (which can be fitted if you're not carrying anyone along in back). One more thing, for those who just can't wait to pop the lid, the key operated remote can open anything - doors, fuel door, top, windows - from as far away as 49 feet.

Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004