Latest news with #CooperSE
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Scotsman
2025 Mini John Cooper Works Electric review: Fastest mini you can buy is a hoot to drive, but hard to live with
Stylish and fun to drive, the Electric JCW beats its petrol cousin for pace in a sprint but the uncompromising ride could be for enthusiasts only Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This is the fastest-accelerating Mini you can buy today, the new-for-2025 John Cooper Works Electric. As you would probably expect, it's an absolute hoot to drive. But is it a car that you'd be happy living with on a daily basis? Let's delve deeper into the Mini JCW Electric, which now starts at £34,905. First, there's no denying it looks the bees knees. If you could draw your perfect hot hatch, the JCW Electric could well be that car. It comes with unmistakable styling. Extended rear spoiler: tick. Deep front bumper: tick. Stylish 18-inch alloys: tick. Lots of gloss black trim: tick. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And if that wasn't enough, Mini being Mini, there's a welter of personalised trinkets you can add to your JCW including a choice of six exterior colours, a multitude roof finishes, plus bonnet stripes. Inside, the cabin is a cocoon of black and red complete with the now well-established knitted-effect material on the dashboard and extremely supportive sports seats. It's probably the poshest small car cabin on the market. Plus there's bags of interior space upfront, with plenty of leg and head room. As usual rear space is tight, and the boot space is on the small side. Jim McGill with the Mini JCW Electric in the Cotswolds | Mini Power, charging and EV-range Compared to the 'standard' Cooper SE, power comes from a 227bhp motor driving the front wheels, but — and it's a big but — set on the left-hand of the steering wheel is a paddle labelled 'Boost. This unleashes another 27bhp maxing the JCW Electric at 254bhp and 250Ib/ft of torque. It gets the same 54.2kWh battery as the Cooper SE which gives an official WLTP range of 251 miles. And with its 95kW maximum rapid charge rate, you can complete a 10-80% charge on a powerful enough charger in under 30-minutes. Three-phase 11kW AC charging is also available. Performance and driving As I mentioned, it's quick. With the Boost engaged it'll scamper from standstill to 62mph in just 5.9 seconds. That's 0.2 seconds faster than the petrol-powered Mini John Cooper Works. The Electric version is always ready to explode into action. So far, so good. Here things begin to unravel just a tad, which I have to admit I find a pity. Regular readers will know my preference is for cars with firm suspension. But even I found myself questioning the ride comfort in the JCW Electric. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Where to start? Probably with Mini's tendency to always remind us that its new cars continue to have a 'go-kart' feeling to them. It's a big attraction both from a marketing perspective, and a real-world driving experience. Three-door Mini hatches are hugely enjoyable to drive. Full disclaimer: I have a 2015 1.5-litre, 3-door with 50,000-miles which I use as my daily runabout. Pepper white, black roof and alloys, bonnet stripes and rear privacy glass. I love it. So you can understand my eagerness to get behind the wheel of the JCW Electric. Fitted with high performance Hankook Ion Evo tyres and boasting a little extra camber on the front axle, early impressions on the Cotswold roads highlighted the car's eagerness to turn into corners with a sustained level of high grip. Climbing up the A44 heading away from Broadway it relished the tight hairpins. I experienced something in the car that I haven't felt for years … torque steer. It's not something modern cars generally suffer from, but was prevalent in turbocharged hot hatches of the Nineties and Noughties. Mini JCW Electric on the move in the Cotswolds | Mini Torque steer? It's the wriggling sensation fed through the steering wheel as the front tyres battle to cope with the significant amount of torque trying to find its way to the road. There's two ways of looking at the feeling. Either you find it exciting, or for most people in this day and age, a little unsophisticated. I suspect the Mini engineers in the development phase opted to give the JCW Electric a personality which would appeal to keen drivers, rather than the 'what is now the norm' bland steering and drive more common with the raft of modern-day EVs. For that I applaud them. But the feeling does take a bit of getting used to and will, for some drivers, prove a step too far. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Back in the day, I took a first-gen BMW Mini Cooper S cross-country from Oxford to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It was a sheer blast. Bone-hard suspension and superb grip allowing me to chuck the car into corners and have some real fun. My passenger sat quietly. For the return trip, I became the passenger. And the bone-jarring ride quickly became uncomfortable. It wasn't a pleasant ride home. Now the 2025 JCW Electric is nowhere near as severe as that. There's a sophistication to the chassis and the firmness of the ride which highlights it's firm by design. It's not uncouth. There's no sensation of the suspension crashing or being brittle. It's measured. But it does seem to identify ripples in the road surface that other cars would simply absorb. Most of my drive was on good quality, smooth A-roads. But it was when I came into town that the jiggling became more noticeable and, to be honest, a bit wearing, which is a pity. