First Drive: 2025 Mini JCW Editions

News.com.au

13-05-2025

Ever heard of a Mini midlife crisis?
As men of a certain age suddenly buy motorcycles and take up triathlon, the fairer sex seems irresistibly drawn to the Mini brand once hitting their forties.
From Double Bay to Toorak and Cottesloe to Noosa, the well-dressed and well-heeled love a Mini badge, and the sportier the better. The BMW-owned Brit brand has unleashed its sportiest-of-all versions, delivering five different John Cooper Works (JCW) petrol and electric models – hatchbacks, SUVs and Convertible.
Beside normal Minis they bring improved performance, better road-holding, fancier cabins and lashings of JCW's signature black and red colouring. The added mongrel expands the target market too. Image-conscious chaps rejecting basic three-cylinder cute-faced Minis can seemingly better accept these race-bred versions.
MINI MAGIC
JCW magic's been sprinkled on the three-door petrol Cooper hatch (from $57,990 plus on-roads), its EV equivalent ($63,990), two-door petrol Convertible ($64,990), Aceman electric city SUV ($65,990) and larger petrol Countryman all-wheel-drive SUV ($70,990).
'Mini is about the go-kart feeling, and when you look at John Cooper Works, this is about pinnacle go-kart feeling,' explained Mini Australia GM Alex Brockhoff.
But do all JCW Minis qualify? Soft tops, top-heavy SUVs and electric motors feel a long way from the tiny lightweight original Minis that won Monte Carlo Rallies and at Bathurst in the 1960s.
We wanted to find out.
We were given the five JCW variants and the tight, twisty track at RACQ's Mobility Centre in Brisbane for some Italian Job-esque shenanigans.
First up, the electrics.
These already lose tradition points by being Chinese assembled, whereas petrol-powered Minis still hail from Oxford in England. Shorter than a Toyota Yaris, the three-door Mini E hatch is a tiny unit, but boy it looks ready for cornering mischief. In Go Kart Mode there's 190kW and 350Nm offered, and it's the quickest front-wheel-drive Mini sold, hitting 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.
All that torque arrives at first squeeze of your right toe, and despite weighing a quite lardy 1650kg, this JCW E darts into and around corners with kitten-like playfulness. There's mega pull out of turns thanks to the e-motor, and a cosmic fake sound gives whooshing accompaniment. But I could live without cheesy applause and a cheer when moving into its fastest drive mode.
IT'S ACE MAN
The electric Aceman's next, which outdoes the hatchback for visual clout with squared-off lights and muscled wheel arches. It also brings a more family-friendly rear seat and boot: 300L still isn't much, but there's 90L more than the three-door.
This larger EV tips scales at 1745kg, so needs an extra half-second to find 100km/h using the same 190kW/350Nm e-motor. There's still fun aplenty, but not quite the zip and eagerness to change direction.
It wins as an all-rounder, but peak joy is found elsewhere.
Is it in the JCW Countryman?
We're now in something with a combustion engine, ready to burn petrol. Hurrah! Which will cost you – its 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder drinks at 7.7L per 100km, and demands the priciest 98 fuel.
The Countryman straddles small/medium SUV size, and is the most powerful, quickest thing in JCW's stable with 233kW/400Nm and 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds. It's also, at up to $80k drive-away, Audi Q5 money. Gulp.
Key for our track test, this not-mini Mini is 200kg lighter than the electric Aceman, despite being a good deal larger – much more rear and boot space – and with all-wheel-drive.
I welcome the appreciated vibration and noise (albeit forced through speakers) of a petrol engine, and good grief this top-heavy lump can shift.
On track it's superb for a family SUV. Yes, there's body roll, but standard adaptive suspension gets set to lowest and raciest, throttle response is eager and the steering sharp.
It's quickest here and with all-wheel-drive control, but it's tough to find those promised go-kart qualities.
GO KART MODE
For that, try the cheapest and least powerful: the petrol JCW hatch. Also a four-cylinder turbo, its 170kW/380Nm brings 100km/h in 6.1 seconds – all you need from a hot hatch.
At 1300kg it's 350kg under its electric equivalent, and it immediately shows.
Here's your proper plaything with romping, stomping torque and a love of corners. Its tininess means it darts around like an angry fly, and Go Kart mode's traction control allows a healthy dose of old-school lift-off oversteer before throwing the safety net. There's not the all-out mechanical smarts and mad dog of, say, a Hyundai i20N or i30N, but there's still fun in spades.
Lacking for the true enthusiast is a manual gearbox – a slick seven-speed dual clutch auto's the only option for all petrol JCWs – but we're reminded barely anyone bought them when offered. Shame.
My final drive's in the pricey Convertible.
It's a dash slower than the hardtop, but who cares when you can be a pretend rally hero with sun on your face and exhaust barking behind?
Even so, fun Convertible posing makes better sense in a $13,000 cheaper Classic model.
The petrol JCW hatch is my pick, but there's benefits to all. Cabins are standout; a tasty blend of funky and luxury.
Faux leather seats are sculpted, heated and with lots of racy red stitching; Harman/Kardon covers your audio, a 240mm central OLED screen is delightful and there's goodies like glass roof, wireless charging, surround view cameras and all the key useful safety kit.
We couldn't test their on-road manners. It's buyer beware here, as previous JCWs have been – at best – very firm, and at worst, spine-smashing.
But we must celebrate the Works badges on each of these Minis. It's a long and varied range, and it's joyous the cheapest and purest of the breed still comes out on top. For this go-karting fan anyway.