2006 Mini Cooper Convertible vs. VW New Beetle Convertible 2.5

The tachometers tell this story. Although positioned directly ahead of the driver, as it should be, the Beetle's rev counter is teeny tiny and placed in an overly crowded pod with a much larger speedometer and a similarly sized gas gauge. The Mini's tach, on the other hand, is the size of a compact disc and sits solo on the Cooper's steering column, much like hot rodders have always done on their 1932 Fords.

Story told: The 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible is more of a driver's car than the 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible 2.5.

Moral of the story: Driver's cars finish first.

Just the good stuff
Mini sent over a carefully optioned Cooper coated in Pure Silver Metallic. Price as tested, $23,490.

Although the color costs an extra 420 bones, it's a worthwhile investment if a tougher-looking Mini is desired. It's still not possible to call the Cooper convertible macho, but in this color, parked beside the yellow Beetle, the Mini becomes the primered '55 James Taylor drove in Two-Lane Blacktop.

Just about everything you need is standard on the Cooper convertible. The $22,500 base price gets you a one-touch power top with a glass backlight; keyless entry; power windows, locks and mirrors; a leather-wrapped steering wheel; ABS; a CD player; and rear park distance control. Besides the paint, the only options on our Cooper were a well-shaped set of sport seats with heaters.

If you want to fancy things up with leather upholstery, a CD changer and a navigation system, it's all available. But honestly we never missed the stuff. Instead we appreciated the little Mini's low price and sharper focus.

Seriously fun
That focus is driving enjoyment.

Even without the optional stability control and oversized wheels and tires — our tester rode on the standard 15-inch rims and Pirelli rubber — the Mini out-maneuvered the Beetle with ease. With its more stiffly sprung suspension, the Mini certainly rides more firmly than the Beetle, but it's always comfortable and ultimately far more athletic.

Run the two up a mountain road and the Beetle would be left in the dust. Although both cars recorded the same 0.79g lateral grip on our 200-foot skidpad, the better-balanced Mini changes direction with go-kartlike precision and enthusiasm. In our slalom test, it was no contest. The Mini slipped though the cones at over 66.4 mph, which is much faster than the Beetle could manage. It's also not that far off the 68 mph we recorded in the BMW M3 Competition Package.

But the numbers only tell part of the story. The Cooper is about as fun as a front-wheel-drive car can be. Its steering is wonderfully direct, its suspension doesn't roll, dive or dip unnecessarily, and Mini's engineers have dialed in just a touch of oversteer for the advanced driver. It isn't enough to send the inexperienced off the road backward, but it's enough to keep any Skip Barber graduate interested and on his toes. Fun.

We were, however, a bit disappointed with the Mini's four-wheel disc brakes. They feel fantastic and resist fade as well as any brakes we've ever tested, but they use more real estate to stop the little car than expected. In fact, the 2,700-pound Mini's best stop from 60 mph was 129 feet, only 3 feet better than the 3,164-pound Beetle.

Seriously slow
Under the hood is a tiny, normally aspirated, 1.6-liter four-cylinder rated at 115 hp at 6,000 rpm and only 111 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. Although it weighs only 200 lbs more than a two-seat Mazda Miata, the Cooper drop top is slow. We recorded a 0-60-mph time of 9.4 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 16.9 seconds at 81.6 mph.

The good news is the car feels faster than it is. The little engine revs quickly, sounds right and likes the top of the pie-pan tachometer. Redline is a lofty 6,750 rpm, and the engine has no problem finding it. Although the first couple of gears in the Mini's five-speed transmission are a bit tall, 5th gear is short enough to make most highway passes easy enough without a downshift. In top gear, 80 mph puts the Cooper's engine at 3,900 rpm, which is where it really starts making its power numbers.

If a downshift is required, think of it as just another opportunity to enjoy the Mini's well-placed pedals and its well-placed, short-throw shifter. With the optional automatic transmission, this car would be a sin. Not only would it be slower, but half the car's appeal would be eliminated.

Fuel mileage is another plus. We averaged 25.5 mpg, which is better than we did with the Beetle. But the Mini does drink premium, while the Beetle takes regular.

Funky chic
It first appeared four years ago, and hasn't received much tweaking since, but the Mini's interior remains fresh. The design's unique mix of old-school sensibilities, new-school materials and funky chic décor still works. It's a little industrial for some, but the toggle switches that actuate the power windows and locks have an undeniable cool factor, while the big fat shift knob and three-knob climate controls couldn't be more functional. The three-spoke steering wheel is perfectly sized and shaped.

