MINI JCW hatch - 5 things that make this car utterly brilliant

The MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Hatch is essentially a faster, more hardcore version of the Cooper S which is already pretty fast with its 2.0L Twinpower Turbo engine. The JCW team got their hands on this excellent powertrain. They tweaked and tuned it, added a new exhaust system making the JCW produce 231 hp with 320Nm of torque and a 0-60 dash in only 6.1 seconds for the automatic and 6.3 seconds for the manual.

1) THE EXHAUST

The standard dual exhaust on the Cooper S sounds great, but the JCW exhaust is on another level. As you start up the engine the exhaust resonates a throaty, powerful growl. It’s probably double the loudness of the Cooper S (which is a sweet sounder). In the overrun the exhaust blips, gargles and pops, almost like the automotive equivalent of the car coughing a bit of petrol-y phelm.

2) BIG ENGINE, SMALL CAR

With the added horsepower and torque, the JCW is nothing short of pure fun when driving ‘dynamically’. You’ll also have fun at pretty much any speed thanks to all that low-end torque. The car constantly feels poised, and even in Green Mode, power is there if you desire it.

3) THE STEERING

Surprisingly with the new LCI models, MINI has lightened up the steering slightly. There’s still a good amount of weight to the wheel, but it’s not as heavy as in the F56 models. The steering is direct and has a good connection to the wheels. The steering gets heavier in Sport Mode, giving you that extra bit of brave juice when taking your next corner.

4) MEGA BRAKES

The brakes on the JCW hatch have more stopping power than an armour-piercing round. The front brakes are nearly half the size of the discs meaning this car stops very well, they brake hard but progressively with no harsh start or finish. It’s all smooth (safe) sailing here.

5) GO-KART HANDLING

The BMW-MINI brand has played heavily on its ‘go-kart handling’. Like all MINI models, it corners remarkably well with its good centre of gravity playing a large part in this. The JCW enjoys taking corners at speed and it feels confident and safe in doing so. It is simply impossible to drive this car without grinning like a Chesire Cat.

CONCLUSION

The JCW is often forgotten in the competitive world of hot hatchbacks. Its got the engine, the agility and the performance figures to back it up, but its looks are either loved or hated which can be off-putting for some. The JCW Hatch starts at £23k, which for what you get is reasonable. The only issue is that with MINI being MINI, by the time you’ve added a few options, you could be knocking on the door of £30K easily.

I’d like to say a huge thanks to Barretts MINI Ashford for loaning me this beautiful high-spec JCW Hatch in Solaris Orange whilst my Cooper S was with them.
I don’t think I’d pick this colour, but what a striking little hothatch!

What do you think of the JCW hatch?

Let me know in the comments!