The front seats slide and lift out of the way to allow rear passengers into the back of this two-door hatchback, and then they return to the original position. That makes loading rear passengers quick and easy. The seats have recliner levers on both sides for convenience.

The back seats are surprisingly roomy. There's plenty of headroom and the rear seats are scooped out to provide good support. Legroom is tight, but with a little cooperation from those in front two adults can travel short distances back there in comfort. The back seats are split and fold down for cargo versatility.

The Mini Cooper's interior is stylish and modern, and exudes quality. Prominent circles set the interior design statement. That large circle in the center of the dash, visible to anyone in the car, is the speedometer. A racy round tachometer is perched like an aftermarket muscle car unit immediately before the driver's eyes and tilts with the adjustable steering column. Toggle switches with little guards are arranged in a row near the bottom of the center stack. They operate power windows, power locks, front and rear fog lamps, and the electronic stability control system. A pair of cup holders immediately in front of the shifter will hold a pair of grande cappuccinos if you squeeze them gently past the bottom edge of the dash.

The Mini Cooper benefited from a few interior enhancements for 2005, including new map lights and cascade lighting located on the center of the top windshield frame and illuminated door handles, all designed to improve night-time interior visibility. The interior door armrests were redesigned to allow you to put more in the door pockets. Also, the rear cup holder was enlarged, a tray was added under the center column, partially enclosing the area and another tray was added under the brake handle.

The interior is full of clever details. The optional automatic climate controls are shaped like the Mini logo, for example. The heater/air conditioner controls that come standard are attractive and work well, though the mode selector knob lacks the nice feel of the fan knob. Radio buttons are small, but easy to understand and operate.

The dash is neat and firm and has a high-quality leather feel to it. We like the trim on the front of the dash of the standard Cooper, but we're not sure we like the finish on the plastic trim that adorns the dash and doors of the S model. It's designed to look like brushed aluminum, but it looks more like smudged plastic, like your little sister put her sneakers all over it.

The low roofline means you have to stoop to see traffic lights overhead. (Traffic signals are mounted on poles in jolly olde England.) Sunroof lovers should love the dual-pane panoramic sunroof. Maybe we're not sunroof lovers. Only mesh covers the glass panels on the inside, letting the sun come streaming in even when you don't want it. Besides, the metal roof makes a better background for the Union Jack.

Dropping the top takes just 15 seconds. Amazing for a car in this price range is the single button control to raise and lower the top with no latches or handles to twist. The top is unlined.

A part-way mode on the convertible top leaves a section open at the front of the cockpit like a sunroof, granting front-seat occupants a view of skyscrapers, majestic peaks or the indulgent stares of truck drivers. This unique sunroof can be operated while tooling along at highway speeds. This appealing semi-open feature is possible because the first 15 inches of the top is a rigid panel; no flapping in the breeze. This rigid panel serves another purpose: The stiff section provides a finishing touch after the top Z-folds itself like so much ribbon candy behind the perky little twin roll bars at the back of the rear seats. No tonneau has to be wrestled into place to neaten things up (or left to claim storage space when the top is up).

The trunk in the convertible hinges at the bottom to open like a desktop, as in the original Mini. Space is flexible. With the rear seatbacks folded down cargo capacity is 21.3 cubic feet. However, there's just 4.2 cubic feet available with the top down and all seats in use. That back tailgate, incidentally, is an inviting perch, but screen the perchers: it holds just 175 pounds.

Like the hard top version, the Mini convertible surprises and delights with its serious motoring capabilities. Its chassis is extremely rigid for a topless car, so the Mini's acclaimed go kart cornering capability is left intact. Drop the top and enjoy the ride.