The most powerful Mini ever, the 2015 John Cooper Works - First drive impression

Dynamite, small packages and all that, the Mini Cooper has always been the flag bearer for this idiom and no model more so than the repeatedly entertaining John Cooper Works derivative.

The latest incarnation of the famed model is coded the F56 and features a host of new developments and additions that BMW-Mini believes makes this the best JCW to date. It certainly is the most powerful one yet.

Motor

Powered by a 2-litre, 4-cylinder motor with direct injection and a single twin scroll turbocharger, the F56 makes 170kW and 320Nm torque, all directed to the front wheels.

The new engine is fitted with optimised pistons, Valvetronic and a turbocharger designed specifically for the JCW. This means that the F56 has 10% more power than the previous model and 23% more torque. It’s more efficient too with a 20% reduction in emissions and 19% better CO2.

It translates into a quicker car all around. The 0 - 100km/h sprint is completed in 6.1-seconds in the Steptronic model and 6.3-seconds in the manual model (which will be available in Q4 this year). The power is available right off of idle and makes driving in traffic effortless. It also pulls strong right up to the redline where the gearbox will automatically select the next gear, regardless of drive mode, of which there are three.

Driving Modes

The Green economy mode leaves the drive feeling a little soft with throttle inputs needing to be exaggerated in order to get the desired effect when pulling into traffic. This is probably the least fun way to drive the car and as long as you have economy in mind, it’s acceptable.

The Mid mode gives a reasonable amount of response and agility, naturally at the cost of some economy - I believe most will end up leaving it in this mode as it is the most friendly for daily driving and traffic situations.

Sport most engages the “Maximum Go Kart Feel” and livens up the chassis, the throttle becomes a trigger and the crackle and pop from the exhaust is exaggerated - it all leaves you feeling 5-years old again. But only for so long as prolonged Sport mode will lead to trouble.

Gearbox

The 6-speed Steptronic is a pleasure to drive and the shifts are quick enough to keep things sporty, even if it never truly allows you full control. Down shifts can clearly be felt as the high compression motor delivers a little engine braking.

Quick shifts at full throttle in the mid rev range will coax the aforementioned barks and burps and coming off the power quickly will see the overrun tickle your ears with a crackle and snort.

The improved performance from the Steptronic option is going to see more of these sold than the manual, but you will still find the few purists hankering for the manual model.

Suspension

A new and improved suspension arrangement gives the Mini JCW wonderfully direct handling and steering is so direct that it caught me out on a few occasions. While you would ordinarily steer and await the response from the car, in the JCW it is an instant action. This results in you turning in a little too much and quickly opening up the steering angle to avoid clipping too early an apex (and the consequent lamp post).

The drive is firm, very firm, no matter what mode you select. Some may find it too firm but those that walk in and ask for the JCW by name will revel in the feedback and feel from the suspension.

The electronic differential (EDLC) helps curb understeer and minimises torque steer while accelerating. It’s a necessity when trying to send this much power to the front wheels.

Thanks to the suspension and design, the traction levels both laterally and longitudinally are impressive with minimal weight transfer taking place. This leaves the front wheels with more traction than before, a contributing factor to those improved acceleration times.

Styling

The styling of the new JCW is the typical loud and in-your-face approach with large air dams and spoilers dominating the design. The front has been fitted with LED headlights as standard, complete with DRL rings.

The rear roof spoiler is a large contoured item but yet it doesn’t look out of place, not when the twin, center exhausts and larger rear taillights are thrown into the mix. The side sills have been optimised for airflow and the front bumper is devoid of spotlights, with brake cooling ducts occupying their space in the JCW.

Interior

It’s a typical quirky, fun environment inside the JCW with a few additional touches to remind you that the loud pedal is connected to something special. The center display has an ambient lighting ring that serves various functions, such as an econoscope or tachometer. It’s decorated with chronograph style markings while the gear selector surround has a rotating ring which serves as the driving mode selector.

The guarded toggles switch approach has been retained with controls for driving aides and the start toggle low down in the center console while the roof has the lighting switches in a similar fashion.

Pricing

The Mini John Cooper Works retails for R418 000 in manual and R440 000 in Steptronic Automatic.