After arriving, unpacking, and eating dinner at a downtown Minneapolis hotel, I headed for bed. But as I was preparing for the

The sun greeted me and my driving companion as we set off on a MINI drop top adventure. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

exciting day ahead, I noticed flashes of light outside my window. Naturally, I thought someone was taking pictures of something but when I approached the window, I sighed. The flashes of light were none other than Mother Nature's own lightening creation, accompanied with the pitter patter of rain. My heart sunk. By the time I was ready to repose, however, I peered out the window only to see the clouds clearing up and the moon beaming overhead. Now, the moon wasn't the only one beaming. The next day couldn't have turned out any better, unless it was perhaps a little warmer! The sun greeted me and my driving companion on the empty streets of Minneapolis. While a little chilly I looked around for seat warmers, but unfortunately the Cooper Convertible I was testing didn't. Nevertheless, we set off on a MINI drop top adventure.

The first thing I noticed as I pulled onto the highway was the amount of wind that entered the cabin. Even with the heating on high, the cold air still managed to filter through. In addition, I had to talk a little louder when conversing with my copilot because of

The convertible's "Always Open" concept makes for a fair bit of wind noise while cruising down the highway. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

the wind. Perhaps the amount of air flowing through would have been better tamed with a B pillar stabilizer bar, one similar to the PT Cruiser Convertibles. Originally BMW did think about this idea but opted to make the high strength aluminum, headrest-mounted roll bars behind the rear seats due to the convertible's "Always Open" concept, and to make it as light and sporty as possible. I have to admit it looks a lot better this way, and MINI does provide a rear seat wind deflector for those who really can't stand getting their hair all messed up in the blowing breeze. But lets' get real, if you don't like wind then why would you buy a ragtop?