It’s finally the time of year where the weather’s getting warmer and the flowers are starting to bloom. And what better way to celebrate than by getting a brand-new convertible, so you can drop the top and bask in the sun’s glorious rays?

One such convertible that our customers love to lease is the Mini Convertible, which is a fantastic option if, like so many of us Brits, you’re yearning for a long drive in the sun with the roof down and your favourite holiday playlist on. Not only is it good for hot days, but it has the versatility to perform as a daily driver too, making it somewhat a ‘Jack of all trades’ option.

Read on to find out just how good the brand-new Mini Convertible is, and see how Moneyshake can find you the best lease deal on the 2022 range.

Compare Mini Convertible lease deals

Design

While new Mini cars might not quite be as quintessentially British as they once were before BMW took over, this isn’t to say Mini has lost all of its charm.

The Mini Convertible is a solid example of how new Mini cars have adopted a decent blend of tech-savvy onboard features and retro styling.

Based on the three-door version of the original Mini Hatchback, the Convertible has all the hallmarks of a flexible family hatchback. Useful cubby spaces are dotted about the cabin and there’s enough room for adult passengers to fit comfortably in the back, with a surprisingly good amount of knee room and space to fit your feet.

Every new Mini Convertible comes with a fresh design that ensures your new convertible looks sleek. This includes integrated fog lights, plus a new extended grille that provides a sportier look and more presence for your Mini on the road.

Interior

As soon as you step inside the new Mini Convertible, you’ll be well at home, thanks to new upholstery, a refined and digtised cockpit, plus a brand-new steering wheel design.

Underpinning the whole interior is the retro-themed dashboard that has clock-shaped screens, handy toggle switches and physical buttons for system controls. It’s very logically laid out and feels premium, which is a refreshing change of pace from the usual touchscreen-focused systems that tend to grace most modern cars and can be rather fiddly.

Visibility out of the front of the Mini Convertible is really good, but there are rear blindspots as the rear pillars are thicker than the ones up top. However, you’ll be glad to know that rear parking sensors are standard to help with reversing manoeuvres. Should you wish, a rear-view camera and front parking sensors are options. Or, if you really want to push the boat out, an automatic parking system is available and will steer you into a space while you control the pedals.

All Mini Convertibles come with a neat 6.5in colour infotainment display, with Bluetooth, DAB radio and USB sockets. You operate the system using a rotary controlled that’s positioned behind the gearlever, plus shortcut buttons that makes it less of a faff to operate.

Practicality

Most convertible cars aren’t renowned for being the most practical models, however, you may be pleasantly surprised to hear that the Mini Convertible doesn’t do too bad in this department.

Up front, there’s a generous amount of space for two tall adults. Rather annoyingly, being a three-door model means those in the back will have a bit of a faff getting in and out of the car when the roof is in place. With the roof down, it’s not so bad.

Speaking of the rear, all new Mini Convertible models have 50/50-split folding seats in the back as standard. This means you can carry a passenger in the back and fold one of the seats down if you want to increase storage space. Boot space isn’t all that bad, though, with 215 litres available if you keep the roof up. Fold it down, however, and this reduces to a meagre 160 litres.

Driving

You’ll have the choice of three petrol engines with your new Mini Convertible.

Even the cheapest option is a great choice. It’s a 1.5-litre turbocharged unit with 136bhp, providing very smooth performance and plenty of gusto from low revs. You can choose to have this engine either as a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic, but we recommend the latter, which delivers smoother shifts, whereas the manual requires that you’re very precise with your shifting.

There are punchier 2.0-litre petrol engines available if you step up to the sportier Cooper S and range-topping John Cooper Works (JCW) version, the latter of which is a proper hot hatch.

The Cooper S is the best balance between sportiness and affordability, with a healthy 178bhp taking you from 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds in manual guise, or 6.9 seconds with the automatic transmission. The JCW has its own 231bhp version of the 2.0-litre unit, which shaves accleration time down to 6.5 seconds. Because the JCW model is performance-focused, it also throws in some driver-centric goodies that make it even better to drive, including

• Double Vanos system
• High precision injection
• Fully variable valve control
• Performance Control

Want to get the best deal on the brand-new Mini Convertible? Moneyshake compares deals from the UK’s top leasing providers, so you can get the best offer today.

Compare Mini Convertible lease deals

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