First introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the MINI Roadster boils down the brand’s dynamic driving experience to its very essence, providing open-air excitement in a nimble two-person package—and according to MINI, it will do so with an MSRP that starts at $24,350 (before destination charges).
Of course, that’s for the entry model, which leverages a relatively peppy 1.6-liter I4 that delivers 122 hp and 114 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s not bad for a car that can weigh as little as 2,635 lbs., and it does offer strong EPA ratings of 27 mpg city/35 mpg highway/30 mpg combined, but enthusiasts are likely going to be looking a bit further up range to the Cooper S (MSRP: $27,350) and John Cooper Works (MSRP: $34,500) Roadsters. This pair gains serious power points—courtesy of a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection—with the former ramping up to 181 hp/177 lb.-ft. of torque and the latter capable of 208 horses and 192 lb.-ft. of twist. As a result, the John Cooper Works version showcases a power-to-weight ratio of about 13.3, meaning each horsepower is responsible for motiving 13.3 lbs. of vehicle; to put this into context, the FIAT 500 Abarth gets only 160 hp and a power-to-weight ratio of 15.83, so its engine has to do more work to supply less performance.