Has Mini turned its John Cooper Works into the ultimate supermini? Has it lost the plot or is the automaker on to something special here with its latest JCW sport-tuned offering?
Who is John Cooper? A chap born in 1923 who laid the foundation for Mini’s racing heritage for the past 55 years which was continued by his offspring. Fast forward to 2015 and John Cooper Works legacy continues with a blistering little hatchback.
It's incredibly quick off the line and its performance is on par with more popular hatches in SA.
Mini has always won the hearts of female drivers – not that it’s a ">car for girls"> but the automaker has garnered a reputation for being a cute, compact hatchback. Mini has evolved over the years to become a wolf in sheep’s clothes and, anyone behind the wheel of the new JCW should not be underestimated – at least the car shouldn’t be.
It's a ">new generation of thrills"> says the automaker and with 170kW on tap, brilliant handling and road-hugging ability, it's hard to argue with Mini.
The John Cooper Works models are targeted at a global niche and the truth is in the numbers. Since its original debut in 2008 there are 562 units driving the streets of South Africa.
Mini has given the new JCW the complete works, no pun intended. We’re talking a newly developed 2.0 litre four-cylinder TwinTurbo Technology engine with optimised suspension, a sports brake system, optimised aerodynamics which all boost performance-oriented power delivery and emotive sound thanks to specifically designed pistons, turbocharger and tuned exhaust.
This car has the most powerful engine ever fitted in the brand’s serial production model range, claims the automaker. Power figures are rated at a 10% increase of 170kW compared to the previous model and 23% more torque at 320Nm; 6.7 litres/100km combined fuel consumption and 156g/km CO2 emissions.
For now, the JCW is available with a six-speed Steptronic sports transmission –which will later be available as optional when the six-speed manual gearbox is available as of September/October 2015. Production for the manual version only began in July.