Skip to Content

» Buyers Guide » Mini Convertibles » Mini Roadster

Mini Roadster (2012-2015)

The Mini Roadster was another opportunity for BMW to diversify the popular Mini brand. Whether you fall in love with the speedster styling or see it as a marketing ploy you must admit it is a hoot to drive. The stiffer chassis support means it handles better than the equivalent four-seat Mini Convertible. The 2-seater Mini Roadster also gets sports suspension a steeply raked windscreen and a choice of only the performance engines from the Mini range. The small proportions make it a sports car that is at home parking in tight spaces as it is on the open road.

The 2-seater Mini Roadster gets sports suspension a steeply raked windscreen and a choice of only the performance engines in the range. The neat little soft-top is manually operated to save weight and just like the Mazda MX-5 Miata (perhaps its closest competitor) it can be taken up or down without getting out of the car.

Mini Roadster Details

Production Dates2012-2015
Length 3728 mm / 147 in
Width 1892 mm / 74 in
Height 1384 mm / 54 in
Wheelbase 2467 mm / 97 in
Turning Circle 10.7 m / 421 in
Luggage Capacity 240 litres / 8.48 cu ft
Fuel Tank Capacity 40 litres / 10.6 US gal
Warranty 3 years or unlimited miles
Service Intervals Variable miles

Similar Cars

Mini Cooper Roadster

The Mini Cooper Roadster is first but not least in the range; it is versatile and economical while giving a good turn of speed.

Specifications

Fuel type Unleaded Petrol
Driven Wheels Front-wheel-drive
Engine type Straight 4
Engine Capacity 1598 cc
Power 122@6000 bhp
Torque 118@4250 lb.ft
Torque 160@4250 nm
Transmission type 6-spd manual/6-spd auto
Kerb Weight 1195 kg / 2635 lb
UK Retail Price from £18,260
UK Insurance Group 19

Performance

Max speed (manual) 124 mph / 200 kph
Max speed (auto) 119 mph / 192 kph
0-60mph (manual) - seconds
0-60mph (auto) - seconds
0-100kmph (manual) 9.2 seconds
0-100kmph (auto) 10.5 seconds

Economy and Emissions

EU Combined Fuel Economy (manual) 49.6 mpg / 5.7 L/100km
EU Combined Fuel Economy (auto) 42.8 mpg / 6.6 L/100km
CO2 Emissions (manual) 133 g/km
CO2 Emissions (auto) 154 g/km

Mini Cooper S Roadster

The Cooper S Roadster gets a twin-scroll turbocharger boosting the power output without seriously effecting economy. It has the performance of a proper roadster while visually the S stands out from lesser models by the air intake in the bonnet.

Specifications

Fuel type Unleaded Petrol
Driven Wheels Front-wheel-drive
Engine type Straight 4
Engine Capacity 1598 cc
Power 184@5500 bhp
Torque 177@1600-5000 lb.ft
Torque 240@1600-5000 nm
Transmission type 6-spd manual
Kerb Weight 1260 kg / 2778 lb
UK Retail Price from £21,145
UK Insurance Group 32

Performance

Max speed (manual) 141 mph / 227 kph
Max speed (auto) 138 mph / 222 kph
0-100kmph (manual) 7 seconds
0-100kmph (auto) 7.2 seconds

Economy and Emissions

EU Combined Fuel Economy (manual) 47.1 mpg / 6 L/100km
EU Combined Fuel Economy (auto) 42.8 mpg / 6.6 L/100km
CO2 Emissions (manual) 139 g/km
CO2 Emissions (auto) 153 g/km

Mini Cooper SD Roadster

The Mini Cooper SD Roadster is still something of an oddity as a small diesel sports car. The engine is very efficient but after high diesel prices you'll have to be doing high mileages to make it pay over the already frugal Cooper S. The exhaust note isn't quite what you'd expect from a roadster but many company car buyers will have no option other than diesel power.Performance isn't quite a match for the petrol Cooper S but it isn't far off. Like the Cooper S the SD also has the familiar air intake in the bonnet. The Mini Cooper SD Roadster manages to combine punchy performance with the great economy of a diesel engine.

Specifications

Fuel type Diesel
Driven Wheels Front-wheel-drive
Engine type Straight 4
Engine Capacity 1995 cc
Power 143@4000 bhp
Torque 225@1750 lb.ft
Torque 305@1750 nm
Transmission type 6-spd manual
Kerb Weight 1275 kg / 2810.9 lb
UK Retail Price from £21,860
UK Insurance Group 24

Performance

Max speed (manual) 132 mph / 212 kph
Max speed (auto) 127 mph / 204 kph
0-100kmph (manual) 8.1 seconds
0-100kmph (auto) 8.3 seconds

Economy and Emissions

EU Combined Fuel Economy (manual) 62.8 mpg / 4.5 L/100km
EU Combined Fuel Economy (auto) 52.3 mpg / 5.4 L/100km
CO2 Emissions (manual) 118 g/km
CO2 Emissions (auto) 143 g/km
Driven Wheels null-wheel-drive Driven Wheels null-wheel-drive Driven Wheels null-wheel-drive Driven Wheels null-wheel-drive Driven Wheels null-wheel-drive

Information last updated

One Owner Review

Do you drive a Mini Roadster? Would you recommend it to others? This Mini already has one owner review, continue the conversation and let us know what you think of the car.

  1. Avatar for Zolti Zolti says:

    I have the roadster SD, ran it now for a year and still smile every mile. I passed a similar white one with the reg fun and this sums up the car in one word. the top is very easy to take down, can be done at under 20 mph in 8 seconds, used this approaching lights when a shower started. you just need to unclip the front and then its all automatic. very snug when folded away. the car handles really well on the twisties or smooth on the straights. it may be a little noisy for some in comparison to hard tops but not a deal breaker. the diesel is very nippy even without the sport button and has plenty of torque and gives good mileage. if your the first off the traffic lights go for the petrol as the diesel hits the limiter very quickly esp with the sport button on but pulls great in other gears. mini has a wide range of options to customise and make your roadster personal, if you like music the standard may not be enough with the top down. the key fob holds all sorts of info and you can get a 3 page readout from your dealer about your can and driving habits by plugging it into their desk gizmo. drive the one you want first in cold weather if you can as there is a problem with some chucking permanently cold air out the bottom of the steering column and I was told there is no fix!!

Leave an Owner Review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


By submitting a comment you grant Convertible Car Magazine a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.