JCW rules
Race car builder and tuner extraordinaire John Cooper (the man behind the Cooper nameplate) founded John Cooper Works in 2000 but sadly passed away a short while later. Nevertheless, his expertise and vision lives on and it is his passion that flows through today’s best driving small car.
What makes the MINI JCW so scrum-diddly-icious? Where to begin? Let's go with the turbocharged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine. In Cooper S guise, it produces 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. From there, JCW coaxes out an extra 27 hp and 15 torques. That's just half the story. The JCW has an overboost (how's that for a dirty word?) function that can sporadically raise twisting force to a sultry 207 lb-ft.
That extra oomph hangs around from 2,000 all the way to 5,100 rpm, permitting an impressive burst of grin-extending acceleration. The JCW slashes on to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, besting the regular Cooper S by a full half second.
Bridging the short gap between motor and wheels is a sweetly heavy, yet positive-action 6-speed manual gearbox. Whether accelerating, shifting or decelerating, the car generates a cacophony of delectable burbles, whooshes and growls. During my time at the wheel, I purposefully needlessly upshifted, rev-matched downshifted just to soak in the full crescendo of sounds. Very intoxicating.
The round Sport button (an absolute must to experience) provides further smiles to the driver's lips. The exhaust begins to crackle at every prod of the go-pedal; said pedal becomes increasingly anxious to please and the entire car transforms, pushing you to fully exploit everything the little mill can offer. Think of it as tough-guy Thor getting his hammer back...
Race car builder and tuner extraordinaire John Cooper (the man behind the Cooper nameplate) founded John Cooper Works in 2000 but sadly passed away a short while later. Nevertheless, his expertise and vision lives on and it is his passion that flows through today’s best driving small car.
What makes the MINI JCW so scrum-diddly-icious? Where to begin? Let's go with the turbocharged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine. In Cooper S guise, it produces 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. From there, JCW coaxes out an extra 27 hp and 15 torques. That's just half the story. The JCW has an overboost (how's that for a dirty word?) function that can sporadically raise twisting force to a sultry 207 lb-ft.
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| In Cooper S guise, it produces 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. From there, JCW coaxes out an extra 27 hp and 15 torques. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
That extra oomph hangs around from 2,000 all the way to 5,100 rpm, permitting an impressive burst of grin-extending acceleration. The JCW slashes on to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, besting the regular Cooper S by a full half second.
Bridging the short gap between motor and wheels is a sweetly heavy, yet positive-action 6-speed manual gearbox. Whether accelerating, shifting or decelerating, the car generates a cacophony of delectable burbles, whooshes and growls. During my time at the wheel, I purposefully needlessly upshifted, rev-matched downshifted just to soak in the full crescendo of sounds. Very intoxicating.
The round Sport button (an absolute must to experience) provides further smiles to the driver's lips. The exhaust begins to crackle at every prod of the go-pedal; said pedal becomes increasingly anxious to please and the entire car transforms, pushing you to fully exploit everything the little mill can offer. Think of it as tough-guy Thor getting his hammer back...
 |
| The round Sport button (an absolute must to experience) provides further smiles to the driver's lips. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |