2010 MINI Cooper S Cabrio

Despite the Middle East’s predilection for gigantic SUVs, there’s still a decent number of MINIs to be found – especially here in Dubai.

It’s not hard to see why. The car has a rich heritage, dating back 50 years to the original model. It’s been noted ever since for its cute looks and go-kart-like handling, and BMW’s takeover and relaunch of the British brand in 2001 has done nothing to diminish the public’s enthusiasm worldwide. In fact, demand for the little car, and all its variants, is higher than ever.

The Cabrio is the all-new convertible MINI, although casual observers could be forgiven for not seeing a great deal of difference between this incarnation and the previous one. There are differences, but they’re all minimal. BMW isn’t about to ruin a good thing by going for a radical redesign, so the changes are mostly tweaks here and there to improve things further. Save for the folding canvas roof, the car is pretty much identical to its hard top coupe cousin, although the boot aperture is larger (but still rather small)

The interior is surprising spacious, with plenty of room for four people - MINI has done a very good job of maximising the interior space available in such a diminutive car. There’s maybe not quite as much legroom in the back as some passengers would like, but you can fit two adults in the rear for a decent amount of time without too many complaints. During my time with the car I went from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and back, a round trip of around three hours and no problems were reported from the occupants behind me.

The roof mechanism is slightly unconventional in that it slides the top of the roof back first before folding the entire contraption back into the rear of the car. The folding process is very quick – just 15 seconds – and you can do it on the move at up to 30kph, which means no more getting stuck mid-fold at the traffic lights.

There’s a roof gauge on the dash – the Always Open Timer - that tells you how many hours you’ve been driving around for al fresco. It’s completely pointless but part of MINI’s quirky little image that it’s carved for itself, and an image I have plenty of time for. Many car companies take themselves far too seriously these days, which is something you can’t accuse MINI of, and it’s refreshing.

The quirky theme continues throughout the cabin. Anyone that’s been in a modern MINI will instantly recognise the interior of the Cabrio – it’s dominated by a massive centre speedometer that you’ll never look at while you’re driving. Instead, you’ll keep an eye on your velocity by glancing at a digital speed reading on a display atop the steering column. All the switches are airplane inspired with flick switches for the windows, lights and so on. It’s all very funky.

Everything feels very solid – like a BMW there are very few complaints about either build quality or the materials used. It feels like a premium product, full of leather on the dash, arm rests, gearshift knob and steering wheel. The seats in our test car were leather as well.

Put the unusually round-shaped key in the slot and press the start button, and you’re on your way to bags of fun. All MINIs are great to drive and the Cabrio is no exception. With a wheel at every corner it’s like driving a go-kart. The steering wheel is fantastic to hold – just the right size, just the right angle and just the right speed of steering to give a sporty feel with plenty of feedback. Going around roundabouts and through bends is brilliant fun, and with the optional six-speed automatic ‘box in manual mode, flicking through the gears via the paddle shifters is a joy.