Hot Mini Great Fun 

By EWAN KENNEDY

Because even at 40 km/h the MINI’s sharp steering and willing engine are likely to put a smile on the face of those rebels who have the cheek to want to enjoy life.

The best MINI of them all has been a welcome visitor to our garage on the Gold Coast for the last week. The John Cooper Works machine has been worked over in every important direction and while it’s not cheap at over $50,000 on the road it provides a huge numbers of smiles per mile.

JCW is to MINI what HSV is to Holden and FPV to Ford Australia, producing performance enhanced versions of the original cars. John Cooper was a clever racing car designer and builder in the UK during the middle of the 20th century and provided racing machines for our own Jack Brabham amongst many others. These days JCW is run by John’s son Mike.

The BMW MINI at 3.7 metres long is considerably larger than the 3.0-metre original introduced in the 1950s, partly to allow safety to be engineered into the body, but also to provide more interior space. Though it’s still really a two-plus-two not a four-seater. We don’t have a problem with that, because this is more of a coupe in concept than a three-door hatchback. But if you’re thinking of using a MINI as a small family car make sure you take the kids along on your test drive, because there's not a lot of room back there.

Also lacking in room is the boot. One medium sized suitcase is going to fill it up. Folding one or both of the 50/50 split rear seat does open a lot of extra luggage space.

The engine in the JCW is identical to that in these MINI Challenge racing cars that are delighting race fans at various tracks throughout Australia. It is based on the standard turbocharged 1.6-litre Cooper S engine but with numerous modifications to the pistons, valves, turbocharger and intake/exhaust systems. These are aimed not only at producing more performance, but also at weight reduction for even better throttle response.

The result is an increase in power over the original turbo engine from 128 kW to 155 kW, and from 240 to 280 Nm of torque.

The original Mini of the 1960s ‘invented’ torque steer and this latest machine has the sudden change of steering direction under hard acceleration that reminds you it’s a car for serious drivers. Sloppy cruisy drivers are protected from the torque-steer effect by electronics in the ESP system – though we would prefer them to mend their ways rather than depend on the car to look after them.

Though there's the inevitable turbo lag from the engine, once that’s passed the little four-cylinder unit is delightfully responsive with the sort of urge that makes for plenty of smiles and safety.

The MINI JCW Hardtop can jump from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds, the sort of acceleration that required a gas guzzling V8 only a generation back.

Efficiency is a feature of modern turbocharged engines and MINI keeps fuel consumption and engine emissions well under control. Expect to use about eight to nine litres per hundred kilometres if you are stuck in commuting situations, this will rise to much higher numbers if you take if for a racetrack play of a weekend. But consumption can drop to as low as six to seven litres per hundred kilometres when you’re out having a quiet country cruise on your favourite Sunday-morning roads.

The JCW's brakes, slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox (thankfully, there's no automatic option), wheels and tyres have also been modified to cope with the extra engine and chassis performance.

MINI has steering that’s virtually instantly-responsive, indeed it’s almost too quick until you dial its fast characteristics into your sub-conscious. Then you really start to enjoy the way the car reacts to your every wish. Road grip is immense and you can control the JCW's line through bends just as much by using the throttle pedal as the steering wheel.

The big disc brakes feel like they could stop the car on a postage stamp and feel happy to keep on doing so all day long.

Adding to the enjoyment is the delightful interior which looks like nothing else on the market. There isn’t a right-angle or straight line anywhere, all the gauges and instruments are either round or oval, with the centrepiece being a huge speedo that really grabs the attention of anyone getting into the passenger seats for the first time.

Pure driving pleasure at any speed on any road is guaranteed for those who love their driving. Add some of the many factory or aftermarket accessories to your MINI and you will find yourself enjoying your motoring in a big way for years to come.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE

Mini Cooper 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $31,100
Mini Cooper Chilli 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $34,700

Mini Cooper S 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $39,900

Mini Cooper S Chilli 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $43,500

Mini John Cooper Works 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $48,800

Mini Cooper Clubman 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $34,400
Mini Cooper Clubman Chilli 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $38,200

Mini Cooper S Clubman 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $43,200

Mini Cooper S Clubman Chilli 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $47,000

Mini Clubman John Cooper Works 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $51,300

FEATURES

ABS Brakes: Standard in all models

Air Conditioning: Standard in all models

Automatic Transmission: Not offered in JCW, $2200 option in other models

CD Player: Standard in all models

Central Locking: Standard in all models

Cruise Control: Standard

Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models

Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models

Stability Control: Standard in all models

Traction Control: Standard in all models

SPECIFICATIONS (MINI John Cooper Works 1.6-litre three-door hatch)

ENGINE:

Capacity: 1.598 litres

Configuration: Four cylinders in line

Head Design: SOHC, four valves per cylinder

Compression Ratio: 10.0:1

Bore/Stroke: 77.0 x 85.8 mm

Maximum Power: 155 kW @ 6000 rpm

Maximum Torque: 260 Nm @ 1850-5600 rpm

DRIVELINE:

Driven Wheels: Front

Manual Transmission: Six-speed

Automatic Transmission: Not offered

Final Drive Ratio: 3.647:1

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 3714 mm

Wheelbase: 2467 mm

Width: 1683 mm

Height: 1407 mm

Turning Circle: 10.7 metres

Kerb Mass: 1130 kg

Fuel Tank Capacity: 50 litres

Towing Ability: Not recommended for towing

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:

Front Suspension: Single-joint MacPherson struts

Rear Suspension: Longitudinal control arm, centrally-mounted transverse links, z axle

Front Brakes: Ventilated disc

Rear Brakes: Disc

PERFORMANCE:

0-100 km/h Acceleration: 6.5 secs

FUEL CONSUMPTION:

Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON

Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (EU): 6.9 L/100km

STANDARD WARRANTY:

Three years / unlimited km