Performance Review: Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster - [2012]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Mini Cooper Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster is the 6 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 2012. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and the 2013 Koenigsegg Agera S 5.0 V8 Hundra.This particular Mini Cooper has a 1598cc Turbo Petrol powerplant with 4 cylinders in a St formation.

Alternative Petrol St4's includes the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo

The Cooper shares its Petrol St4 engine configuration with the likes of the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo and the 2013 Caterham 7 620 R 2.0 L Supercharged. If you're looking for other fast cars which share the Cooper's Front Wheel Drive, Cabriolet combination then how about the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Golf R Performance 2.0 Turbo or the 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD 3.5 V6.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1270 kgs (2799 lbs) this makes the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster in the same weight category as the 2023 Pagani Utopia 6.0 V12 Twin Turbo or the give or take 50kg.

The Mini Cooper shares the same bhp with the 2022 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Cabrio 2.0 Turbo (228 bhp)

In terms of power the 1598cc 16V St4 engine produces 208 bhp (155 kW) @ 6000 rpm similar to the 2022 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Cabrio 2.0 Turbo (228 bhp) or the 2020 Audi TT S Turbo 50 TFSI (225 bhp).

The Turbo St4 throws out 207 lb-ft (280.6 Nm) @ 2000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2020 Abarth 695 70th Anniversario 1.4 Turbo (184 lb-ft) or the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (184 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If one combines the weight with power or torque performance for the Mini Cooper you can get a better idea of it's real world performance.

The 2009 BMW Z4 35i sDrive 2d (188.7 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Mini Cooper.

The Mini Cooper has a Power to weight ratio of 163.7 bhp per ton and 162.9 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 2012 Cooper competing with the 2009 BMW Z4 35i sDrive 2d (188.7 bhp per ton) or the 2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Sport 2d (188.4 bhp per ton).

Power to Weight(cont.):

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance, Torque. Use weight as well and you end up with - Torque per ton, with the Mini Cooper generating around 162.9 lb-ft per ton. If you're curious as to what other cars have as much torque to weight then look no further than the 2012 Audi A3 S3 2.0 Turbo S-Tronic (187.9 lb-ft per ton) or the 2016 Volkswagen-VW Golf GTI 2.0 Turbo DSG (187.9 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 6.30 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 6.5 secs, this made the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster as fast as the 2024 Mazda CX-90 S 3.3 Turbo (6.30 secs) the 2020 Audi A1 Sportback 40 TFSI S tronic S line (6.30 secs) the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST 1.5 Turbo (6.30 secs) the or the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST 1.5 Turbo 5 door (6.30 secs). This Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster is also faster than the 2022 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Cabrio 2.0 Turbo (6.40 secs) the 2016 Ford Fiesta ST 200 1.6 Turbo (6.40 secs) the 2012 Subaru Forester STi tS 2.5L Turbo (6.40 secs) the and the 2011 Honda Civic 2.0i 16v VTEC Type R - FN2 (6.40 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Cooper and the 2017 Hyundai i30 N 2.0 Turbo

When talking about the performance of the Mini Cooper on the drag strip it can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 14.69 secs @ 93.1 mph. Similar performance down the quarter mile can be found with the the 2017 Hyundai i30 N 2.0 Turbo (14.64 secs), the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Arteon 2.0T (14.64 secs), and the 1974 Lancia Stratos 2.5 V6 (14.65 secs).

Top Speed:

Modern performance cars are often artificially restricted to 155mph. The 2012 version of the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster has a maximum speed of 147mph.

Top Speed of the 2012 Cooper equals the 2023 Porsche Cayenne Coupe E-Hybrid 3.0 V6 Turbo (158 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what's faster than the 2012 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Roadster then how about the 2023 Porsche Cayenne Coupe E-Hybrid 3.0 V6 Turbo (158 mph), the 2023 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid 3.0 V6 Turbo (158 mph), or the 2020 Maserati Ghibli GranSport Petrol Hybrid (158 mph).

Related Links:

2012 Cooper Rivals List.

A Brief History of Mini

Car Comparison