Many years ago, I was surprised to find out that to the uninitiated, a Mini, old or new, has such a cutesy, feel good, positive vibes, chill image. Even the missus had that impression.
That was, until I took her for a drive, floored it and had us flying on EDSA at a terrifying rate. The missus started questioning the wisdom of marrying a lunatic like me, driving like a madman, and how such a small car could accelerate at such a frenetic, mind-boggling rate.
As an enthusiast, car guys know that the Mini is the epitome of a giant-slayer. On real roads, driven by decently skillful drivers, the Mini is nigh-on unbeatable. And it doesn’t require incredulous amounts of power (nor grip) for you, the driver to have a very very good time. It’s a car treated with huge respect for its giant-slaying abilities. Find a mega horsepower supercar on a tight and twisty road in the Mini’s cross-hairs and it will spin a grand tale for the ages, like David felling Goliath.
Yes, the Mini has always had that sort of boyish and equally devilish charm. It’s deceiving; innocent to the untrained eye. It sucker punches you with its cute looks. But there’s more. Far more hiding beneath its cutesy face.
Fast forward to today, and we have the John Cooper Works or JCW variant in full EV mode. Yes, let’s get the bad out first: brutally stiff ride, bordering on unbearable for many. A compromised rear cargo compartment and overall space. And as many Chinese EV fanatics will point out, rather poor range. But it’s harsh to compare the Mini, despite its minor foibles, to glorified refrigerators on wheels that will bore you to sleep.
You will question yourself if driving the Mini to work is wise, because it also means driving through EDSA. On days when you’re not in the mood for some very frisky and sensual sessions, the Mini JCW will feel like a full body, full contact, no holds barred sparring when you just want to press on today and be a responsible, productive adult.
Which a Mini JCW is not. You got sucker punched into thinking the Mini would be the perfect all-around car. Unless your roads are as smooth a a baby’s bottom, the Mini’s ride is punishing.
But for the truly committed, the JCW is an invigorating (if quite tiring) car to drive and feel very much alive. The sucker punch was a playful invitation to discover what’s beyond the surface.
The Mini JCW EV platform is in fact a totally separate and unique platform, apart from the rest of the BMW Group line-up. It shares its basic architecture with Great Wall Motors’ Ora 03, part of the greater Spotlight Motors Joint Venture between BMW Group (of which Mini is part of) and Great Wall.
All fully-electric MINI variants are based on this, which include the Cooper E and SE EV, the Cooper Aceman EV and the aforementioned JCW EV variant. And ironically, it’s also made in China, though Mini plans to bring production to Europe, presumably for their market.
The all-electric Mini JCW offers 255 hp and 350 Nm of instant torque, hitting 0-100 km/h in about 5.9 seconds with a 54.2 kWh battery, providing an advertised range of roughly 410 kilometers. There’s an additional 27hp available in boost mode, upping the total to 282 hp for short bursts.
DC fast charging sees the battery go from 10% to 80% charge in 30 minutes. Find a typical 7.4kwh public mall charger and charging times take just over 7 hours to get to 100% from near empty.
The JCW, which stands for John Cooper Works, emphasizes sharp, precise handling with limits far higher than the regular Minis. This isn’t an EV meant for miserly boorish motorway driving at maximum efficiency. Its best mode is maximum attack, attracting people keen for some driving fun and excitement, with bags of character and personality. The Mini screams attention wven when standing still, and delivers the gods in huge dollops. That’s why you buy the Mini JCW.
The Mini Cooper JCW EV is differentiated by its many unique styling cues: unique aero, interior touches like the “Go-Kart” boost mode and finally the super sporty bucket seats that have thicker bolsters and matching 3-spoke steering wheel specific to the JCW.
Poring over the interior details, the Mini continues to be very playful but also very cool, composed and sophisticated: the big 9.4″ round meter is actually an OLED display for the car’s multimedia system,
the seats utilize synthetic perforated leather trim with digital-looking textured fabric on the upper section and dash, enhanced with red piping and accents that features a black-grey-red gradation on the dashboard.
There are classic MINI toggle switches and silver accents for the Harman Kardon door speakers and door handles.
Loads of details, but subtle and subdued. Chic and sophisticated, like a Saville Row suite.
The steering wheel is a nice chunky 3-spoke item inspired by the original Sir Alec Issigonis era Mini with a big round center, now blessed with an airbag. Like the rest of the car, the steering wheel is inviting you to try it out, discovering later that it’s your only lifeline to staying in control from the madness that is to come.
On the road, the Mini feels firm, drives like any EV with its instant torque, sharp brakes and heavyset feel thanks to the firm suspension supporting the substantial 1,730kg weight. For comparison, a Nissan R35 GTR weighs about the same. And it’s (the GTR) a substantially larger vehicle.
Thankfully, just like the aforementioned Nissan, the JCW is a true tarmac terrorist. It out accelerates, out-brakes, out maneuvers and out corners almost anything it squares up in real-world conditions thanks to its size, its agility and its instantaneous throttle response. The steering is one of the quickest, most sensitive and most intuitive tillers: thinking of overtaking? Done. Turning-in without braking. One step ahead of you.
Think the usual MINI JCW, with every positive attribute turned up to 11 as the electric propulsion just intensifies its urgency. It feels telepathic, and the rush you get driving it hard and fast is addictive. Addictive too, is seeing the faces of people in utter disbelief when you slingshot past them in traffic. The downside? Accessing more of its power sees range and efficiency take a massive hit.
As the road gets twistier, the JCW EV’s weight rears its ugly head: you feel the weight the harder the turns, the faster the speeds or the greater the undulations. Even with the race-car levels of stiffness engineered into the suspension, there’s only so much it can do, and you pay the price for having a very stiff suspension 90% of the time when you’re not canning the MINI.
But the paradox is it’s actually addictive as much as it is irritating: as the MINI tries to throw you off the road, you find an intense dopamine hit trying to maintain control, wrestling with the hyper-active steering wheel, the tires on the absolute limit of adhesion, skittering on the edge. The MINI is like the tempestuous, moody, always drinking, always smoking bad girl that’s even badder news, always bringing trouble to you, and with it, excitement as well.
You’ll have an absolutely marvelous time, then regret it after, but with a chuckle knowing you’ll do it again anyways while trying to keep a better handle on things. And yet, things devolve to chaos even faster than before. You sucker punch your own self into doing it again. And you love it. Every. Single. Time.
This is the very essence of the Mini Cooper JCW. It’s a life-affirming experience each time you’re behind the wheel.
