Despite its small size, the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible's driving position is first rate. Front seat legroom is amazing, and the seats travel far enough to comfortably hold people well over six-feet tall. Though accommodating, if the people up front are quite tall or like a reclined seatback, there's not much leg space left for rear seat occupants. Average-size folks will find room for two up front and two in back.

At first glance, the Mini Cooper Convertible's trunk - and especially the trunk opening - does indeed look mini. Drop the tiny rear tailgate and you have between 4.2 and 5.8 cubic feet inside, depending on whether you've got the top up or down. Fortunately, there are some options to increase your cargo capacity. With the top up, the lower rear edge of it can be unhinged, swung out and propped up at a 35-degree angle. This effectively gives you a bigger mouth, to swallow more cargo, like a jury-rigged hatchback. The rear seats also fold in a 50/50 split, allowing as much as 21.3 cubic feet of stuff to come along for the ride.

Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004