By Brandon Turkus

June 11, 2012

Below the beltline, the Mini Roadster looks identical to the Mini Cooper hatchback, Clubman, Convertible, and Coupe. Above the beltline, it shares the swept-back windshield of the Coupe, but does away with the polarizing roof/rear window in favor of a far more conventional-looking canvas top. This top stows neatly behind the two seats, giving the Roadster a far cleaner profile than the four-seat Mini Convertible. Our tester is finished in Lightning Blue paint, with a pair of silver stripes, and a black, manually operated soft-top.

In terms of equipment, our Roadster had the excellent Mini Connected navigation and infotainment system, the Sport Package (seventeen-inch wheels, xenon headlights, Dynamic Traction Control, and white turn signals), the Technology Package (center armrest, rear park distance control, and a Harman/Kardon stereo), push-button start, and a detachable wind deflector.