MINI Roadster (R59) review: a rare, honest little sports car for Bahrain enthusiasts
3.3/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The Roadster is a buy-with-your-heart car in Bahrain: charming, quick enough in Cooper S form, and rare enough that you will not see another one at the mall car park. Go in with eyes open about parts lead times and insist on a pre-purchase inspection from a BMW/MINI specialist, since most examples arrived here without a factory-backed local service history.
Pros
- Turbocharged 1.6-litre four gives it genuinely brisk sporty pace
- Six-speed manual gearbox is interactive and enjoyable
- Rarity means you will not see the same car everywhere in Bahrain
- Folding fabric roof gives an authentic open-top driving experience
Cons
- Most examples are private imports with no documented local service history
- Noticeable wind buffeting at highway speed with the roof down
- Model-specific parts are slower to source than for a Cooper or Countryman
- No factory warranty remains on any example found in Bahrain today
MINI introduced the Roadster in 2012 as a two-seat, folding soft-top companion to the Coupe, built on the same platform but with a fabric roof instead of a fixed hardtop. It sold for just three model years before MINI dropped both two-seaters from the range in 2015, which makes it one of the rarer MINIs on the road today.
Driving it in Bahrain
The Cooper S's turbocharged 1.6-litre four gives it genuinely brisk pace, and the six-speed manual makes it more interactive than most small cars sold today. Roof up, cabin heat builds quickly in a summer afternoon before the air conditioning catches up; roof down, wind buffeting is noticeable at highway speed on the causeway run to Saudi Arabia.
Ownership reality
Most Roadsters in Bahrain arrived as private imports with no documented local dealer service history, which makes a pre-purchase inspection from a specialist who knows the model non-negotiable. Because so few were imported here, model-specific parts sometimes take longer to source than for a standard Cooper or Countryman. Its rarity is also the point for some buyers — it is a car you will not see twice at the same shopping centre car park.
Buy it if you want a genuinely engaging small convertible and do not mind the ownership quirks of a low-volume, out-of-warranty MINI. If daily usability matters more than the driving experience, a standard Cooper hatch or a mainstream convertible will cause far fewer headaches.