One push of a button drops the top in seconds, and it even makes its own boot on the way down. The VW's top does not. Another cool feature of the Mini's top is its sunroof function. It's perfect for those extra cool nights when the heater and so-so seat warmers aren't up to the task.

Ergonomic snafus include a missing clock, and a missing armrest between the front seats. We also have serious functional issues with the Mini's massive speedometer that's placed in the middle of the dash. Too far over for a quick glance. And apparently we're not the only ones. Mini has placed a digital speedometer within the analog tach right in front of the driver.

From behind the wheel, the Mini feels much smaller than the Beetle, but it suffers from the same poor outward visibility. It's really hard to see out of this little car with the top up, and things aren't much better when it's down. Those big rollover hoops and head restraints would surely be an appreciated safety item should you put the Mini on its head, but they block the rear view something awful.

Rear-seat access is excellent. The front seats flip out of the way easily. Although there's limited foot room back there, it's surprisingly comfortable for two. But the best part about the Mini's backseat is that it folds down. The Beetle's does not, and when cars have trunks as small as these convertibles, a fold-down seat makes a big difference in day-to-day practicality.

Mini mania
As nice as the Beetle is, the Cooper is the car we'd rather drive and make payments on for 60 months. However, if getting your doors blown off by co-eds in yellow Beetles doesn't interest you, we recommend you step up to the supercharged 168-hp Cooper S, or even better, the 207-hp Cooper S John Cooper Works.

Happy motoring.

Spend a week behind the wheel of a yellow 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible and two things become quickly apparent and wholly undeniable. The first thing you learn, and the most important, is that driving a yellow 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible makes you no less of a man, although it is tough to look Steve McQueen cool.

The second thing you realize is, Volkswagen makes one hell of a nice car.

New stuff for 2006
It's been eight years since the New Beetle singlehandedly launched the whole retro thing, and three since the drop-top version gave "cute" new meaning. For 2006, VW has given both a face-lift and a new engine.

Unless you're the president, vice president or mascot of the National New Beetle Club, the visual tweaks VW has made to the newest New Beetle could be easily missed. They're that subtle.

In front, there's a new bumper design with slimmer turn signals and new, more oval-shaped headlamps up on the fenders. The taillamps are larger and incorporate small, white, circular backup lights, while the arching fenders have been given an artful crease. If that's not enough, the once rectangular fuel-filler door is now also oval. VW says the new look is sportier, and we've decided not to argue the point.

Under the unchanged hood and still powering the Beetle's front wheels is an all-new 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine which we've tested before in the redesigned 2005 Volkswagen Jetta. The engine features four valves per cylinder, an aluminum cylinder head, double-overhead cams and a torque curve flatter than fettuccini. Peak power is a respectable 150 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 170 pound-feet of torque at just 3,750 rpm.

The quick
According to VW, the five-cylinder was developed specifically to meet the style and expectations of the North American driver. VW says it's strong, quiet and efficient. Again, VW speaks the truth. The 2.5 isn't as lively or quick-revving as the tiny 1.6-liter in the Mini, but it is smooth and powerful at any rpm. It also runs on less expensive regular fuel and sips it at a thrifty rate. We averaged 21 mpg.

The standard five-speed is geared short. Before 60 mph, you've shifted out of 3rd gear, and 80 mph in 5th equals 3,400 rpm on the Beetle's laughably small tachometer. This gearing, along with the five-cylinder's ample output, gives the Beetle respectable performance. In fact, the portly, 3,164-pound VW out-accelerates the much lighter Mini at the drag strip.

Drop the clutch at 3,500 rpm and the 17-inch Goodyears smoke like the Marlboro Man. Keep your foot in it and 60 mph is achieved in 8.8 seconds, more than half a second better than the Mini. The gap is closer at the end of the quarter-mile, but the Beetle still gets there first with a time of 16.5 seconds, and a trap speed of 84 mph.

Still, it isn't all that fun to rip through the Beetle's gears. The engine's output falls off sharply above 5,000 rpm (it redlines at 5,800 rpm), the shifter's throws are kinda long, and the engine's sound isn't exactly musical.

