It feels like we already saw the 2012 Mini Roadster this summer, but those images were in fact the work of Mark Takahashi. Turns out they were incredibly close to the real thing, as the official images of the production car released this week bear a striking resemblance. The Roadster is a cloth-top version of the Mini Coupe, itself a two-seat version of the standard Mini Cooper hatchback. You'll be able to see this car in the metal if you go to the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January.
Key points on the roadster include a manual-operated soft top that you're supposed to be able to toss over your shoulder a la Mazda Miata (the normal Mini Cooper convertible comes with a power top only) and 8.5 cubic feet of luggage space (measured to European standards) versus the 4.4 top-down/6.0 top-up you get when you're using all four seats in a normal Mini convertible. Although, folding down the Cooper convertible's seats theoretically nets you 23.3 cubic feet, so the utility argument for the Mini Roadster is... that you have to really like the idea of a two-seater with no top.
Sales start in the spring, and you can can count on all three engine options -- 121-hp base roadster, 181-hp S roadster and the 208-hp JCW roadster -- being available right at launch. The new brown interior is called Toffy, not Toffee.
sidx says:
04:27 PM, 10/31/11
I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek manliness. The coupe, while kinda' cool looking, doesn't make a lot of sense to me because it's not a lighter or faster car than the Cooper S. The Roadster however is a lot cooler than the Cooper convertible in my opinion.
firstwagon says:
04:56 PM, 10/31/11
I thought it would look better as a convertible but looking at it now my first thought is Geo Metro convertible.
Sorry but I can't imagine why anyone would buy this (hardtop or convertible) over the normal Mini.
ne1butu2 says:
05:40 PM, 10/31/11
I like this a lot. But I don't see any visual or practical difference between this and the standard Mini Cooper S. Even though the standard Mini Cooper has a useless back seat, it is more useful than not having one.
ddark13 says:
10:28 PM, 10/31/11
i dont like the coupe w/ its "backwards baseball cap" roof but i actually like the roadster. it makes sense esp considering the car is based of the cooper convertible platform
lostboyz says:
03:49 AM, 11/ 1/11
Mini continuing to prove themselves irrelevant
ttbuyer says:
06:52 AM, 11/ 1/11
MINI's "Hey! Look how cute I am" ethos is wearing pretty thin.
stovt001 says:
12:23 PM, 11/ 1/11
"Key points on the roadster include a manual-operated soft top that you're supposed to be able to toss over your shoulder a la Mazda Miata"
That's great, but you're still driving the wrong wheels so what is the point?