MotorMouths

Slightly cheaper, lighter, and stiffer, the Roadster is a subtly different riff on an open-topped Mini. Even with its two seats and stubby little trunk, however, we have a hard time thinking of this as a sports car.

The 2012 Mini Cooper Roadster is a simpler, more basic convertible that still delivers the twisty road entertainment that has become synonymous with the Mini brand. Mini’s spirit of fun is most certainly still alive.

There is little reason to buy the Cooper JCW other than the joy of driving. Its cargo capacity is paltry, it is noisy at highway speeds and for all of its enhancements, I cannot say that it drives much better than the substantially less expensive base Cooper convertible.

The Mini Roadster offers a lot of behind-the-wheel pleasure, enhanced here by sun-in-face, etc. Ride quality can be punishing, but the pros outweigh the cons here. Your lone passenger will feel flattered, and you’ll have the most stylish Mini yet created.

The Mini Cooper Roadster is agile, visually unique, and a brisk performer. With a little restraint in ordering, it offers a high fun-for-the-buck index.

Even with its mild weight gain and inherent loss of torsional rigidity, there are definite gains enjoyed with this new Roadster, which further underscores Mini’s reputation for building cars that are perhaps best described as front-drive Nirvana.

The 2012 Mini Roadster Cooper S’s funky styling scores it some points, but it’s not enough to make up for its other notable shortcomings. Mini is justifiably proud of its “go-kart” handling, but it shouldn’t have to be accompanied by a go-kart ride quality.

The 2012 Mini Cooper S Roadster squeezes the brand’s signature style and performance into a new body, but fails to provide a compelling reason to choose it over the more useable Mini Cooper S convertible.