Latest news with #JohnCooperWorks
The Sun
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Mini John Cooper Works Electric is a riot on wheels with Mario Kart vibes, punchy pace and top tech cabin
IF your bin lid is addicted to driving games like Mario Kart or Gran Turismo, trust me, that's good parenting. They'll make safer drivers one day. 3 3 3 All the research I've seen suggests gamers have faster reaction times, better awareness of what's going on around them, and greater driving confidence. They are also less likely to get penalty points. I was reminded of this trying the new Mini John Cooper Works Electric. Basically half-car, half-PlayStation. Pop it in 'Go-Kart' mode and you'll hear a cheery 'Woo-hoo', like you've just landed in Mario Kart World. The boost button on the steering wheel is for instant acceleration, obviously. But it also flashes up a kaleidoscope of patterns on the touchscreen counting down from ten seconds to zero. Your passengers will enjoy that. You'll be too busy trying to dodge bananas on Rainbow Road. Every Mini is wired for fun. You know that. You don't need to slow for corners in a Mini. JCW versions dial everything up to 11. Especially the electric one. Mini Cooper Electric is fun & fast with classic cabin & stripped-back looks that recaptures feel of legendary ancestors The petrol JCW is 231hp and catapults from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds. The electric JCW is 258hp, including that 27hp boost function, and two tenths quicker off the line. You can also play 'Go Kart Go' and 'Burnin' Rubber 5' on that dinner plate-sized OLED screen. There's not much in it in terms of cost. About £2k extra for the EV. The sticky bit is range. You'll get around 160-180 miles in the real world. So you'll need a driveway to top up the battery overnight. The petrol JCW goes a lot further. As for looks, the regular Mini Cooper is class – inside and out. JCWs have more attitude with bonnet stripes, a siiiiiiick red-to-black roof fade, red brake calipers, chequered flag detailing and so on. I'm repeating myself here but Mini cabin quality is absolutely top notch these days. Retro toggle bar and turn-key start mixed with cutting-edge BMW tech and knitted recycled materials. You can also play 'Go Kart Go' and 'Burnin' Rubber 5' on that dinner plate-sized OLED screen.
Top Gear
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Mini Cooper Electric Price & Specs
Advertisement Title 0-62 kWh BHP Range (Comb.) Price 190kW John Cooper Works [Level 3] 54kWh 3dr Auto 5.9s 54.2 kWh 254.8 227.4 miles £38,640 190kW John Cooper Works [Level 2] 54kWh 3dr Auto 5.9s 54.2 kWh 254.8 228 miles £36,140 190kW John Cooper Works 54kWh 3dr Auto 5.9s 54.2 kWh 254.8 230.5 miles £34,840 160kW SE Sport [Level 3] 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 239.2 miles £37,840 160kW SE Sport [Level 2] 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 239.8 miles £35,340 160kW SE Sport 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 242.3 miles £33,340 135kW E Sport [Level 3] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 179.6 miles £36,840 135kW E Sport [Level 2] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 180.2 miles £34,340 135kW E Sport [Level 1] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 182.1 miles £32,340 135kW E Sport 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 182.1 miles £30,340 160kW SE Exclusive [Level 3] 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 239.8 miles £36,540 160kW SE Exclusive [Level 2] 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 240.5 miles £34,040 160kW SE Exclusive 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 243 miles £32,040 135kW E Exclusive [Level 2] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 180.8 miles £33,040 135kW E Exclusive [Level 1] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 182.1 miles £31,040 135kW E Exclusive 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 182.7 miles £29,040 160kW SE Classic [Level 2] 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 244.8 miles £31,840 160kW SE Classic 54kWh 3dr Auto 6.7s 54.2 kWh 214.6 247.3 miles £29,840 135kW E Classic [Level 2] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 183.9 miles £30,840 135kW E Classic [Level 1] 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 185.2 miles £28,840 135kW E Classic 41kWh 3dr Auto 7.3s 40.7 kWh 181 185.8 miles £26,840 You might like
Auto Express
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
New MINI JCW Electric 2025 review: fast, frantic and playful
John Cooper Works' first stab at an electric hot hatch has its flaws, but it's hard to deny that it's a huge giggle to drive. Fast, frantic and playful, there's an awful lot to make you smile, which is a huge hurdle that very few electric cars have managed to overcome. Still, once many prospective buyers put on their sensible hats, the cons can become too much to overlook. The small rear-seat space, the potentially limited range and particularly the relentlessly firm ride make this MINI a little harder to justify. Advertisement - Article continues below Torque steer is a sensation that will be fairly unfamiliar to new car drivers. But those who have owned an earlier turbocharged hot hatchback from the noughties, or any of the more punchy Saabs from the same era, will know all about the wriggling sensation from the steering wheel as a big whack of torque is trying to make its way through the front wheels and onto the asphalt. Depending on your point of view, it was something that felt either quite exciting or a little uncouth. We have a sneaking suspension that MINI engineers fall into the former camp, because it's a sensation that's well and truly back with this: the John Cooper Works Electric. We're sure that some clever electronic trickery could have ironed it out of what is the fastest-accelerating Mini you can buy today. But when the engineers were trying to develop some personality for an EV designed to appeal to keen drivers, they took the JCW down a slightly unconventional route. One which wiggles from side to side a bit. