NEW FOR 2015:
– New LED fog lights
– New option packages: Essentials Package, Loaded Package
– Cooper trim and naturally aspirated model discontinued
– Pepper White and Fine White Silver interior trim discontinued
With its raked windshield, cozy two-seat cabin, and a lower seating position, Mini’s Roadster is a different open-air take on the British icon. Twin to the Coupe, the Roadster was designed as a modern take on the traditional roadster – a market that Mazda has effectively owned since it first launched the MX-5 back in the late ‘80s.
Like the MX-5, the Mini is all about putting emphasis on fun and simplicity, but it offers a more accommodating cabin and has more in-car technology. Crucially, the Brit offers up a different driving experience; its combination of a front-wheel drive and rorty turbo engines give it a different feel down the road.
With 2015 being the final production year for the Roadster, Mini has opted to trim back its offerings. The base Cooper trim has been discontinued, leaving the turbo’d Cooper S and John Cooper Works as the only choices. Mini has also tinkered with equipment packages, adding full LED fog lights, and also reducing the choices for interior trim.
The Cooper S uses a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, and the John Cooper Works uses a higher-horsepower version of the same engine. A six-speed manual is standard, with a six-speed automatic as an option.
Features on the Cooper include 16-inch wheels, chrome exterior trim, door handles, grille, and trunk garnish, chrome roll hoops with active head protection, active rear trunk spoiler, body colour trunk garnish, hood scoop, leatherette upholstered gearshift and handbrake gate, chrome interior door handles, leatherette upholstery, centrally mounted dual exhaust with chrome tips, ambient interior lighting, bi-xenon headlamps, six-way manually adjustable sport seats, automatic climate control, leather-wrapped sports steering wheel with multi-function controls, cruise control, tilt and telescoping steering column, heated exterior mirrors, heated wiper nozzles, sport button, auto up/down power windows, stainless steel footrest, keyless entry with start/stop button, third sunvisor (driver’s side), trip computer, and AM/FM/CD stereo with aux-in and USB ports.
The John Cooper Works adds 17-inch alloy wheels, dynamic traction control, aerodynamic kit, anthracite headliner, and piano black interior accents.
