The front-drive-roadster market has been a little thin since the departure of the Lotus Elan and Mercury Capri in the mid-’90s. Truth be told, front-wheel drive just isn’t what the market clamors for when it comes to roadsters. That may be because the term “roadster” brings to mind images of rear-drive MGs, Triumphs, and Austin-Healeys from the ’50s and ’60s.
Testing the water in the otherwise-empty pool of two-seat, front-wheel-drive convertibles is another British attempt, the Mini roadster. It is basically a softtop version of the Mini coupe. Chopping the roof off that two-seat hardtop didn’t require much additional structural reinforcement, since the coupe (and therefore the roadster) is based on Mini’s four-seat convertible; modifications include a torsion bar that spans rail to rail below the seats, strengthened rocker panels, and a stronger windshield surround.
All together, the Cooper S roadster tested here weighs 45 more pounds than the last Cooper S coupe we tested. It comes with Mini’s turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four making 181 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. As with other mini body styles, there are a base Cooper model with a naturally aspirated four and a John Cooper Works edition with a slightly more powerful turbo four.
Top Down with the Quickness
The S roadster wasn’t designed to break acceleration records, but it entertains with a pretty quick 0-to-60-mph time of 6.7 seconds. Driver and passenger get an exaggerated sense of speediness, thanks to a throaty exhaust and heave-ho pitch during full-throttle events.
The car’s manual top—another nod to classic roadsters—can be operated from the driver’s seat, but just barely, as it requires some uncomfortable contortions to pull back above your head. When it’s in the closed position, highway speeds are only tolerable; the thin, single-layer top seems to act like a speaker diaphragm, amplifying the noise of constantly changing air pressure on its surface.
Top down, however, the car delivers sensations akin to roadsters of yore. The vertical windshield is way out in front of the driver, putting occupants in the thick of turbulent air. Our tester came with a $250 wind deflector that quells some wind buffeting—spec it, and long-haired passengers will thank you. Some of the convertible’s torsional flex comes through the cowl in the form of shake, but not nearly as often and, as a result of the body stiffening, not to the Mini convertible’s wet-noodle-like degree.
Running Unopposed
As mentioned before, the Cooper S roadster lacks direct competition. The Mazda MX-5 Miata, a perennial favorite, comes to mind. On paper, and aside from the obvious layout differences, the MX-5 and this turbo roadster match up nearly perfectly. The Cooper is heavier as well as slightly more powerful and slightly quicker, cracking off the quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds to the Miata’s 15.3. The Miata’s skidpad and braking numbers are on the wrong side of the Cooper’s: 0.78 g and 170 feet from 70 mph compared with the Mini’s 0.88 g and 166 feet. But the Mazda’s rear-drive layout delivers better handling and infinitely more neutral balance than the Coop’s front-drive setup, which has a predisposition for understeer. The Mini roadster will, however, come around in a corner with an abrupt lift of the throttle.
That isn’t to say the Mini isn’t capable. Turn-in is lightning quick and the steering communicative. Bump steer will greet you in a lumpy corner, and torque steer, well, it’s a fact of life for a turbocharged front-drive Mini. The brakes are a tad grabby, but you get used to them.
The Cooper S roadster’s bottom line doesn’t help in its fight against the Miata, either, as a fully loaded MX-5 Special Edition comes in $1530 less than this lightly optioned Cooper S roadster. We say “lightly” because it’s possible to option an S roadster to more than $40,000. For a car that starts at $28,050, that’s shocking. Our test car’s $33,550 tally included navigation (something not available on the MX-5), 17-inch wheels, xenon headlights, keyless access, and metallic paint.
Optioned this way, the Mini is much further from the old-school-roadster formula than the Mazda. But the Cooper manages to keep the essence of two-seat droptops of the past alive, while offering a little more interior room than a Miata. At the very least, there’s no pesky back seat to deal with.
ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ
ТИП МАШИНЫ: передний двигатель, передний привод, 2-местный, 2-дверный родстер
ЦЕНА ПО ПРОВЕРКЕ: 33,550 28,050 долларов США (базовая цена: XNUMX XNUMX долларов США)
ТИП ДВИГАТЕЛЯ: с турбонаддувом и промежуточным охлаждением DOHC, 16-клапанный, рядный 4, алюминиевый блок и головка, непосредственный впрыск топлива
Водоизмещение: 98 куб. дюймов, 1598 куб.см
Мощность: 181 л.с. @ 5500 оборотов в минуту
Крутящий момент: 192 фунт-фут @ 1700 об / мин
ПЕРЕДАЧА ИНФЕКЦИИ: Руководство по эксплуатации 6
РАЗМЕРЫ:
Колесная база: 97.1 д
Длина: 147.0 д
Ширина: 66.3 д Высота: 54.7 д
Снаряженная масса: 2775 фунтов
C / D РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ТЕСТА:
От нуля до 60 миль в час: 6.7 секунды
От нуля до 100 миль в час: 17.3 секунды
От нуля до 130 миль в час: 39.8 секунды
Разгон, 5-60 миль/ч: 7.6 сек.
Высшая передача, 30-50 миль/ч: 7.4 сек.
Высшая передача, 50-70 миль/ч: 7.3 сек.
¼ мили стоя: 15.1 с при скорости 94 миль в час
Максимальная скорость (ограниченное сопротивление): 141 мили в час
Торможение, 70-0 миль/ч: 162 футов
Сцепление с дорогой, противоскользящая накладка диаметром 300 футов: 0.88 г
ЭКОНОМИЯ ТОПЛИВА:
Управление EPA по городу/шоссе: 27/35 миль на галлон
C / D наблюдалось: 29 миль на галлон
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