2013 Mini Roadster Reviews

The latest cars to take the Mini moniker, the Coupe and Roadster, are the first purely two-seaters from the iconic British brand.Aimed to attract those who desire a two-seat sporting life, they come in Mini Cooper S and Mini John Cooper Works guise.Mini Cooper S is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder motor with twin-scroll turbocharger putting out 135 kW of power at 5500 rpm and 240 m of torque between 1600 and 5000 rpm. An overboost function lifts torque to 260 Nm for a few seconds if you really need everything in acceleration.The John Cooper Works variants pump out a rip-roaring 155 kW at 6000 rpm and 260 Nm between 1850 and 5600 rpm. Overboost adds a further 20 Nm between 2000 and 5100 rpm for extreme-performance applications. The Mini John Cooper Works version only has a six-speed manual. It uses a clever self-adjusting clutch to ensure the correct pedal feel is maintained over the car’s full service life.The Mini Cooper S Coupe claims zero-to-100 km/h acceleration in 6.9 seconds in manual form (7.1 sec, auto), with combined urban/highway petrol consumption of 6.3 (6.7) litres per 100 kilometres. The equivalent manual Roadster comes up with 0-100 km/h in 7 seconds (7.2 sec, auto), while using 6.4 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (6.8, auto) when measured to official standards The John Cooper Works does the zero-to-100 km/h sprint in 6.4 seconds for the Coupe and 6.5 in Roadster format.The dimensions of the Coupe – the two-seater measures 3734 mm (John Cooper Works Coupe 3758 mm) in length, 1683 mm in width and 1384 mm (John Cooper Works Coupe 1385 mm) in height (Roadster 1390 mm and JCW 1391 mm) with a wheelbase of 2467 mm.On sale now, prices range from $45,500 for the Mini Cooper S Roadster and $55,100 for the range-topping John Cooper Works variant, representing a premium of just $2510 and $2500 over the respective Coupes. On top of standard equipment featured on the Cooper S, JCW variants gain 17-inch Cross Spoke Challenge wheels, the John Cooper Works aerodynamic kit, sports suspension, sports stripes and a Harmon Kardon audio.Efficient aerodynamics see an active rear spoiler integrated for the first time into a Mini boot lid. It pops up automatically when the Coupe hits 80 km/h. At top speed the maker says the wing weighs in with 40 kg of extra downforce. Two rear seats are replaced in both the Mini Coupe and Roadster by a generous luggage shelf that incorporates a larger-than-normal through-shute from the 280-litre Coupe boot (240 litres, Roadster) which can take bulky long objects.The high-opening boot lid allows bulky items such as sporting gear and weekend-away luggage for two to be loaded easily. The quirky knobs, switches and instruments are straight out of the Mini bin, the centrally situated speedo dial dominating the dashboard with its side-plate size. The speed is duplicated by a digital readout viewed between the upper spokes of the steering wheel, so there is no need for the driver’s eyes to stray too far from the road ahead.Occupants are actively protected by anti-skid braking with electronic brake force distribution and dynamic stability control, while driver and passenger front airbags and side head and thorax airbags come into play in the event of a crash. Roadster travellers are also protected in the case of a vehicle flipping by polished stainless steel roll bars, which are padded at the front and incorporate a slot for the wind deflector.The wide stance, together with a stiff (some would say too stiff) sports suspension have the compact cars roller skating ‘round corners, the beautiful balance enhanced by positive steering with excellent feedback. There is some flexing in the Roadster on uneven surfaces and a plastic cargo cover in the back of the Coupe rattled annoyingly during our introductory test drives.All was forgiven when the engine, especially in the JCW cars, piped up with a Rod Stewart-style rasp under heavy acceleration. A visually striking feature of the Coupe is the sharply raked windscreen (13 degrees more than the Mini Hatch), the arc of which flows rearward forming a low roofline which terminates in an integrated rear spoiler.The Roadster’s cloth roof is light enough to be lowered using one hand by means of a handle above the windscreen. With the Roadster roof stowed between the cabin and boot there is no reduction in cargo space to that with the roof up. A standard wind deflector behind the occupants helps maintain a relatively quiet and relaxed atmosphere in the cabin. Ambient light only adds to the feel-good surroundings of the Roadster and its twin.The Mini Coupe cabin roof lining, in a felt material, in contrast to the rest of the surroundings, looks on the cheap side but incorporates oval recesses to increase headroom for the driver and passenger.The Mini Coupe and Roadster range is:Mini Cooper S CoupeMini Cooper S RoadsterMini John Cooper Works CoupeMini John Cooper Works Roadster