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Facts and figures Mini John Cooper Works Electric (2025) Price: From £34,905 Powertrain: 1x e-motor, 54.2kWh battery Power/Torque: 254bhp/340Nm Transmission: Single-speed, front-wheel drive Top speed / 0-62mph: 124mph / 5.9sec Range: 251-miles Charging: 95kW (10-80% in 30 minutes) CO2: 0g/km Dimensions (length/width/height): 3858mm / 1756mm / 1460mm On sale: Now Mini John Cooper Works Electric pricing and upgrades In standard trim the Mini John Cooper Works Electric starts at £34,905. But of course, there are a number of packs which will allow you to upgrade your car. The Level 2 pack adds tinted windows, a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, adaptive LED lights, a head-up display, wireless smartphone charging and keyless entry, all for £1,300. Add Level 3 and you get augmented-reality navigation, a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control with lane-keep assist, electric front seats, plus other features. It'll set you back another £3,800. That takes the total price up to £38,705. Interior shot of the Mini JCW Electric dashboard | Mini Verdict I'm torn. In football parlance, the Mini John Cooper Works Electric is a game of two 'halfs'. It is an absolute hoot to drive. It's undoubtedly quick and the cabin is to die for … as long as you have no more than two people onboard. But I couldn't live with it, if I'm honest. The ride is, sadly, much too firm even for me. I do though offer two solutions. If you're committed to going electric, go for the Cooper SE Sport and add a few extras to it. Not only will you save a few quid and get a 'JCW-lookalike', but more importantly a car much more comfortable to live with day-to-day.
The National
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Best photos of March 16: An Egyptian ‘musaharati' to Blood Moon in Dubai
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment Directed: Roland Emmerich Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss Rating: 3.5/5 stars Name: QyubicStarted: October 2023Founder: Namrata RainaBased: DubaiSector: E-commerceCurrent number of staff: 10Investment stage: Pre-seed Initial investment: Undisclosed Men – semi-finals 57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27. 67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28. 60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28 63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3. 71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28 81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27 86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE) Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman) Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman) On sale: Now Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman) %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A %3Cp%3E1.%20Protracted%20but%20less%20intense%20war%20(60%25%20likelihood)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20Negotiated%20end%20to%20the%20conflict%20(30%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E3.%20Russia%20seizes%20more%20territory%20(20%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.%20Ukraine%20pushes%20Russia%20back%20(10%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EForecast%20by%20Economist%20Intelligence%20Unit%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Who inspires you? I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women's rights activist How do you relax? Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we're practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres. What is favourite book? The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times What is your favourite Arabic film? Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki What is favourite English film? Mamma Mia Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google? If you're interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you're likely to identify the skills you need to develop. MEN Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan) T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan) Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England) WOMEN Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India) ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa) T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England) Updated: March 16, 2025, 11:23 AM
The National
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Inside the abandoned Iranian bases in Palmyra
Director: Ali Abbasi Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong Rating: 3/5 %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone. Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities. Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed. Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available. Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns. Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family. Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing. Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible. Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions. Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation. Source: American Paediatric Association Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km On sale: Available to order now Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE) Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman) Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman) On sale: Now Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman) AT4 Ultimate, as tested Engine: 6.2-litre V8 Power: 420hp Torque: 623Nm Transmission: 10-speed automatic Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800) On sale: Now Huddersfield Town 0 Chelsea 3 Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80') Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah Rating: 4/5 Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008) Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011) Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018) Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine Updated: March 14, 2025, 6:02 PM
