John Cooper and company must be the most highly paid car factory workers in the world, judging by the prohibitive $159,000 price tag worn by their premium pet project here.
It’s just a few thousand shy of the terrific Audi S3, and actually costs $10,000 more than BMW’s own 130i 3-door.
At this price, the new MINI Cooper S John Cooper Works, or MCS JCW for short, had better be good.
It is, thankfully. In fact, it’s so good that the regular Cooper S quickly becomes a distant memory in the mind of this enthusiast, even though the stock model is not much slower in outright performance.
The biggest reason for this is also the loudest. Just hear the thing rev, roar, bark and crackle all at once as you drive it hard from point to point, preferably in “Sport” mode.
With that innocent little button activated, this road rocket goes from racy to crazy without missing a beat.
Throttle response becomes even more sensitive, the steering feels even sharper and the tailpipes’ overrun turns into a trigger-happy shotgun – bang, bang, boom!
The MCS JCW shoots up the road, too. Nought to 100km/h takes 6.5 seconds, just a little faster than the non-JCW Cooper S – 0.6 of a second, to be exact.
More significant is the quality of the acceleration – the engine soundtrack is richer and creamier, and the exhaust notes played by those “baby bazooka” twin tailpipes are naughtier and a lot nicer.
The Cooper S exhaust system, by the way, has been thoroughly re-engineered for this particular application.
You could dress up your lesser MINI to look like a JCW, but its amazing engine would be tough to replicate.
Not just a collection of bolt-on parts purchased discreetly from Demon Tweeks, the 1.6-litre 4-cylinder is a specially customised number, whose special parts include a bigger turbocharger, strengthened pistons and a revised cylinder head, all related to the powerplant employed in the MINI Challenge one-make race series.
Max speed is 238km/h, and zero to 100km/h is over in 6.5 seconds.
Turbo pressure has also been increased from 0.9 bar to 1.3 bar, and there’s an overboost function that briefly increases torque from 260Nm to 280Nm during hard acceleration.
The end result of the engine modifications is a big jump in power from 175bhp to 211bhp, which equates to a specific output of 132bhp per litre.
The Nissan GT-R, one of the world’s most highly tuned sports cars, is rated at “just” 126bhp per litre.
Best of all, the MCS JCW is an in-house mod job made by the factory, so its warranty is secure and its mechanical reliability is a safe bet.
The car pulls like a runaway train from 2000rpm to well past 6000rpm, where you would expect the turbo powerplant to run out of puff.
JCW Recaro seats look good and provide great support.
There is more torque-steer over uneven asphalt than in the standard Cooper S, but it is manageable and also strangely enjoyable in the right hands.
(Or should that be in the wrong hands of a motoring madman?)
In max attack mode, the MINI Cooper S JCW is flying along at 140km/h in third, with another three gears to go, and its mid-range is punchy enough to scare the occasional Evo.
The car’s top speed, where permitted, is nearly 240km/h, which would reach the end of the original speedometer range if not for the JCW upgrade to a 260km/h “clock”.
Another interior improvement in the MINI John Cooper Works is a pair of co-branded Recaro sports seats, which are supportive in corners yet remarkably comfortable on the straights.
Carbon fibre-clad gearshift lever is fast, smooth and precise.
These Recaros, apparently also employed in the Renault Clio R27, boast high-quality materials, a good range of adjustment and seat-back quick release.
But they don’t “recall” their previous position. Anthracite roof lining and Piano Black cabin trim keep the cockpit purposeful, as do the carbon fibre bits on the gear knob and handbrake lever.
Less serious is the checkered flag emblem on the left side of the dashboard.
The MINI JCW’s exterior enhancements are a bespoke bodykit, a bat wing-like roof spoiler, carbon fibre mirror housings, front air inlet and new wheels.
The turbocharged 2-litre produces 211hp and exhaust effects to match.
Those 17-inch alloy rims are MINI’s lightest yet, weighing less than 10kg each. Nestled within their cross spokes are big brake discs – bigger than the donor model’s – and brake calipers finished in red, complete with the John Cooper Works logo.
Surprisingly, the suspension is the same “Sports” set-up as the regular Cooper S, but it’s up to the task of handling the extra horsepower.
Helping the chassis to plant the power down is the newly added Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC), a clever “cheat” that brakes a spinning front wheel to effectively transfer torque to the opposite wheel with more grip in that situation.
Mimicking a mechanical LSD, but without its cost and weight, EDLC really improves traction out of tight corners.
So the new John Cooper Works version of the MINI Cooper S is effective, but it’s also expensive, costing $31,000 more than the already costly standard car.
This tuned hot-hatch is worth a $20,000 premium at most. Anything more is a bit much.
It may be a dummy air intake, but it still looks sporty.
MINI John Cooper Works 1.6 (A)
DRIVETRAIN
Type Inline-4, 16-valves, turbocharged
Capacity 1598cc
Bore x stroke 92mm x 75mm
Compression ratio 10:1
Max power 211hp at 6000rpm
Max torque 260Nm at 1800rpm
Power to weight 186.7hp per tonne
Gearbox 6-speed manual
Driven wheels Front
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 6.5 seconds
Top speed 238km/h
Consumption 14.5km/L (combined)
SUSPENSION
Front MacPherson struts, coil springs
Rear Multi-link, axle coil springs
BRAKES
Front / Rear Ventilated discs / Discs
TYRES
Type Dunlop SP Sport 01
Size 205/45 R17
SAFETY
Airbags 6
Traction aids ABS, ESP
MEASUREMENTS
Length 3714mm
Width 1683mm
Height 1407mm
Wheelbase 2467mm
Kerb weight 1130kg
Turning circle 10.7m
BUYING IT
Price incl. COE $159,800
Warranty 3 years/90,000km
+ Powerful performance, stirring sound effects, fantastic Recaro seats
– Prohibitive pricing, restrained styling, relentless road noise
2013 MINI JCW is a surprisingly capable and excellent daily driver
