MINI launches Roadster to add a sixth model to its range

With less then two months past the world premiere of the MINI Coupé at the IAA in Frankfurt, MINI is already unveiling a new model to its lineup: the promised Roadster. With the new model MINI expands its lineup to six models with the first open-top two-seater in its history.

The design language of MINI is still present as in every single model that has come out from the brand’s offices. The Roadster embodies the sportiness and spontaneous urban driving fun under the open sky.

With an exterior length of 3,734 millimetres, wheelbase of 2,467 millimetres and width of 1,683 millimetres, the dimensions of the MINI Roadster are very similar to those of the MINI Convertible. Still the Roadster, standing just 1,390mm high, is more than 20 millimetres lower than the four-seater soft-top, giving the new two-seater a distinctive, low-slung and elegantly stretched figure from the side. Distinguishing the Roadster from the Convertible is also the more heavily raked windscreen frame, tapering upwards more sharply.

The MINI Roadster will be available with four different engine variants: MINI John Cooper Works Roadster, MINI Cooper S Roadster, MINI Cooper Roadster and MINI Cooper SD Roadster. The new model will be equipped with the latest-generation four-cylinder engines, the most powerful petrol and diesel units in the MINI line-up and will feature the MINI TwinPower Turbo technology.

The entry-level model, MINI Cooper Roadster is powered by the 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine has an output of 90 kW/122 hp at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 160 Newton metres generated at 4,250 rpm. This enables the MINI Roadster to accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in 9.2 seconds and to reach a top speed of 199km/h. Average consumption stands at 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres with respective CO2 emissions of 133 grams per kilometer.

The engine featuring under the bonnet of the MINI Cooper S Roadster is the world’s most efficient in its displacement class. It has a power output of 135 kW/184 hp at
5,500 rpm and maximum torque of 240 Newton metres available at 1,600 rpm. It manages to boost from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 227km/h. Performance figures contrast with fuel consumption marked at 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

MINI John Cooper Works Roadster is equipped with a 155 kW/211 hp four-cylinder engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo technology generating its maximum output at 6,000 rpm, with peak torque of 260 Newton metres (192 lb-ft) on stream at 1,850 rpm. The MINI John Cooper Works Roadster speeds up from 0 to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 237kn/h.

Finally the MINI Cooper SD Roadster leads the way in terms terms of torque and economy. The varian is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo technology and features an aluminium crankcase, a turbocharger with variable intake geometry, and common-rail direct injection with solenoid-valve injectors. It has an output of 105 kW/143 hp at 4,000 rpm and peak torque of 305 Newton metres between 1,750 and 2,700 rpm. Cooper SD Roadster reaches the 100km/h in 8.1 seconds and features a top speed of 212km/h. Efficiency is one of its core characteristics with an average consumption of 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres, representing 118 grams per kilometer of CO2 emissions.

All the range is available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard, but MINI Cooper Roadster, MINI Cooper S Roadster and MINI Cooper SD Roadster are also available with an optional six-speed automatic gearbox with Steptronic function.