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By
EWAN KENNEDY
12 January 2009
A coalition of wowsers and bureaucrats seem intent in taking all
enjoyment out of motoring in Australia so it’s good to be able
to drive a car like the new MINI. A car which lets you have
pleasure when driving at low speeds, and which thrives on
roundabouts aimed at slowing progress at every opportunity.
Because
even at 40 km/h the MINI’s sharp steering and willing engine are
likely to put a smile on the face of those rebels who have the
cheek to want to enjoy life.
The
best MINI of them all has been a welcome visitor to our garage on
the Gold Coast for the last week. The John Cooper Works machine
has been worked over in every important direction and while it’s
not cheap at over $50,000 on the road it provides a huge numbers
of smiles per mile.
JCW
is to MINI what HSV is to Holden and FPV to Ford Australia,
producing performance enhanced versions of the original cars. John
Cooper was a clever racing car designer and builder in the UK
during the middle of the 20th century and provided racing machines
for our own Jack Brabham amongst many others. These days JCW is
run by John’s son Mike.
The
BMW MINI at 3.7 metres long is considerably larger than the
3.0-metre original introduced in the 1950s, partly to allow safety
to be engineered into the body, but also to provide more interior
space. Though it’s still really a two-plus-two not a four-seater.
We don’t have a problem with that, because this is more of a
coupe in concept than a three-door hatchback. But if you’re
thinking of using a MINI as a small family car make sure you take
the kids along on your test drive, because there's not a lot of
room back there.
Also
lacking in room is the boot. One medium sized suitcase is going to
fill it up. Folding one or both of the 50/50 split rear seat does
open a lot of extra luggage space.
The
engine in the JCW is identical to that in these MINI Challenge
racing cars that are delighting race fans at various tracks
throughout Australia. It is based on the standard turbocharged
1.6-litre Cooper S engine but with numerous modifications to the
pistons, valves, turbocharger and intake/exhaust systems. These
are aimed not only at producing more performance, but also at
weight reduction for even better throttle response.
The
result is an increase in power over the original turbo engine from
128 kW to 155 kW, and from 240 to 280 Nm of torque.
The original Mini of the 1960s ‘invented’ torque steer and this
latest machine has the sudden change of steering direction under
hard acceleration that reminds you it’s a car for serious
drivers. Sloppy cruisy drivers are protected from the torque-steer
effect by electronics in the ESP system – though we would prefer
them to mend their ways rather than depend on the car to look
after them.
Though
there's the inevitable turbo lag from the engine, once that’s
passed the little four-cylinder unit is delightfully responsive
with the sort of urge that makes for plenty of smiles and safety.
The
MINI JCW Hardtop can jump from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.5
seconds, the sort of acceleration that required a gas guzzling V8
only a generation back.
Efficiency
is a feature of modern turbocharged engines and MINI keeps fuel
consumption and engine emissions well under control. Expect to use
about eight to nine litres per hundred kilometres if you are stuck
in commuting situations, this will rise to much higher numbers if
you take if for a racetrack play of a weekend. But consumption can
drop to as low as six to seven litres per hundred kilometres when
you’re out having a quiet country cruise on your favourite
Sunday-morning roads.
The
JCW's brakes, slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox (thankfully,
there's no automatic option), wheels and tyres have also been
modified to cope with the extra engine and chassis performance.
MINI has steering that’s virtually instantly-responsive, indeed
it’s almost too quick until you dial its fast characteristics
into your sub-conscious. Then you really start to enjoy the way
the car reacts to your every wish. Road grip is immense and you
can control the JCW's line through bends just as much by using the
throttle pedal as the steering wheel.
The big disc brakes feel like they could stop the car on a postage
stamp and feel happy to keep on doing so all day long.
Adding to the enjoyment is the delightful interior which looks like
nothing else on the market. There isn’t a right-angle or
straight line anywhere, all the gauges and instruments are either
round or oval, with the centrepiece being a huge speedo that
really grabs the attention of anyone getting into the passenger
seats for the first time.
Pure driving pleasure at any speed on any road is guaranteed for
those who love their driving. Add some of the many factory or
aftermarket accessories to your MINI and you will find yourself
enjoying your motoring in a big way for years to come.
AT
A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Mini Cooper 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $31,100
Mini Cooper Chilli 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $34,700
Mini Cooper S 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $39,900
Mini Cooper S Chilli 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $43,500
Mini John Cooper Works 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $48,800
Mini Cooper Clubman 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $34,400
Mini Cooper Clubman Chilli 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $38,200
Mini Cooper S Clubman 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $43,200
Mini Cooper S Clubman Chilli 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $47,000
Mini Clubman John Cooper Works 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $51,300
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Not offered in JCW, $2200 option in other
models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (MINI John
Cooper Works 1.6-litre three-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.598 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: SOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 77.0 x 85.8 mm
Maximum Power: 155 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 260 Nm @ 1850-5600 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
Final Drive Ratio: 3.647:1
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 3714 mm
Wheelbase: 2467 mm
Width: 1683 mm
Height: 1407 mm
Turning Circle: 10.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1130 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 50 litres
Towing Ability: Not recommended for towing
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Single-joint MacPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Longitudinal control arm, centrally-mounted
transverse links, z axle
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h
Acceleration: 6.5 secs
FUEL
CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (EU): 6.9 L/100km
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
Three years / unlimited km
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Marque Publishing Company
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