MINI has recently unveiled its first electric convertible—the MINI Cooper SE Convertible. It’s not exactly a sports car, it’s more of a fun, sporty hatchback. The MINI Cooper SE Convertible is exactly what its name sounds like—a convertible version of the all-electric Cooper SE hatchback.
The MINI Cooper SE hatchback is quite a fun little electric car, so the convertible version should be just as fun. In fact, it might even be more fun because of the open-air driving experience. Sure, it has a very short range, maxing out at 143 miles, and it’s not particularly powerful at 184 horsepower, but it should still have the same snappy handling and fun as the other small MINIs. the MINI Cooper SE Convertible takes 7.7 seconds to complete 100 km of acceleration.
As for the convertible itself, it’s an electrically folding soft top that takes 18 seconds to open or close and can be operated at 30 km/h. It’s the same convertible top found on the gasoline MINI Convertible. Interestingly, however, despite the addition of the soft-top roof, the loading bay is said to be unchanged at 160 liters. When the roof is down, however, the Cooper SE may be a very different experience from the standard Cooper or Cooper S.
Driving an electric convertible is more fun than it sounds, as the lack of powertrain noise actually feels pretty cool, plus it allows every other sound of nature to fill the driver’s ears. There is something incredibly peaceful about driving an electric convertible, especially at normal speeds, and it will make the driver feel at one with the environment. It can also be relaxing in normal traffic. In big cities maybe not, but in suburban towns, it could be quite nice.
There’s no official starting price yet, as the car was just revealed at the 2022 MINI USA Tour event. But expect it to be a few thousand dollars higher than the standard Cooper SE, which starts at $29,900. The MINI Cooper SE convertible won’t break any new ground. It has a very short range and it doesn’t advance the EV game in any way. However, it does offer a unique experience that should actually be quite fun, and the price is very reasonable.
