THE MINI COOPER S IS THE RESTLESS CHILD WHILE
enthusiast, each is for a different kind. There is nothing flashy about the A3 with every bit of it as understated as it comes. You aren’t going to announce yourself in one at your first day of work in dad’s office, and on the early dash out to escape from that boring board meeting, not many will notice the quiet exit. The Mini on the other hand will get you caught on anything more than a part throttle. The exhaust has a nice sporty note to it, but since you are anyway going to get out in style, I suggest the JCW pack as it is louder, angrier and will announce the ‘I want to follow the arts’ protest at your dinner table.
Speaking of arts, there isn’t one straight line in the cabin of the Mini. Everything is rounded, there are cockpit toggles on the centre console, a large screen takes centre stage and the instrument cluster moves with the steering adjustment. It’s quirky, and will entertain the fairer sex a lot more in this hormone-charged age so you may want to lift up the entertainment a notch. Add the Harman
Kardon music system to your options list, because who doesn’t like some Uptown Funk blasting out of the radio as crisp as Bruno Mars is singing out of it. For your own entertainment, pick the dynamic dampers too. The suspension of the convertible is set up fairly stiff and the dynamic dampers would make life a whole lot easier in the city and in its sportiest setting, give you immense confidence when the road begins to turn on itself. The steering is accurate and the darty front end lets you place it into corners like you would an AWD car. The mechanical grip is simply superb.
The Audi on the other hand rolls in to corners and lacks the agility of the A3 sedan. None of it is sporty, but all of it is cool. You may not enjoy it half as much as the Mini on a hill road, but its got the temperament of a monk, so a smoother longer road trip is where the A3 comes up on top. It’s smooth and the 7-speed dual clutch gearbox is much quicker than the Mini’s six-speed torque converter. Shifts are seamless and every other bit of it is easy-going too. All features are standard on the A3, so the ex-showroom price doesn’t skyrocket after ticking the options box like it does in the Mini. There’s relatively a lot more space to sit and the roof neatly tucks in the boot. With the roof down, the neat rear end with its long deck looks so much nicer. Styling obviously is a personal thing, but if there’s one way to put it, the A3 looks pleasant next to the ruffian in stripes, like the Mini’s responsible elder brother. Of all the convertibles we have called to celebrate the few weeks of good weather, each is unique in its own way, and you can see that in the dissimilarity of these two.