Road Test: 2016 Mini John Cooper Works 3-Door
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
Predictability is usually an emotion that keeps your heartbeat in check. Yet the unsurprising debut of the John Cooper Works version of the third-generation Mini Cooper 3-Door – the most powerful and quickest Mini ever – arrives with the goal of getting the hearts of its drivers pumping.
BMW’s Mini brand has been steadfast in its product launch calendar. The debut of the latest family of Mini Coopers has been no different.
Over the past year or so, we’ve seen the arrival of the base and sportier S versions of the two- and four-door Mini Cooper hatchbacks and Clubman wagon. And just as reliable as London’s Big Ben clock tower, now comes the hottest Mini of the bunch: the expected Mini John Cooper Works 3-Door.
Ever since the first John Cooper Works (JCW) Tuning Kits were made available for the modern Mini in 2002, buyers could count on getting the most powerful Mini money could buy. By 2008, parent BMW brought the JCW brand in-house and created its first factory car, adding not only more power but also better brakes and suspension bits. And now, thanks to a major underhood engine upgrade and substantive suspension refinements, my $33,240 (base MSRP) 2016 Mini JCW 3-Door tester is not only the most powerful Mini ever but also the best handling and most refined.
Graduating from the last generation’s Peugeot-based turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine to a BMW-sourced blown-2.0-litre unit (plus JCW-unique induction and exhaust systems), the new Mini JCW 3-Door gets a 39-horsepower gain to 228, plus torque is raised by 29 lb.-ft., to 236 – a big boost compared to the 189 horsepower and 207 lb.-ft. found in the $25,490 2016 Mini Cooper S 3-Door that uses the same mill.
A six-speed manual is standard, but my tester came with a $1,650 automatic gearbox with the same number of gears. Although I suspect keen drivers will prefer the manual’s more engaging experiences, commuters can brag that the Mini JCW 3-Door automatic’s claimed 6.1 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h is 0.2 quicker than the stick (and about a half-second quicker than the Cooper S 3-Door). Top speed in the Mini JCW 3-Door (on a closed track, of course) is the same whether you shift gears for yourself or not: an impressive 246 km/h (11 to 13 km/h faster than a Mini Cooper S).
Just like the Mini Cooper 3-Door it’s based on, the JCW version has become a bit larger overall and roomier inside to broaden its appeal. So while the 2016 Mini JCW 3-Door’s objective numbers may amaze, subjectively, the front-wheel-drive, two-door, four-passenger hot hatch is even more impressive once you’ve spent some time behind its leather-clad steering wheel.
In addition to its generous amount of low-end torque from the enlarged turbo-four, the Mini JCW 3-Door’s exhaust note is equally sporty. A big intermediate pipe and low backpressure exhaust system see to that. Switch the Dynamic Damper Control system (part of a $1,150 Loaded Package my car had) to Sport, slide the automatic transmission over to its manual setting (where you can change gears via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters), and you’ll get rev-matching downshifts when braking.
As much fun as it is going fast in a straight line, the JCW hot hatch shines best when attacking a twisty back road. A thorough overhaul of this generation’s suspension means the high-strung handling nature of the last-generation JCW has been replaced by more composure and comfort.
Up front, the Mini JCW 3-Door’s suspension receives stronger and lighter supports and wishbones, retuned springs and shocks and new tube-shaped anti-roll bars. Out back, its multi-link rear suspension is also lighter and stronger. My tester came with $850 worth of JCW-unique alloy rims wearing P205/40R18 (instead of 17-inch) Pirelli Cinturato performance tires.
Beyond the lower profile rubber, the most valuable handling aid comes from the Dynamic Damper Control system. It switches out the standard passive shocks for twin-reservoir units, which can be adjusted using the Mini JCW 3-Door’s Sport drive mode, found at the base of the gear lever. In addition, the hot hatch’s front-end antics are kept under control via for a brake-based torque vectoring system.
Four-piston callipers and large Brembo discs handle stopping duties. When used aggressively, they bring the most powerful Mini ever to a halt alarmingly quick (and repeatedly without fade), but without the grabbiness of the last generation (helpful when dealing with a vehicle that can go two-and-a-half times the legal speed limit).
Yes, like the majority of high-performance front-drive cars, I’d like a bit more steering feel from the Mini JCW 3-Door’s helm. But the hot hatch comes alive in a series of flowing corners, where its attitude remains flat and balanced and can be easily adjusted with its quick-to-react brakes or throttle.
And just like all the latest Minis, the JCW 3-Door feels more grown-up and more comfortable without sacrificing the brand’s go-kart handling claims.
On our frost-heaved and pockmarked Canadian pavement, a few miles in the last-gen JCW Minis would send you to your dentist to make sure the rattling you were hearing was not your teeth. Not so with this latest edition. Road imperfections are more easily absorbed, while road noise levels are measurably quieter.
In the end – and maybe a little too predictably – the new Mini JCW 3-Door is better in every way over its predecessors. Everybody likes more power. And the refinements in its ride and handling are a legitimate step forward in broadening the hot hatch’s appeal.
Yes, some buyers may squawk at the Mini’s premium pricing (my tester ended up in the mid-$40k range with a Nissan Micra’s worth of options were added up) – particularly when compared with the likes of the more practical all-wheel-drive $39,995 2016 Volkswagen Golf R now on sale.
If, however, you view the most audacious of Minis as a sports car first, the 2016 Mini JCW 3-Door’s outstanding driving dynamics will make a driver’s heart beat a lot quicker.