And the dead
We also found the softly sprung Beetle to be a little lifeless in the hills. Although it performs well when asked to turn, it just doesn't offer the same feedback and driver interaction of the go-kartish Mini. Push it hard and its steering becomes vague, there's more body roll than there is in the Mini and the car's obesity can be felt.

Although its slalom performance was very good at nearly 63 mph — no doubt achieved with the help of its oversized tires — the Beetle is easily outmaneuvered by the smaller, lighter Mini. Despite its puny Pirelli rubber, the Cooper snaked through the cones with equal stability at over 66 mph.

Like the Mini, the Beetle failed to wow us with its braking. It stopped from 60 mph in 131 feet, which was a tick longer than the Mini's mediocre 129-foot performance. For perspective, we just tested a 5,200-pound Audi Q7 sport-utility vehicle that stopped from 60 mph in just 117 feet. Although neither convertible suffered brake fade after repeated stops, we prefer the Mini's more direct pedal feel.

Around town, the Beetle's dynamics are spot-on. Its chassis is free of cowl shake, its ride is always compliant and its seating position is perfect. It's no sports car, but it isn't meant to be. Instead, the Beetle convertible is the quintessential boulevard cruiser. The kind of car you cruise up the coast to watch a Sunday sunset.

Low visibility, high value
When the sun dips below the horizon and the temperature drops, the Beetle's five-level seat heaters, blowtorch of a heater and superior wind control allow you to keep the top down long after the Mini's roof must be raised in the interest of warmth. Raising the Beetle's top isn't exactly a one-touch operation like the Mini's, but it's simple enough to be called hassle-free. One button on the console takes it up or down, but there's a single manual latch you must pull and twist to secure it tightly to the windshield header.

With the top up, visibility is compromised by the small rear window (at least it's glass) and wide walls of canvas. Oddly, things don't get much better with the top down, as the Beetle's top stacks tall enough to eliminate the usefulness of the rearview mirror.

The Beetle's top also requires a separately installed boot. It isn't difficult to install, but the Mini's top makes its own boot on the way down, much like a Porsche Boxster's roof does. We also wish the Beetle's rear seat folded like the Mini's. Without it, the trunk has the capacity of a shoebox.

Even without that folding rear seat, the Beetle's content is high. Aside from the power top and heated seats, our essentially loaded Beetle test vehicle had leather upholstery, satellite radio, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, one-touch up and down windows, a center armrest, stability control, rain-sensing windshield wiper and auto-dimming mirrors. It's an awesome amount of stuff for the car's $25,940 sticker price and made the Mini feel like a stripper.

Strong 2nd place
It may be cute, but the Beetle costs more and entertains less, and that's why it occupies 2nd place. Normally, we'd be hesitant to tell you to go buy such a car, but we wholeheartedly recommend the 2006 New Beetle Convertible. It's a nice drive, it's wonderfully built, and its fun factor is high enough for the majority of buyers.

For the rest of us, there's the Mini.

2006 Mini Cooper Convertible
2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible 2.5


2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible 2.5

System Score: 7.0

Components: Our Beetle Convertible came standard with a 10-speaker Monsoon sound system. It's capable of playing MP3-encoded CDs as well as Windows Media files, plus there's an auxiliary jack for connecting portable MP3 players. VW allows you to choose XM or Sirius Satellite Radio as a $375 option; our test car had Sirius. Additionally, you can get an optional CD changer for $500, but the changer is mounted in the trunk. The good news is that the head unit is ready for a changer, should you decide to upgrade later.

The speaker layout includes 1.0-inch tweeters and 3.2-inch midrange speakers in the dash, 5.5-inch subwoofers in the doors, and 3.2-inch midrange speakers near the rear seats with another pair of tweeters nearby.

Performance: The 10 speakers easily fill the cabin with sound. The speaker array in the dash sends highs and vocals bouncing off the windshield, and creates a forceful soundstage, giving the music great presence. Drums and bass lines are present, but do not offer the type of punch we'd prefer. The rest of the audible range is loud, but distortion progressively increases with volume as cymbals hiss and vocals develop a lisp. Luckily, uncomplicated recordings, such as The Beatles' Rubber Soul, don't require tons of bass or have 64 tracks battling for attention from the speakers, and are able to highlight the good placement of the numerous drivers.

With the top up, the VW's interior is quieter than some hardtops, so excess road or wind noise doesn't really interfere with the listening experience. Even with the top down, the Beetle's interior remains fairly quiet and at 60 mph, the music still has plenty of noticeable detail.

