COOPER LIFTS THE ROOF OFF

New MINI droptop finishes off range with major class..

- With John Mitchell

CLEVER CLASSIC The famous Mini 'go-kart' feel is amplified this time around

WE'RE not much of a nation for the droptops on this rain-lashed Atlantic island we call home but they love them over in Blighty, which is why we are being given the option to pick up the snazziest new Mini of all - the Cooper Convertible.

Manufactured in Oxford, this is the last of the new 2025 Mini models to roll off the line, joining its larger siblings the Aceman and Countryman.

Being quite a lot lighter than its stablemates thanks in part to that fabric roof, the car is even more agile and responsive and the famous Mini "go-kart" feel is amplified this time around.

It's a lot more fun than you'd think pushing the little convertible around and it's really evident how much thought the engineers have put into this chassis, offering near perfect responses to all but the most demanding of road surfaces and conditions.

It’s just great craic whether or not the roof is down and with two small kids to ferry about, you can be sure the roof was down more than it was up.

Got some odd looks at IKEA when we trundled up roofless as the rain spat down but in our defence it had only started to patter down on the M50.