     2012 Mini Cooper S Roadster. Click image to enlarge |
As great as this car handles, it is the engine and exhaust that will forever have a soft spot in my heart. The 1.6L twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces a modest 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. But don’t let these numbers fool you; power is deceivingly ample, thanks partially to the overboost feature that will temporarily spool the torque up to 192 lb-ft. The turbo whooshes and hisses through the wastegate as the throttle arcs through its range and combined with the barking exhaust system it creates a terrific symphony of sound. Ah yes, that barking exhaust. When driven in sport mode, the exhaust pops and cracks relentlessly once warmed up. Not minor, faint cracks, but rather “Did you just hear a gunshot or tire pop?” levels of explosions. Once in higher rpm ranges, these noises disappear and if you are still embarrassed by the constant ‘pap pap pop crack’ of the exhaust at city speeds, simply unselect sport mode and the Mini quiets down. But fear not, even in normal mode there is still a great exhaust note.
The Mini Roadster is offered with the choice of a six-speed automatic transmission or six-speed manual. Luckily, my test vehicle came equipped the way all good Minis should be; with a manual. The shift lever is the same as the one in the John Cooper Works I drove recently; huge and easy to grip yet uncomfortable and not the nicest aesthetically. The transmission and clutch are true gems and finding gears with the six-speed manual is easy. However, I found the same issue Jonathan Yarkony did with the transmission being far too eager to let you slip towards Reverse gear when either aggressively trying to downshift to second, or just trying to engage first gear from a stoplight. I would think there would be a lockout for this leg of the gearbox when the vehicle is in forward motion.
As with any transmission this day and age, the Mini Roadster’s unit tries its best to walk the line between acceleration and efficiency. Turning 2,500 rpm at 100 km/h and 3,000 rpm at 120 km/h allows this Mini to be officially rated by Natural Resources Canada at 7.6 L/100 km in the city and 5.6 L/100 km on the highway. I was able to achieve a fairly decent 8.0 L/100 km average during my week with the Mini Roadster, but did partake in more highway driving than usual.
Standard on all Mini Roadsters is a power-operated active rear spoiler that deploys automatically at 80 km/h. If that is not enough, there is a pointless-yet-cool button to manually keep the spoiler raised below 80 km/h, and I must admit, the car does look a lot better with the spoiler raised. However, once the normal ‘spoiler-deployed’ speed of 80 km/h is reached, the manual button is overridden and once you drop below the ‘spoiler-stay-up’ speed, the spoiler will automatically drop back down. While on the topic of exterior aesthetics, the optional $1,250 premium package found on my test vehicle adds a lot to the Mini: black headlight reflectors, mirror caps, and sport stripes add some nice flair to a car that is already oozing style.