Best feature: MP3 player jack.

Worst Feature: Bass response lacks punch.

Conclusion: The New Beetle Convertible has a base price of $22,120. For that kind of money, a 10-speaker Monsoon stereo with an MP3 player jack is a pretty smokin' deal. — Brian Moody

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2006 Mini Cooper Convertible

System Score: 6.0

Components: Our Mini Cooper convertible did not come with the optional Harman Kardon stereo, a system we think sounds exceptional and is an exceptional value at only $550 when ordered as a stand-alone feature. Our car was equipped with the base stereo which includes six speakers and a CD player that can play MP3-encoded CDs as well as WMA files. The head unit incorporates controls for a CD changer, so you can add that feature later if you choose.

Performance: The standard stereo sounds just all right. It's not great and pales in comparison to the optional premium stereo. Even the VW Beetle's standard 10-speaker stereo sounds much better than the Mini's base stereo.

There is adequate bass response, but it isn't always sharp or well defined. The sound quality overall lacks precision and clarity, and the separation is average at best. We like the fact that you can play MP3 or WMA CDs (not all in-car systems play Windows Media files) but the small display makes it difficult to navigate through the various folders. We also think the buttons are too small for easy use. Hitting the right button at speed is often a challenge.

Like the VW Beetle convertible, the Mini Cooper remains quiet with the top up or down. Even at highway speeds with the top down, the Mini's stereo gets loud enough without distorting to allow driver and passengers to enjoy any type of music.

Best Feature: MP3 and WMA capability.

Worst Feature: Sound quality pales in comparison to the optional system.

Conclusion: For $550, check the Harman Kardon stereo box on the options list. Otherwise, you'll get a very average-sounding system. Audiophiles will not be pleased. — Brian Moody

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Senior Road Test Editor Josh Jacquot says:
Driving the New Beetle Convertible and Mini Cooper Convertible back-to-back made one point very clear: I like cars with roofs. Hack the top off anything and you've just compromised it in virtually every way that matters. The fact that people who buy these cars could give a rip about performance only maddens me more. But there's little point in telling you what I don't like. If you've come this far, you're probably going to buy one of these cars.

So, knowing that virtually all purchase decisions in this class are made on looks alone, I offer my enthusiast-biased opinion: Buy the Mini. It's the better driving car. If even one ounce of you craves real steering feel, chassis response or other control feedback, you'll be better served in the square retro ride.

The Mini actually accelerates marginally slower than the Beetle. But what do you care? You're not in this race for the time slips anyway. What the Cooper lacks in power, it makes up in agility and pure short-wheelbase thrills. Throw it into a parking space, poke Mini-sized holes in traffic, or turn around on a two-lane road and you realize there's more to the Mini Convertible than just a power-operated roof slapped onto a retro-styled box. It's a legitimate car. And it's more fun than the Beetle.

Production Editor Caroline Pardilla says:
Dear 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible,

I've been untrue. I took the 2006 VW New Beetle for a spin at our place on Mulholland Drive. That's right, we played on those tight switchbacks from Hollywood all the way down to the Pacific Coast Highway. But it just wasn't the same as it is with you. For one, the VW feels a little bulkier. It didn't hug the curves as well and its treads squealed when pushed too hard. I just didn't feel as confident with the Bug as I do with you. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the sunny day with some top-down action.

And, yes, the New Beetle's penchant for regular unleaded as opposed to your premium taste is refreshing and a definite mark in its favor with today's high gas prices. It's also unexpectedly thoughtful to girls with touches like the flower vase in the dash and rubber flap for the fuel cap to thwart gas from dripping and ruining the body paint.

But the Bug will never take your place in my heart. For one, your unique sunroof option makes you stand out from all other convertibles. And your retro cuteness is subtly stylish rather than blatantly gumdrop like the VW. Boyfriends, brothers and fathers wouldn't be embarrassed to get behind your wheel for errand-running. It was close, but, Mini, you're still the one for me.

Yours Always,
Caroline

We asked the participating editors to choose the top five features they consider necessary for a convertible in this price range. Points were awarded based on whether each feature was standard or optional, and whether our particular test vehicle was equipped with that feature.

Features

Features
	2006 Mini Cooper Convertible	2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible 2.5
Heated seats	O	O
Power top	S	O
Satellite radio	O	O
Stability control	O	S
Folding rear seat	S	N/A