The mini range of Minis is becoming a maxi range with the addition of its first two-seaters. When the new Mini was launched 10 years ago, it arrived as a hatch, followed shortly by a soft-top and that was it for body styles for several years.About 15 months ago a five-door Clubman wagon was added and last year a jacked-up, all-wheel-drive version, the Countryman, arrived. Now Mini has added a two-seater Coupe and Roadster with a Paceman (coupe version of the Countryman) coming next year and possibly a Clubvan (solid-sided Clubman) which is yet to be evaluated for Australia.Prices start at $42,990 for the six-speed manual Cooper S Coupe and $52,600 for the John Cooper Works Coupe. While the convertible version of the Hatch costs a premium of more than $8000, the rag-top variant of the Coupe is only an extra $2010 for the Cooper S and $2500 for the JCW making the Roadster an attractive option. Six-speed auto adds $2350 to the price, which is the same across the Mini fleet. The JCW only comes in manual. Mini Australia boss Kai Bruesewitz believes the new two-seater competes in a narrow class of vehicles with a wide range of prices, from the Honda CR-Z (from $34,990) to the Audi TT (from $70,400). Other competitors are the Peugeot RCZ (from $54,990), VW Eos ($49,990) and Mazda MX-5 (soft top $44,265, coupe $47,200). While this is unchartered territory for Mini, they believe about two-thirds of buyers will opt for the Coupe and about 10 per cent will want the JCW which is one of the highest rates in the world, says Bruesewitz.Given its sporty body shape, it makes sense that the Coupe and Roadster only arrive n Cooper S and JCW variants. The Cooper S comes with the turbo 1.6-litre with 135kW of power and a thirst of 6.3 litre per 100km, while the JCW has 155kW and 7.1L/100km. The chassis in both Coupe and Roadster are based on the stiffer and heavier Cabrio. While the Coupe weighs 1165kg which is a surprising 15kg more than the Hatch despite its lack of back seat and roof, the Roadster weighs an extra 20kg than the Coupe but is a surprisingly 45kg lighter than the Cabrio. Engineers have stiffened the springs on Coupe and Roadster and there is an even stiffer sports suspension available in the Cooper S to match the JCW. All the usual tech features of the Mini are available, but a glaring omission in a market obsessed with with phones is Bluetooth audio streaming. This is what the new variants are all about. They are a design exercise, with few technological changes from the Hatch and Cabrio. Designers specifically intended for the strange Coupe roof line to look like a backwards-facing baseball cap. It looks ridiculous from the side view, but works from the front and rear. The overhanging lip or cap peak also has a practical use, acting as a roof spoiler. There is also an auto boot spoiler on both models which deploys at 80km/h and retracts at 60km/h with a switch inside to manually deploy. Roadster has more appeal from all angles, accentuating Mini's first three-box silhouette. Apart from the obvious roofline, the new models feature a 13 per cent greater raked windscreen. Dimensions are roughly the same as the Hatch, but it sits slightly lower. Inside is standard Mini fare, although the rear seat is gone and there is a small storage area for a couple of shopping bags or briefcase. The big surprise is the cargo area which has more room than the Hatch, while the soft top, which can be manually deployed in about half the time of electric roofs, does not steal precious boot space. The boot is also wide for easy luggage access.The Coupe's roof has been scalloped out so this will suit the tallest of drivers. Product and pricing manager Sue McCarthy says the usual interminable array of Mini options and accessories are available for customisation.There are four airbags and all the usual passive and active safety features of the other Mini models. While they have not yet been crash tested here or in Europe, the Mini Cooper has a maximum five-star rating. Roadster gets two permanent but stylish chromed rollover bars. Rear vision in the Coupe is scant and worse in the Roadster. The boot spoiler only makes matters worse.As expected, it handles like a go-kart, torque-steers like a banshee and the suspension crashes through harsh surfaces. However, the suspension adjustments for the heavier chassis have livened up the steering so there is less understeer and even sharper turn-in. On the down side, ride is further compromised and the car tended to skip sideways over high-speed bumps such as corrugations in corners.On the national launch through the Yarra Valley, both cars were an exciting drive, but after a couple of hours of hitting the bump stops over some of the more gnarly sections of road, my neck and head began to ache. It also didn't help that the cabin is quite noisy, probably because of the lack of sound dampening with the absent rear seat. We also found the flimsy parcel shelf developed an annoying rattle and the rag top vibrated against the metal ribs. Mini's famous "look at me" value is increased, especially in the radical Coupe. People stop, stare, point, but mostly smile and wave.