Redefining the sports car—The all-new MINI John Cooper Works

LOMBOK, Indonesia—I was browsing through the newly opened showroom of Lotus Cars along Ortigas Avenue in Greenhills one Sunday when the salesperson on duty casually remarked that British car lovers now have two sports car brands located right beside each other to choose from.

She gestured towards the adjacent showroom and pointed to a brace of Mini Coopers on display there. It was a slow and relaxed Sunday and I was with my family so I did not want to nit-pick the fact that a Mini Cooper, much unlike the waist-high Lotuses I was checking out, is not a sports car.   

Strictly speaking, it’s a hatchback; and by virtue of turbo power in the Cooper S and flagship John Cooper Works models, it’s a hot hatch. Sure, it’s plenty fast and has probably the most razor-sharp responses in all of automobiledom, but I’d still stop short of calling any front-wheel drive hatchback a sports car. No matter how fast it is.

And then I get an opportunity to test drive various Mini Coopers in the exotic island of Lombok in Indonesia. Unlike the much more commercialized Bali, Lombok has several sparsely visited beaches frequented mostly by Westerners. And it is in this setting that Sunny Medalla, head of Singapore-based Mini Asia, decided to have the regional media experience the Mini in.  

We got to drive both three-door and five-door versions of the Mini from the delightfully quick standard versions (powered by a turbo 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine) to the fast turbocharged S to the wickedly fast and furious John Cooper Works versions (the latter two powered by turbo 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines in two different states of tune). Needless to say, the JCW is the car to write home about. 

Mini Coopers may be mere hatchbacks, but these are premium hatchbacks with the engineering and manufacturing might of BMW behind them (the German carmaker being the owner of Mini for over a decade now). Even the interior smells like that of a BMW.

The impressive performance potential of the all-new Mini John Cooper Works is due to the most powerful engine ever installed in one of the brand’s production models. The power required for this new top-level driving fun is delivered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine based on the latest generation of power units with MINI Twin Power Turbo Technology. It generates 231 hp (up from 211hp) and 320 Nm (up from 260Nm), accelerating the new JCW from zero to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds (down from 6.7 seconds). With a figure of 5.6 seconds for acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h, the new JCW is still accelerating brutally at speeds where most cars start losing their breaths. It has a breathtaking (for its size) top speed of 246 km/h.

“Ever since legendary designer John Cooper discovered the sporting talent of the classic Mini presented in 1959, his name has stood for maximum driving fun and spectacular success on the race track with the small British car. Mini has carried a passion for motor racing in its genes for over 55 years and this is expressed more intensely than ever before in the extreme driving fun offered by the latest generation,” Willy Tee Ten, president of British United Automobiles Inc., the Philippine MINI distributor.

The new engine boasts turbocharging integrated in the exhaust manifold, direct injection with injectors arranged centrally between the valves, fully variable valve control in the form of VALVETRONIC as patented by BMW and variable camshaft control on the intake and exhaust side (Double VANOS). This design produces performance characteristics typical of a—wait for it—a sports car. The engine of the new Mini JCW responds spontaneously to the smallest movements of the accelerator pedal.

Yet another delight is the sound of the exhaust system. Hurtling the JCW along short straights and braking hard for approaching curves on a short track, the JCW’s exhaust pipes bark angrily in the best Italian sports car (there’s that “sports car” word again.) tradition as the drivetrain computer downshifts the 6-speed Steptronic transmission automatically. It’s a spine-tingling sound that will make you want to bring your JCW to a track every single weekend.  Of course, that delightful go-kart feel—thanks to a highly tuned sports suspension, Brembo brakes, and exclusive 18-inch light alloy wheels and tires, and that unbeatable combination of light weight, low center of gravity, rigid body structure, and wide track with short overhangs—make the driving dynamics simply spectacular. 

A high-tech touch in conjunction with the Mini’s navigation system is that the transmission is also able to take account of the route profile in controlling gearshifts. Based on navigation data, the appropriate drive position is selected to match the imminent situation on the road ahead, e.g. directly prior to junctions or on corners. This obviates the need for up shifts between two bends in quick succession, for example. Brilliant.

The standard Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) also comprises the functions Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC), and Performance Control, which supports agile turning when taking bends at speed. Torque steer is prevented by a Torque Steer Compensation function provided by the electromechanical power steering. Standard features also include the speed-related steering assistance system Servotronic as well as the Dynamic Damper Control, which allows selection of two setups for sport or comfort.

Style-wise, the hexagonal radiator grille has a characteristic honeycomb pattern and a cross member at the bottom edge finished in red. The John Cooper Works logo also appears here, as well as on the luggage compartment lid at the rear of the car. The standard LED headlamps are surrounded by a daytime driving light ring also in LED technology, the lower section of which is white and acts as the signal lamps.

Due to the increased dimensions compared to its predecessor, the new Mini JCW offers tangibly optimized space on the four seats. The luggage compartment now has a capacity of 211 liters (up from 160 liters). Beautiful and very supportive seats John Cooper Works sports seats with integrated headrests and model-specific upholstery in Dinamica/Carbon Black leather version adorn the top-of-the-line model. The exclusive standard fittings likewise include the new John Cooper Works leather steering wheel with multifunction buttons and the John Cooper Works entry sills, gear lever, stainless steel pedals, including driver footrest and anthracite roof liner.

The standard fittings of the new Mini JCW also include the Mini Driving Modes, which allow configuration of an individual setup. Using a rotary switch at the base of the gear lever, the driver can select not just the standard setting MID Mode but also the SPORT Mode and the GREEN Mode so as to activate a set-up that emphasizes sporty driving, a balanced, comfortable style or increased efficiency. The driving modes control the characteristic curves of the accelerator, steering and even the engine acoustics as well as the shifting characteristics of the automatic transmission, the Dynamic Damper Control program, the ambient lighting and the displays in the central instrument.

The racing feel inside the Mini JCW is enhanced with a Head-Up Display, which allows three displays designed in classic circular form. The sports instruments consist of displays for the oil and charge-air pressure as well as a chronometer with stopwatch function.

The full range of driver assistance systems is also optionally available for the new Mini JCW. This comprises the Driving Assistant System including camera-based active cruise control, collision and pedestrian warning with initial brake function, high beam assistant, road sign detection, Park Distance Control Rear, parking assistant and rear view camera. The Radio Mini Boost including Aux-In socket and USB interface are likewise standard features of the new JCW, and is supplemented with the standard Harman Kardon speaker system.

The Mini JCW retails for P3,550,000—a tall figure even for a very fast hatchback, but a veritable bargain in the realm of pure bang-for-the-buck cars that will put a smile on anyone’s face with its youthful looks and dynamite performance. That it can make anyone feel young—without making a person look like he’s in a midlife crisis—is priceless. Even super sports cars can’t do that.

The author about to take to the track in the black MINI JCW