Such everyday vagaries should've deemed our
time with the Mini something of an ordeal, but then the JCW isn't just
necessarily an everyday car. Peel away the preconceptions created by its dinky
packaging and mildly comedic appearance and what you have is probably one of
the most focused compact sportscars.
With its ground-hugging driving position,
pillar-box glasshouse and precipitous rear bulkhead creating an almost
supercar-aping environment - complete with near-zero rear-three-quarter
visibility – as well as a 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine developing 155 kW and
260 Nm in its normal drivetrain setting, you have all the elements of a
seriously entertaining car.
Rear
bulkhead features a small shelf and a large, through-load storage hatch
Planting the accelerator reels in the
landscape at a surprising lick. The steering, although electrically assisted,
is weighty, sharp in its responses and full of feel. That broad,
wheel-in-each-corner footprint lends the car a grin-inducing directness at the
nose, while the stiff sports suspension, an aspect that rendered journeys on
pitted road surfaces a teeth-chattering affair, comes into its own and reins in
all body lean.
Although opportunities to exploit the car's
240 km/h top speed never presented themselves, it simply didn't detract from
the driving experience. The almost undiluted driver-car connection and a
soundtrack that rises from direct-injection tappety to booming snarl combine to
create an impression of going much faster than you actually are. Prodding the sport
drivetrain-management button only furthers this impression, announcing an
additional 20 Nm of overboost torque with a palpable tug forwards and a
grin-inducing series of burbles, pops and rifle-crack exhaust notes on overrun.
Large
hatchback door provides unimpeded access to the decent-sized boot
It also adds considerable weight to the
already stout steering action, a property that initially masked the JCW's only
fault during its tenure.
Members of the test team noticed that the
steering began to develop a tendency to dramatically overweigh on right
turn-in. This issue was mentioned at the JCW's 15,000 km service - a brilliant
experience with friendly, professional treatment that included three service
status updates a day and lifts to and from the Auric Auto service centre in
Claremont, Cape Town - and the culprit was deemed a faulty control switch on
the steering rack that was giving a false reading on right turn inputs.
Technicians at Auric had not previously
encountered such a fault, their only prior steering rack repairs being
accident-borne, and decided to replace the entire rack assembly with a unit
that was flown in from Germany.
Although this entailed 10 days without the
car, Auric again proved very accommodating, providing a courtesy car and regular
telephonic updates for the duration. Once this issue was resolved, the JCW
continued to entertain.
Those
twin exhaust pipes hint at the potency on offer
Test Summary
Living with the JCW requires commitment and
its packaging largely renders it a fun-loving second car for the well-heeled,
costing more than $37,990 before you potentially get carried away ticking the
boxes on the extensive options list.
It's also not the most practical vehicle
we've sampled by a long chalk, and it sometimes tugged at its leash when asked
to behave in town. But, it was this single-mindedness in its very fabric - a
trait we feared would irritate over time – that made it so appealing. Just as I
felt like tossing the key fob aside and walking away, it goaded me into hopping
in again and seeking out a twisty, deserted back road to play.
If you're willing to figure out some
practical workarounds, the Mini's compromises can be forgiven owing to a
reasonably frugal nature – averaging just under 9.0 litres/100 km at the hands
of a team of spirited drivers - and a feel-good factor that few, and
increasingly fewer, cars can match.