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View CX-30 View CX-5 Keep that front end pointing vaguely in a straight line, and the MINI's not short on performance either. Power comes from a 227bhp motor driving the front wheels, but flicking the paddle labeled 'Boost' behind the left-hand spoke of the steering wheel means another 27bhp chips in – and the JCW can sprint from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds; that figure undercuts the rival Alpine A290 by half a second, and blows the similarly priced Abarth 500e clean out of the water with its seven-second time. It also undercuts the petrol-powered Mini John Cooper Works by 0.2 seconds. Advertisement - Article continues below And while that car needs to be in the right gear at the right time to extract its full performance, the Electric model is always on it. The throttle response is well judged - lively but not too lively. MINI is regularly at pains to remind us all of the 'go-kart' feeling that runs through each one of its new cars. At times that claim feels like a bit of a stretch, but the John Cooper Works Electric hits the mark better than pretty much anything else in the brand's current range. Helping on its way to achieve this are some JCW-specific features; these include a little extra camber on the front axle and some-high performance Hankook Ion Evo tyres. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below With no engine up front, the Electric version feels even keener to turn into corners than its petrol counterpart, and once loaded up through the turns, it's more responsive to throttle adjustment mid-corner. Unlike some of the less sporty rubber fitted to lesser Minis, its tyres have impressively high grip levels, and everything remains fairly predictable once their limits arrive. But for all of the areas where the John Cooper Works Electric impresses, there's one crucial way in which it doesn't feel like a go-kart – and another where it does, but we'd much prefer that it didn't. Advertisement - Article continues below In the first camp is the steering. Yes, it's incredibly responsive – so much so that we found ourselves initially applying too much lock into a corner until we'd fully dialled into its sensitivity – but that level of sensitivity needs some feedback to be fully trusted, and the JCW offers very little at all. Feel and feedback can make any car more fun, but it's even more important in a hot hatch, so it's a shame there's not much to rely on here. Then there's the ride comfort - an area where we'd happily sacrifice some kart-like behaviour for a little more compliance. The JCW is very firm over bumps; it picks up ripples in the road surface that barely register in most other cars. In some ways, this makes the mix of strong acceleration and that torque steer even more exciting and even more of a giggle, but when you're just in the mood to settle down and take it easy, the MINI still feels like it's up for another round. The set-up isn't unduly crashy or brittle, so it's clear that there's sophistication to the chassis, but the constant jiggling over any road surface does become rather wearing on a longer journey. According to WLTP data, the longest journey that the JCW can stretch to is 251 miles before its 54.2kWh battery runs out of juice. Our time behind the wheel was spent driving enthusiastically, so we'll reserve our full judgement until we drive the car in more mixed environments, and take our figure of 3.2 miles/kWh with a slight pinch of salt. That's a real-world range of 157 miles, recorded on a mild day – a high of 15 degrees centigrade – so there's space for that to improve in warmer temperatures and drop lower still in winter. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below At 95kW, the charging speeds are roughly on the money with the MINI's closest rivals, 15kW faster than the Abarth, and just 5kW short of the Alpine. Officially, a 10-80 per cent charge takes 30 minutes. Setting aside the MINI's on-road manners, potentially limited range and some very tight rear seats, the main thing that has kept buyers coming back is the car's unmistakable style, and performance car fans are in for a treat with the JCW. A deep front bumper, an extended rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels and lots of gloss black trim can be enhanced with the likes of bonnet stripes, multitone roof finishes and a choice of six exterior colours. Inside, there's a clear black and red theme, with supportive sports seats and the knitted-effect material on the dashboard. Prices for the JCW start from £34,905, with a couple of packs upgrading the car from its standard spec. The £1,300 Level 2 pack adds adaptive LED lights, keyless entry, heated front seats, a head-up display, wireless smartphone charging, tinted windows and a panoramic sunroof. On top of these features, the Level 3 pack adds electric front seats, adaptive cruise control with lane-keep assist, augmented-reality navigation and a 360-degree parking camera, among other features. This pack costs £3,800, taking the total cost up to £38,705. Those numbers tally up fairly nicely with the A290, with its base model starting from £33,500 and the Premiere Edition rising to £38,500. Model: MINI John Cooper Works Electric Price from: £34,905 Powertrain: 1x e-motor, 54.2kWh battery Power/torque: 254bhp/340Nm Transmission: Single-speed, front-wheel drive 0-62mph: 5.9 seconds Top speed: 124mph Range: 251 miles Charging: 95kW (10-80% in 30 minutes) Size (L/W/H): 