When a Mini Cooper S convertible arrived at our offices recently we thought “what can we do with this thing that we haven’t done before?” One answer was to drag race it against a Mazda MX-5 Miata… that video can be seen here. The other answer is the video above. We decided to put on our lab coats and find out what effect the aerodynamics of having the top down has on fuel economy while driving at highway speeds.
The test subject was a 2016 Mini Cooper S convertible. It has a BMW-sourced 2.0-liter four banger with a twin scroll turbo that puts out 189 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission that feeds power to the front wheels. The EPA rates the car at 23 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway, although we managed to trounce those numbers. That’s great news since although gas prices are currently low, this car prefers premium.
So how much does fuel economy suffer when you let the top down and feel the wind in your hair? The result obtained from our 100-mile highway test loop is significant. While fuel economy dropped with the roof lowered, it made for a much more enjoyable drive. We managed to achieve about 38 mpg driving at 75 mph with the top up. Make your predictions for the top-down-mpg and then check out the video above for the answer.
