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A new Mini Roadster Cooper S is to be launched and it will basically be a soft-top version of the Coupe as it shares very similar styling to the Coupe but also incorporates the Cabriolet’s collapsible roof. However, unlike the Cabriolet, the Roadster aims at improving the driving dynamics of the car, and the fact that it comes with the Cooper S badges must mean that it will indeed be great fun to drive, or at least it should! Slap an S badge on the back and you’re almost guaranteed a brilliant, sharp drive. The little Roadster will come with the same range of petrol and diesel engines that the Coupe comes equipped with, which will also undoubtedly offer some variety on your motor insurance quotes. However, the best engine to go for is most likely to be the impressive 181bhp turbocharged 1.6 litre. This also comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. This will give the little Mini plenty of power and torque for its size and therefore makes it a very entertaining car to drive indeed! However, the reservation is, how will it cope without a roof? One hopes it will not shake like many previous cars that have had their roof chopped off in favour of a convertible lay out. When looking at the Mini on paper and in the flesh, it really does seem to be a cross between the hugely popular Coupe and the Cabriolet. Has a hole in the market perhaps been identified by BMW? Well, if I’m honest, for me the Roadster isn’t really filling a hole in the market, it’s more a confused mix of two different cars. On the one hand, it has the performance and pedigree of the Coupe under the bonnet, but on the other it looks much like the Cabriolet and may unfortunately drive much like the Cabriolet too due to the fact that it is a soft top. My personal view is, if you want a soft top Mini then buy the Cabriolet, if you want the hard and sharpened Mini then go for the Coupe Cooper S. The Roadster Cooper S just tries too hard to merge the two together and for me, doesn’t really work.
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