3,858/1,756/1,460mm On sale: Now Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Email It's only a matter of time before Jaguar Land Rover builds a factory in the USA It's only a matter of time before Jaguar Land Rover builds a factory in the USA Mike Rutherford thinks Jaguar's 'Reimagine' strategy will result in the company exploring further opportunities in the USA Labour hints at major luxury car tax U-turn to boost EV sales Labour hints at major luxury car tax U-turn to boost EV sales Is pressure from retailers and car makers finally cutting through with ministers? Car Deal of the Day: Ford Explorer gives you practicality, style and EV power for £228 a month Car Deal of the Day: Ford Explorer gives you practicality, style and EV power for £228 a month Family-friendly SUV is arguably Ford's best electric car, and great value, too. It's our Deal of the Day for 24 May
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Globe and Mail
Mini Cooper JCW is a niche within a niche and the personality comes with a price
The Cooper 3-door is one of the few small cars left. With the departure of the gas-powered Fiat 500, there's nothing else quite like it on the market. It's cute and brimming with heritage and character. With the latest redesign, I rediscovered some joy behind the wheel that I felt was lacking in the last generation. But with prices starting close to $40,000 for the base car and climbing to $55,000 for the sportier John Cooper Works version, it might be cheerful but not cheap. The 3-door is the Cooper's purest form, which goes back to the 1959 original. It continues with evolutionary styling tweaks because anything drastic and it wouldn't be a Mini Cooper. The car is instantly recognizable; however, the latest model is leaner having shed features such as the fender grilles while offering a more minimalist aesthetic. The headlights come without the chrome rings, and the taillights are no longer union jacks. It's also slightly more compact, losing a smidgen of length but gaining some back in the wheelbase. The John Cooper Works (JCW) version adds a cool wing on the roof, larger wheels, wider tires and cranks up the turbo boost. There's no power increase over last year's model but the torque figure jumps significantly to 280 lb-ft from 236 and you feel it even more when driving. The factory zero-to-100 kilometre an hour time of 6.1 seconds seems conservative. Automotive journalist Jason Camissa pulled off quicker times during a drag race with the less powerful Cooper S in a recent video posted to Hagerty's YouTube channel. More power, or torque in this instance, is great, but it doesn't always equal more fun to drive. The last Cooper JCW didn't do it for me. For something of its stature, I expected the agility of a mosquito, but it didn't feel like that. The steering was heavy and the pedals were stiff. It felt overweight with too much BMW DNA. That's not the case with the latest model. The new JCW feels nimble with a light, precise steering rack and a snappy seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It's like a mini Volkswagen GTI with a more entertaining personality. And it's quick, raising its little snout in the air under heavy acceleration, gurgling and popping when you downshift. Unlike the Cooper S, which is strangely devoid of paddle shifters, the JCW gets them, enabling manual control of the gearbox. In Go-Kart mode, it won't upshift until you pull the right paddle. The JCW has a nice throaty bark emitted from a single centre-mounted tailpipe. There's pronounced fake engine sound pumped in through the speakers, but that's becoming unavoidable in performance cars. It mostly goes away when you aren't in Sport – sorry Go-Kart – mode. Despite its diminutive size, the Mini JCW is solid and stable at highway speeds and great fun to toss around on a twisty road, with easily approachable limits. Finally, it feels like a hot hatch that's worth recommending. But for around $50,000, there are better ways to spend your money. The Civic Type R, if you can find one in stock, is one of the best sports cars money can buy. It's faster, has better handling and there's much more space inside. From a performance standpoint, there's no comparing the two and it costs about the same as the JCW. There's also the Golf GTI, and its more powerful cousin, the Golf R. In the hot hatchback bible, the GTI is Genesis. A jack-of-all-trades, that does everything well, including carrying passengers. The GTI starts at less than $40,000 and the Golf R adds all-wheel drive and has more than 300 horsepower and, at around $51,000, is still less expensive than the JCW. So, what exactly does the Mini get you besides its form factor and cuteness? Depending on who you ask, it has the best interior of its rivals and the best infotainment system. There's textured fabric on the dash and doors, ambient light projectors, heritage-inspired toggle switches and the fabulous round infotainment screen. The system is responsive and easy to use and the display is sharp with the best graphics in the business. Mini positions the Cooper as a premium small car and it feels like that. Where the Honda and VW can blend into the background, the Mini will always get noticed. It has a more expressive and joyful design, which might be worth it to some. It's also smaller than just about everything else on the road. A GTI is more than a foot longer, making the JCW a true city car that's easy to park just about anywhere. Small sporty cars are already in a niche market and the JCW is like a niche within that niche. It's a great little hatch, I just wish it were $10,000 cheaper. 2025 Mini Cooper 3-door John Cooper Works Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
First Drive: 2025 Mini JCW Editions
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.
