It may only be 11° Celsius, but we have the roof down on the new Mini Roadster Cooper S. Having flown 8,000km from Dubai to Lisbon, Portugal, to try the recently introduced Mini Coupé's new topless sister, how could I not? Besides, the sun is out despite the chill. Up in the glorious hills of the Sintra National Park in Portugal, tracing a path along the stunning coastline looking onto the Atlantic Ocean, it's just too beautiful outside to be cocooned inside a little shell.
Not that I have much time to take in the scenery because I'm pelting along, while keeping in mind the blind corners, occasional drop-offs, bumpy and pitted roads and the odd stray dog with a death wish.
Thing is though, this Mini is begging for it. It's a Cooper S with a manual gearbox and, right now, it's living up to its makers' claims that the Coupé and Roadster are the sportiest of the current-generation Minis.
But first, let's quash the reservations over BMW stretching the Mini brand beyond its remit. Not content with the huge success of the hatchback alone, I've been pitched a Convertible, a Clubman (a sort of estate with barn doors at the back) and then, last year, a four-wheel-drive compact SUV. Actually the Countryman, which has limited off-road ability, has unsurprisingly bolstered and boosted Mini sales in the Middle East, though Mini nonetheless remains a niche brand. Oh, and there's at least one more derivative on the way in the current-generation model range.
But even if this accusation of exploiting the Mini brand is true (and it probably is), get over it. It's been done before, with the original Mini - there was a van, a pickup, a woody estate and a notchback saloon.
With Mini, the core essence of the brand is no longer its diminutive stature, nor even the simplicity that was key to Sir Alec Issigonis' original design. No, now it's all about fun. Well OK, I mean it needs to be a driver's delight and retain a cheeky, loveable aura to its visual persona. All the current Minis conform to this, and the Roadster is no exception.
Both the Coupé and Roadster are actually based on the Convertible Mini, and share the same basic length and width. The doors are longer and there's a bigger boot and, yes, that goes for the Roadster, too, primarily because the rear seats have been removed.
The rear bulkhead, to which the seat belts are bolted on, and the real rollover hoops are actually structural and part of the bespoke stiffening that has had to be employed to stop this little funster from twisting and flexing. It works - the rigidity is unquestionable - and there's hardly any vibration from the more steeply raked windscreen surround.
At this point it's worth mentioning that, for taller drivers, the top edge of the windscreen is in your line-of-sight, and the rear view is limited. Pop the roof down, which involves getting out and unclamping the latch and swinging it back into its cavity just behind the roll-hoops, and it's far less claustrophobic.
The Roadster scores over the Coupé in being a more visceral and invigorating experience, especially because you can revel in the exhaust's more parpy note once the sports button is pressed. The massive central speedometer remains useless but is now a signature design feature, but all the info you need is in front of you.
More than 180hp pushing just 1,185kg will give you a hardly tardy 0-to-100kph acceleration time of 7.0 seconds and a top speed of 227kph. Performance is punchy, particularly if you hold onto the lower gears, and here comes the Mini cliché: the handling remains go-kart like. Yes, I know, that's overused, but with the Mini, it remains true. In fact, the car is astonishingly grippy and stays neutral in the corners, only breaking out into understeer if you power hard out of a bend. Crucially though, it remains as exciting, satisfying and entertaining as you'd want your Mini to be.
But should you buy one? Although the rear seats aren't the most spacious in a Mini hatchback, they are there, and while the luggage space is tiny, fold the seats and you have even more space than either the Coupé or Roadster. The handling might be slightly sharper in the two-seaters, but only marginally. Plus, if you want open-top motoring, you can go for the Convertible. Having said that, the styling does work very well, even more so on the Roadster than on the Coupé, so if you really don't need the rear pews the pricing is only likely to be a couple of thousand dirhams more.
But when it comes to pricing, it's the biggest issue the Mini faces. Middle East Roadster prices have not been revealed, but going by existing Mini prices, it's fair to guesstimate nearly Dh170,000 for the Roadster Cooper S, and that's a lot of money for an impractical plaything.
Base price Dh170,000 (estimated)
Engine 1.6L four cylinder
Gearbox Six-speed manual
Power 184hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,600-5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.0L/100km
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
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PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
THE%20SWIMMERS
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
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