2008 MINI Cooper Convertible

The MINI Cooper Convertible is the first ever production drop-top to bear the British automaker's name. Although the hardtop Cooper was redesigned for the 2007 model year, the Convertible model is still in its first generation. Granted, that will change in the near future.

The Cooper Convertible is powered by a 1.6 liter four-cylinder motor delivering 115 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 111 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm. Customers can order the car with a CVT transmission featuring Steptronic six-speed manual gear ratio control, or a five-speed manual gearbox. Although the Cooper doesn't have the power of a hotrod, the engine is able to propel the car's light 2700 pound curb to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds.

MINI says it engineered the Cooper Convertible to deliver the same go-kart like handling as its hardtop counterpart -- something not all convertible manage to do effectively. MINI developed an extra-stiff chassis for the convertible, which provides sharp handling and good crash protection.

The car's canvas roof takes just 15 seconds to open or close, and comes with a unique sunroof that provides a semi-open-air experience when dropping the whole roof is just too much. Not all convertibles offer a heated rear window, but that comes standard on the Cooper.

The Cooper Convertible comes standard with four airbags. A sophisticated computer system takes into account occupant position, seat-belt use, and crash severity when determining how to deploy the airbags. Special side airbags are attached to the seat and deploy upward to protect the head.

Anti-lock ABS brakes are standard, as are Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBFD) and Cornering Brake Control (CBC). Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) is optional.

Fuel efficiency is an estimated 32 mpg on the highway and 23 mpg in the city for the manual edition, and 30 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg in the city for the CVT version.