Fire up the....MINI Cooper

A version of this review appeared in the Daily Post in May 2009

CHARLIE CROKER is going to have a job “blowing the bloody doors” off this latest Mini – it’s solid and safe in a way its 50-year-old predecessor never was.

This Cooper Convertible is one of the most popular of the Noughties Minis, and brings modern safety features to a car whose styling still owes a lot to its rather smaller ancestor.

Anyone who’s just jumped from a Focus or Astra – both cars available for this open top’s £13k price tag – is in for a shock, because there’s not a slab of grey plastic in sight. In fact, with the swathes of silver and red surrounding you, you could convince yourself this is a cut-price Audi TT.

It’s just a shame about the speedo; you won’t mind it being cartoonishly large, but having to look at where the CD player lives to check your pace takes a while to get used to.

You’ll also have to get used to the extra pace of the Cooper and Cooper S versions, as there’s currently no One version for cheaper thrills.

Yet that’s a small beef on a car that makes driving fun, still looks like it’s escaped from Swinging London and - despite the retro charm - is reassuringly 2009 in all the places you’d want it to be.