The all-new Mini Cooper Cabrio has been spied, giving us our first look at the third-generation drop-top version of the iconic British small car.
Based on the recently teased next-gen Mini Cooper set to be unveiled on November 22,CarAdvice’s spy photographers snapped the new Cabriofor the first time in sporty Cooper S specification while in transit in Germany.
The Cooper S Cabrio’s exterior shares similarities with the hatch spotted undisguised in October, including a bonnet intake, sports bumpers front and rear and twin central exhaust outlets, though, the drop-top pictured wears different alloy wheels and sacrifices the hatch’s new rear spoiler for its fabric roof.
The interior will also follow the layout first spied in April, with the current model’s classic centre-mounted speedometer traded for a more conventional instrument cluster positioned behind the steering wheel. A range of driver assist technologies including auto braking and a head-up display will also feature.
Lightly camouflaged and strapped to a flatbed truck, the Cabrio will also mirror the fixed-roof model by riding on the brand-new BMW family ‘UKL’ front-wheel-drive architecture – also set to underpin the third-generation 1 Series hatch, X1 and upcoming 1 Series GT – and electrically adjustable dampers.
Revealed in September, Cooper S variants will be powered by a 141kW/280Nm (300Nm on overboost) turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder, with entry-level models motivated by a 100kW/220Nm (230Nm on overboost) turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder. Both units feature stop-start technology and are mated to newly developed six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.
The new Mini Cooper Cabrio is anticipated to make its debut in 2015, following the hatch’s Australian launch in March/April 2014.
