2019 MINI Cooper JCW Track Drive Review – Pocket Rocket!

Performance – Our car had ‘MINI Thrills Maximised’ on the doors. The only way to test that claim was to put the car through its paces. The MINI John Cooper Works hatch is powered by the same 2.0-litre, twin-scroll turbocharged petrol engine which now belts out an impressive 231 HP (the Cooper S outputs 189 HP) and 320 Nm, resulting in a 0-100 km/hr time of 6.1 seconds (more than half a second quicker). The engine feels always ready for action as there is a good spread of power throughout the rev range, with the redline coming in at 6500 RPM. The motor is paired to an 8-speed gearbox which is smooth with shifts but somehow I found myself using the paddles most of the times through the tight corners at the Madras Motorsports Race Track. The engine does sound great and also braaps on upshift, emitting some pops and crackles on lifting off the throttle. The mid-range feels the most exciting and before you know it, the JCW hatch would reach 160 km/hr on the longest straight of this tight race track.

Driving Dynamics – MINIs are known for their go-kart feel and the JCW hatch offers every bit of it. While LSD has been ditched in favour of torque vectoring, the car still manages to offer great handling balance with no roll at all, it’s just pinpoint accurate with a feel-some steering, loads of grip and plenty of understeer on aggressive turn-ins, followed by a wiggle of the tail caused by lift-off oversteer, such drama. The front tyres were screeching all throughout when I was turning and the stability control kept blinking in the cluster, not as intrusive as I expected but ensuring everything remains in control. The brakes are bigger here, so big now that they just manage to fit in, one reason why the brakes felt super strong and almost fade free on the track.