Review: MINI Roadster

We took the new MINI Roadster for a spin, find out our verdict here!

I'm no Jeremy Clarkson but when I was given the chance to try out the new two-seater, convertible, MINI Roadster I jumped at the chance.

I'll get the technical specifics out of the way first. The Roadster reaches a top speed of 124mph, has a six-gear manual transmission and is a front-wheel drive.

As the car has a semi-automatic convertible roof (which, unlike other soft tops I've driven before, was really easy to retract) I chose a sunny weekend to cruise down to Brighton. Despite being a MINI and a two-seater, I was amazed at how roomy it felt. With several large Mulberry holdalls in the boot, there was still plenty of room to spare.

With heaps of high tech ad-ons - voice recognition, a built in satnav and a web-connection function to access the internet for web radio, Facebook and Google maps - a good study of the instruction manual was needed to be able to get to grips with it all, but once my capable and more technically competent travel companion had mastered the tricky bits we were on our way.

What struck me about the MINI Roadster was how nippy it felt, we were able to dart about the countryside, overtaking OAPS and tractors with the slightest movement of my foot. The spoiler, which appears at 50mph, makes a nice sporty touch.

All in all, the MINI Roadster was a pleasure to drive and would be the perfect ride whether you'll need it to nip through the city or cruise along rural roads. Sturdy, fast and fun - it's got everything you could want.

The Mini Roadster, on sale starting at £18,020.