Allow me, on behalf of the Editorial Team, to say this: If the MINI Cooper is a chilli, it would be mild, the Cooper S would be hot, and this JCW you see here would be off-the-record spicy.
These days, there are so many choices you can buy as a hot hatch. Other than the Volkswagen GTI, the BMW M135i and the Ford Focus ST, you can probably buy countless MINIs - from a hatch and a Clubman to a coupe and a convertible, and not forgetting a Countryman.
Founded in 2000 by John Cooper himself, John Cooper Works (JCW) is a company that produces tuning parts and accessories for MINI. It was only in 2008 when MINI added a newly race-bred hatch to the JCW family dubbed the MINI John Cooper Works. Ever since then, the German-owned British company never looked back.Exterior
Although the JCW Hatch is instantaneously recognisable as a MINI with its large, bug-eyed head lamps, oval shaped wing mirrors and down-swept grille, this is a much sportier looking MINI. Its frontal face is decidedly aggressive, thanks to the standard JCW aerodynamic kit, large grilles and air scoop on the bonnet.
These days, there are so many choices you can buy as a hot hatch. Other than the Volkswagen GTI, the BMW M135i and the Ford Focus ST, you can probably buy countless MINIs - from a hatch and a Clubman to a coupe and a convertible, and not forgetting a Countryman.
Founded in 2000 by John Cooper himself, John Cooper Works (JCW) is a company that produces tuning parts and accessories for MINI. It was only in 2008 when MINI added a newly race-bred hatch to the JCW family dubbed the MINI John Cooper Works. Ever since then, the German-owned British company never looked back.Exterior
Although the JCW Hatch is instantaneously recognisable as a MINI with its large, bug-eyed head lamps, oval shaped wing mirrors and down-swept grille, this is a much sportier looking MINI. Its frontal face is decidedly aggressive, thanks to the standard JCW aerodynamic kit, large grilles and air scoop on the bonnet.
Turning to the MINI JCW Hatch only when you have nothing else on the 'To Buy' list will be doing the car gross injustice, to say the least. Other than its 'tuned' bits and pieces, our test car came with the standard but no less antagonistic black and red colour, which further accentuates the car's potential to draw eyes to it regardless of whether you're at the lights or just childishly burning the tarmac on empty stretches of road.
To our eyes, the sizzling car is not just funky or groovy looking in any kind of way. It's sporty. Perhaps this has to do with the 17-inch polished black wheels that bears the JCW badge and the thrusting twin tailpipes. It's these extra bits that set this apart as a MINI that's not to be messed with.
To our eyes, the sizzling car is not just funky or groovy looking in any kind of way. It's sporty. Perhaps this has to do with the 17-inch polished black wheels that bears the JCW badge and the thrusting twin tailpipes. It's these extra bits that set this apart as a MINI that's not to be messed with.
Interior
The end result here is pretty appealing, just as it is on the outside. All MINI models share more than just their design DNA - the interior bits are shared across the range, too. But this is by no means a bore against MINI as on the whole, the cabin is a nice place to be in.
You will be greeted with the enormous round speedo and chromed toggle switches on the centre console. Not to mention that everything in the cabin is what you'd come to expect from one of the sportiest MINIs around, with flaming red dash, bucket seats and JCW badges on door sills and on the three-spoke sports leather steering wheel.
Tech wise, the interface is also very much like the funky and simplified version of BMW's iDrive. It uses a circular motif that will enable you to access different menus on the circular screen. And, of course, you'll be facing a convenient automatic gear lever instead of the manual one.
The end result here is pretty appealing, just as it is on the outside. All MINI models share more than just their design DNA - the interior bits are shared across the range, too. But this is by no means a bore against MINI as on the whole, the cabin is a nice place to be in.
You will be greeted with the enormous round speedo and chromed toggle switches on the centre console. Not to mention that everything in the cabin is what you'd come to expect from one of the sportiest MINIs around, with flaming red dash, bucket seats and JCW badges on door sills and on the three-spoke sports leather steering wheel.
Tech wise, the interface is also very much like the funky and simplified version of BMW's iDrive. It uses a circular motif that will enable you to access different menus on the circular screen. And, of course, you'll be facing a convenient automatic gear lever instead of the manual one.
Although it's one of the smaller cars currently in the market, the JCW is far larger than its truly classic miniature predecessors. Space is ample up front, and although rear seats are sufficient for children only, we reckon the car is best driven without anyone behind. More notably, the car is well put together, with first-rate stitched leather and high quality plastics intact - all done to convey MINI's trademark quality.
What's more important is that the feel-good quotient is still here in the JCW. It has such an enviable cabin that it's not hard to see why the car is still labeled as an icon of all time.
What's more important is that the feel-good quotient is still here in the JCW. It has such an enviable cabin that it's not hard to see why the car is still labeled as an icon of all time.
Drivetrain
True to its heritage, the JCW Hatchback is a pure-bred performance car. On paper, the hot hatch sounds like it'll be more than capable of bringing back trophies for boy racers. And it's true. It has 211 horses and 260Nm of torque (280Nm with the overboost function) residing in its 1.6-litre powerplant - more than sufficient to propel the JCW from 0 to 100km/h in a speedy 6.5 seconds.
As a result, the MINI JCW Hatch's prowess is nothing short of amazing. It allows overtaking to be ridiculously easy and childishly exciting as you squeeze the throttle and zoom past slower moving cars. Set it to Sport mode and the car transforms into a speed demon that will have you snapped back into the seat every time you floor the right pedal. It adds some heft to the already communicative steering and remaps the throttle to be more aggressive. It's also in this mode where the engine's intense roar and crackle will scare drivers away, as proof of what happened on the highway when we were testing the car.
Like all MINIs, the JCW excels in the handling front as well. It impresses not just with its immense power and speed but also with its impeccable road manners. It exhibits incredible grip and perfect poise as you forcefully carve your way around bends, and hear blips of the throttle as it downshifts. It reacts to your every input and is never nervous or a handful to control, which makes it an absolute delight to pilot.
Despite its chassis rigidity, the JCW doesn't feel all that bad when taking a leisurely stroll around town, too. No doubt that the car bounces over tarmac imperfections rather than socking them up gracefully, there wasn't a time when we felt that the ride was punishing.
What's more impressive is that JCW fans can now door-handle the car without worrying too much about fuel consumption. Mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that's capable of lightning quick shifts, we managed to clock 9km/L without even having to drive with a light foot.
Conclusion
We reckon there will be plenty who will find this car decisively more attractive, thanks to the newly introduced automatic transmission. Plus, with a sporty styling that's hard to ignore, coupled with ample power and torque on tap, the JCW Hatch is undoubtedly an accomplished package.
What's more impressive is that JCW fans can now door-handle the car without worrying too much about fuel consumption. Mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that's capable of lightning quick shifts, we managed to clock 9km/L without even having to drive with a light foot.
Conclusion
We reckon there will be plenty who will find this car decisively more attractive, thanks to the newly introduced automatic transmission. Plus, with a sporty styling that's hard to ignore, coupled with ample power and torque on tap, the JCW Hatch is undoubtedly an accomplished package.
