MINI Roadster

2013 Mini Roadster

There was already a convertible variant for the Mini, which is the MINI CABRIO, but who would need another open-top MINI on their lineup anyway? The all new Mini Roadster is somewhat the same as the Mini Cabrio but instead of a four-seater layout, the Mini Roadster has two seats! TWO SEATS! That makes the Mini Roadster different than the Mini Cabrio! The Mini Roadster has rivals on its sleeves such as the Renault Wind and the Mazda Roadster.

It's actually the drop-top version of last year's Mini Coupe and the result is 20 millimeters lower than the Mini Cabrio as this new model cuts a distinctive, low-slung and elegantly stretched figure from the side. Unlike modern roadsters, the black soft-top roof can be folded by hand, not by machine, but on the plus side, closing or open the roof manually saves time rather that waiting for 10 to 20 seconds to close or open the roof automatically.

On the inside, there goes the same old Mini interior but with the black interior, it was made to be road-focused and avoiding the driver of getting distracted by something that attracts him or her, especially the combination of upholstery variant, trim elements and Color Lines chosen by the MINI Roadster owner.

Firstly, the entry-level of the range was the Mini Cooper Roadster, the most economical variant was the Mini Cooper SD Roadster, and the sportiest model was the Mini Cooper S Roadster. Those variants have a choice of a 6-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual transmission. Because I can't take this too long, here are the specs of each variants;

MINI Cooper S Roadster
Four-cylinder petrol engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo technology
Displacement: 1,598 cc
Power Output: 135 kW/184 hp at 5,500 rpm
Max. torque: 240 Nm/177 lb-ft at 1,600-5,000 rpm (260 Nm/192 lb-ft with Overboost at 1,730-4,500 rpm)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph): 7.0 seconds
Top speed: 227 km/h (141 mph)
Average fuel consumption according to EU: 6.0 l/100 km (47.1 mpg imp)
CO2 emissions: 139 g/km

MINI Cooper Roadster
Four-cylinder petrol engine with fully variable valve management based on the BMW Group's VALVETRONIC technology
Displacement: 1,598 cc
Power Output: 90 kW/122 hp at 6,000 rpm
Max. torque: 160 Nm/118 lb-ft at 4,250 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph): 9.2 seconds
Top speed: 199 km/h (124 mph)
Average fuel consumption according to EU: 5.7 l/100 km (49.6 mpg imp)
CO2 emissions: 133 g/km

MINI Cooper SD Roadster
Four-cylinder turbodiesel with MINI TwinPower Turbo technology
Displacement: 1,995 cc
Power Output: 105 kW/143 hp at 4,000 rpm
Max. torque: 305 Nm/225 lb-ft at 1,750-2,700 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph): 8.1 seconds
Top speed: 212 km/h (132 mph)
Average fuel consumption according to EU: 4.5 l/100 km (62.8 mpg imp)
CO2 emissions: 118 g/km

If you're not interested in those, consider this, the JCW (John Cooper Works) version of the Mini Roadster.

2013 Mini John Cooper Works Roadster

Being the latest of Mini's John Cooper Works range that consist of the original, JCW Cabrio, JCW Clubman, JCW Coupe, and the upcoming JCW Countryman, the new JCW Roadster has go-kart agility with a turbocharged engine, which sounds perfect to mess around your neighbors.

SPECS:
Four-cylinder petrol engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo technology and numerous technological details carried over directly from motor sport
Displacement: 1,598 cc
Power Output: 155 kW/211 hp at 6,000 rpm
Max. torque: 260 Nm/192 lb-ft at 1,850-5,600 rpm (280 Nm/207 lb-ft with Overboost at 2,000-5,100 rpm)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph): 6.5 seconds
Top speed: 237 km/h (147 mph)
Average fuel consumption according to EU: 7.3 l/100 km (38.7 mpg imp)
CO2 emissions: 169 g/km

Colors Available for the Mini Roadster such as Chili Red, Pepper White, British Racing Green II, Eclipse Grey, Lightning Blue, Midnight Black, Spice Orange, White Silver, and Reef Blue.

My comment:
It wasn't a good idea to have another convertible model with the same size as the Mini Cabrio but the Mini Roadster is somewhat known to be the Cabrio's evil twin because it was highly a soft-top version of the Mini Coupe. Because it has two seats, this car was made for the singles who want to take their girls to a date at a five-star restaurant. The Mini Roadster is a silly addition of the Mini range but it does pack some serious performance. Well, another day, another adventure...

Photo: MINI