Mini JCW road test review
If you're in the market for a hot hatch you might want to go out and buy a damn good thinking cap first.
There's the rounded brilliance of VW's Golf GTI, the maniacal thrills of Renault's Megane RS and the sheer bang for your bucks of Ford's Fiesta ST, plus multiple other contenders of almost every persuasion, pedigree and budget to cloud the matter – most of them good.
The arrival of a new third-generation version of the Mini you buy when a Cooper S just isn't mad and bad enough – the hopped-up John Cooper Works, or JCW – would seem to make the choice only harder.
What do you get?
The JCW kicks off about $10k higher than its Cooper S sibling at $47,400 plus on-road costs for the manual and $49,950 for the auto tested here.
That takes it beyond the realm of most light-sized alternatives (Audi's S1 excepted) and into battle with a host of very serious small-sized contenders.
You do get a step up in intensity over the Cooper S to justify the cost. The 2.0-litre turbo four is more powerful (170kW, up from 141kW) and it's endowed with more serious brakes, bigger rolling stock (18-inch, up from 17s) and switchable suspension, plus various body, seating and other addenda that reflect its range-topper status.
Mini has thrown in more luxuries, too, including a more trick sat-nav/infotainment system with a bigger screen (8.8-inch versus 6.5), hard-drive storage, digital radio and premium Harmon Kardon sound. It also picks up a reversing camera, front parking sensors, LED headlights and a head-up display with JCW-specific content (i.e. engine revs, gear indicator, shift point, etc).
Despite ticking a lot of safety-equipment boxes, however, the Mini has only received a four-star rating from the ANCAP crash-test regime. If you'd like to tap into the Mini's newfound five-door practicality you might be miffed that the JCW is a three-door-only deal.
And Mini doesn't do capped-price servicing, at least the way the most mainstream brands do. You can, however, buy into the company's 'TLC' program and fix ongoing service costs with an upfront payment.
There are two packages – TLC Basic to TLC Plus – but JCW buyers would likely want the latter given it adds brakes, clutch and other areas to the included items. Within that, you can tailor your desired time and distance from three years/40,000km ($1086 excluding GST) up to five years/80,000km ($2907 excluding GST).
What's inside?
Like all third-gen Minis, the JCW is roomier than the old one. Front-seat occupants enjoy a spacious environment and the back seat and boot aren't so restrictive.
By any other measure, though, the Mini is still practically challenged. Six-footers can fit in the two-person rear bench but only as a short-run prospect at best, and there are the access issues that come with the three-door body. The 211-litre boot is much smaller than you're average light-sized hatch, though the split-fold back seats add welcome capacity (731 litres) if you're running two-up.
The JCW does a much better job of flattering the driver, who enjoys sprawling space and comfortable, highly supportive seating. The infotainment system is essentially a rebadged version of BMW's current iDrive setup, and is feature-packed, nicely presented and as easy as any to use.
The various JCW-specific trims and other touches leave no doubt as to the intent. Combined with usual riot-of-circles Mini design and various coloured LEDs, this is not a car that feels run of the mill from behind the wheel, or downmarket.
You do, though, get the feeling the designers didn't know when to put the pen down. With its chequered-flag graphics, JCW badges and colour contrasts, the atmosphere has a faint whiff of the 1980s (i.e. that wonderful time when a car with a turbo had to have 'turbo' plastered everywhere) and lacks the integrity of cheaper models.
Under the bonnet
Like the Cooper S, the new JCW has a bigger turbocharged four-cylinder engine than its predecessor (2.0-litres, up from 1.6). Its 170kW power and 320Nm torque peaks represent jumps of 10 per cent and 23 per cent respectively, and its 6.3-second 0-100km/h credentials are 0.2 seconds quicker than the old car. Six-speed auto models are quicker still (6.1 seconds).
The extra speed has no economy downside. Manual models rate 6.7L/100km on the official scale, a fraction better than before, while autos clock a 5.8L/100km result, 20 per cent better than the old model.
It wasn't that long ago that a 2.0-litre turbo four with this kind of go would inevitably be a little peaky. The JCW's is as flexible and accommodating as Pat Rafter – totally unfussed while burbling along at low engine speeds yet capable of delivering muscular, easygoing response when demanded without delay or bluster.
Select 'sport' driving mode, keep the foot in and the revs coming, and the JCW donk shows its true colours with its ever-swelling power, free-spinning glee and popping, bubbling soundtrack. The penalty we paid at the pump during our test (6.8L/100km) wasn't too bad, though a preference for 95 RON premium unleaded adds to the cost.
We'd personally choose a manual if we were buying a JCW but the auto isn't a ticket to dullsville with its decisive yet creamy-smooth behaviour, plus manual-shift paddles on the steering wheel.
On the road
There's an eagerness to the way the JCW dives into corners, and it stays impressively flat and puts its power down well, too. The brakes are strong and confidence-inspiring. Some rivals run bigger 19-inch rubber but its roadholding in the dry conditions we tested it in was anything but limp-wristed.
For all its good-time qualities, though, the steering is a bit of a letdown. It's responsive, linear and it doesn't take long to learn you can lean on it, but the reading of the road it delivers is dull and the weighting – which changes depending on which driving mode you're in – is too obviously artificial.
There are ride-comfort issues that ensure the JCW's full sporting capacities aren't always accessible. 'Sport' mode works a treat for ripping up smooth roads but struggles with deep, sharp bumps and is restless on the lumpy, craggy tarmac that occupies that fat middle of the bell curve in our country. 'Comfort' mode, while not exactly plush, is a better compromise between comfort and control, and a more sensible default.
Verdict
The JCW is more expensive than a Cooper S but more striking to look at, more intoxicating to drive and better equipped. In terms of doing the job asked of it – being the ultimate Mini – it's mission achieved.
Whether that means you should buy one is harder to answer. It is more thrilling than an S but its sweet spot is smaller and it costs a lot more. A lot of the time you'd probably be enjoying yourself just as much in the cheaper car.
Widen your focus beyond the Mini ranch, meanwhile, and there are questions over its practicality, comfort and whether it rings a driver's bells quite as well as it could. Better find that thinking cap.
2015 Mini John Cooper Works price and specifications
How much? From $49,950
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 170kW
Torque: 320Nm
Transmission: 6-spd auto, FWD
Fuel use: 6.7L/100km
Our score: 6.7/10
The competitors
Audi S1
Mercedes-Benz A250 Sport
Renault Megane RS265
Volkswagen Scirocco R