Nice wheels
Chunky, cute and eager, the Mini is one of those cars it’s impossible to dislike
The Roadster is the second drophead
in the gang, a sort of mash-up between the existing four-seat Mini Convertible and the recent, rakish Coupe – you know, the one that looks like it’s wearing a backwards baseball cap. The Roadster has that car’s nose and sharply angled screen on a modified version of the Convertible’s body, stiffened around the rear axle and with a 20mm lower soft-top that folds flush to the deck. Usefully, losing the rear seats doubles the size of the boot. All convertibles are about fun, of
course, and since the default setting for all modern Minis is ‘a right hoot’ you’d expect the Roadster to succeed in this regard: our mid-range Cooper S had tons of low-down torque, meaning we rarely had to rev it too hard or downshift on overtaking, while the engine’s properly growly at times.
Sunshine Supermini Like so many modern cars, sporty Minis look infinitely better with the hugest wheel/tyre combos, but there’s a terrible trade-off to be made here – they ruin the ride. This being the case, the standard 16-inchers are the sensible choice, though our car (on beefy upgrades) wasn’t too bad, firm but comfortable as long as we kept away from any really bumpy roads. There’s phenomenal roadholding
as standard, decent weight to the electronically-assisted steering on our well-specced car – and a niggling feeling that this chassis, slightly long-in-the- tooth now, wouldn’t really benefit from any more power. (We’ve not driven it, but the 208bhp John Cooper Works version sounds unnecessarily potent.) One downside of the fastback-shaped
roof is that it adds aerodynamic lift, hence one of those clever rear spoilers – familiar from Porsches and other high-
end kit – that rises at 50mph and sinks when you drop below 40 again; you wouldn’t think it would do all that much, but the extra downforce really helps on sharp corners. Our test drive – down to Chew Magna
on a glorious day, taking both the fast and slow roads – revealed a highly capable long-distance mile devourer, with similar refinement to the Coupe in roof-up mode, and surprising topless refinement; even at motorway speeds (windows up, roof down, wind-break in place) it’s possible to chat fairly normally. With chrome rollover hoops and the chop-top, it’s not always the easiest thing to park, mind – though it’s so short you’re unlikely to hit anything. Inside it’s the familiar Mini retro- modern experience, more than slightly oddball but workable once you get used to where everything is. You can’t argue with the quality, though, and if the sheer weight of luxury trim might feel over- the-top to Mini purists, it certainly fools you into thinking you’re driving a much more substantial car than you actually are. (More than once I stepped out of it, looked back, and couldn’t quite believe how tiny my travelling companion actually was.) This is a highly enjoyable thing, cute,
puppy-like and fun. Is it a sports car? Maybe not in the purest sense, but surely as much as an Audi TT is, say, which now looks kind of expensive in comparison. Which to pick? Common sense says
the Cooper S is the car in the Goldilocks Zone, that sweet spot that best balances cost with performance and equipment levels, though it’s also tempting to go as entry level as you can: resist the options list, keep to the 16-inchers, accept the lack of grunt, and revel in the fact that you’ll probably never spend £18k in such entertaining fashion again. CL
The interior: a little mad
At a glance
Mini Roadster Prices: £18,000-£25,000 (model tested: around £21,000) Under the bonnet: The sweet 1.6-litre engine comes three ways: a normally aspirated 120bhp (Cooper), a turboed 181bhp (Cooper S), or a tuned 208bhp (John Cooper Works), all with a six- speed manual. There’s the Cooper SD too, a 141bhp 2-litre turbo diesel. Equipment specs: All UK cars get an electric hood (you have to manually clamp it to the windscreen), and it might be worth a grand for the excellent six- speed auto. (The electronic differential is worth having too: it brakes the wheel with the least grip in corners, reducing the torque steer associated with powerful Minis.) Ours had both the Sport Pack and the more cosmetic Chili Pack, both tempting. Performance: The basic Cooper gets 62mph in 9.2 seconds, and tops out at 124mph; the Cooper S is way faster (7 seconds/141mph); the SD is between the two (8.1/132); and the JCW crazy- quick (6.5/147). That gets 38.7mpg, the diesel 62.8, the others approaching 50. In a nutshell: Pumped-up, happy, cute- as-a-button two-seat open Mini spin-off, as well screwed together, and fun to drive, as you’d expect. Model tested: Mini Cooper S Dealer: Dick Lovett MINI Bristol 0117 950 5000 More info:
mini.co.uk;
sytnercardiffmini.co.uk
www.mediaclash.co.uk Clifton Life 69
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