Is MINI John Cooper Works the Most Fun Electric Car?

The Independent

Mini has electrified its most iconic performance car — the John Cooper Works. But is the fun still there? Steve Fowler takes it for a spin to find out.In this episode of Drive Smart, Steve Fowler tests the all-new Mini John Cooper Works EV — a modern electric twist on a British motoring classic.He takes the JCW out explore its design, performance, and personality. His review? "Woohooooo!"Is this the most fun you can have in an EV?

Transcript

00:00You reckon electric cars aren't fun?

00:02Oh, here we go!

00:08Wow, that was 0-60 in five point something seconds.

00:30It's not just about 0-60s in this car, the car has been beefed up I think it's fair to say,

00:38so the suspension is stiffer, the body is stronger and it's just better at going around corners.

00:45Also special tyres on this car and every now and again you can just put your foot down

00:52and you get that noise that just makes you smile. I love it, I absolutely love it.

00:59Now I've got a Mini Aceman, there's also a Mini Aceman John Cooper Works electric,

01:04just as much fun, I've had a quick go in that as well. The standard Aceman is just a hoot,

01:10it's got this same go-kart mode, still does woohoo, but this car just feels a little bit stiffer

01:16and going around corners, going around the bend, it kind of just sticks a little bit more and one

01:21thing I think is really good, a lot of electric cars have got so much torque, so much power when

01:26you're just turning out of a slow corner and putting your foot down, then the wheels spin.

01:32This is really grippy and the steering is nice, there's a nice big meaty steering wheel here,

01:40it's just fun with a capital U. These latest Minis are just great inside as well, they're really

01:47quite premium, there's a cloth across the dash here with these little strap bits all over it, this

01:53central OLED display is fantastic, it's clear, it's fun, you've got little mini graphics and fun

02:00things going on there. Now I've been introduced to a new word which is called an Earscape, apparently

02:06there are 39 different Earscapes in the Mini, that's everything from this, the noise it makes

02:14when you accelerate to the noise it makes when you touch, 39 Earscapes, but it's just some of the clever

02:20thinking that you get. This is really premium, I've got a head-up display, all the kit I want,

02:26I can use my phone as a digital key, lots of little storage spaces, the quality of materials is great,

02:33the lighting inside is really quite innovative too, so it does the premium car things well,

02:40there's a decent Harman Kardon audio system in here too. So yeah, it feels proper posh, pretty much at any

02:47speed, you could just put your foot down. I want a country road, 60 mile an hour speed limit, I can

02:59get to 60 in a flash, but that noise is just great, it's quite sensible in here too as well, there's

03:06good visibility, a decent size rear screen for a change, decent size mirrors and loads of storage

03:15spaces, it does the family car stuff well if you can live with the space in the back, the Aceman,

03:22yeah, decent amount of space in the back for such a small car, this one is probably more about access,

03:28but if you're on your own, I think this is the one to go for, but if you do need to take people,

03:32then you're going to have to pay a little bit more for the Aceman. The one thing I am going to moan

03:37about with this car though is the ride, now I've got more jiggly bits than most people and the ride

03:44of the standard Mini is pretty firm, this car as standard comes on 18 inch wheels, you can get 19 inch

03:51wheels on the Aceman and optional wheels as well and the ride is just firm, this is a nice piece of road

03:58here that I'm on, but I'm still being jiggled a little bit too much, my wobbly bits shall we just

04:05say are getting a little too wobbly. So the Mini John Cooper Works is without doubt good fun, hang on

04:15a second let me just turn it off, oh you get another one of those 39 e-escapes playing a little tune, so

04:22let's just have a look around the Mini John Cooper Works electric and see what makes it a John Cooper

04:29Works car, well ultimately it's just beefier isn't it, you've got more gloss black bits, there's a

04:35deeper front splitter here at the front, same cute Mini lights with a little smile, some red reflector

04:42stuff here, black Mini badge, you can get a red roof apparently as well as the black roof and numerous

04:48body styling things with stripes and mirror caps and stuff like that. Let's have a look around the

04:55back, obviously you've got side skirts here, specific John Cooper Works wheels with red, more red, that's

05:03the John Cooper Works color, more red brake calipers and look at this, how's this for a beefy and probably

05:11somewhat unnecessary spoiler here at the back, a nice black strip across there, ultimately you can really

05:17go to town with this car and probably spend thousands personalizing it, that's what Mini is all about,

05:23trying to spend a little bit more money giving your car its own unique style, but it is pure Mini,

05:29you've got the Union Jack style rear lights in here as well, I love it, it's great.

05:35All right, I'm just going to pull over here and talk to you about some numbers. The base vehicle

05:51price of this model is £38,420. That's quite a lot of money isn't it? This car in total is £40,270,

06:00that's quite a lot of money isn't it? It's got loads of standard equipment, no heated steering wheel,

06:06etc, etc. Sport stripes in black, free of charge, roof in black, a free active guard, must be some

06:12security thing, free level 2 comfort access, panoramic glass sunroof, folding wing mirrors,

06:17heated seats, high beam assist, head-up display, £1,849, that's quite a lot of money isn't it?

06:24This car will do 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds and it says electric range 365 kilometres, now that's

06:34just over 250 miles I reckon. Yeah, there's the numbers for you, but this car is all about the

06:39driving, so frankly I'm going to take my glasses off, get out of the way of these big trucks and just

06:45scoot off. Because that's what you do in a mini John Cooper Works electric. Yep, it certainly looks

06:59very quick and it is very quick. This car 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, the Aceman 6.4 seconds. Price-wise,

07:07this one starts at 34905, the Aceman 36905. Now, there's some of the things I don't like about

07:14this car, just the ride quality really, and you can put your foot down, you get that fabulous noise,

07:19you go really quick and you're still staying within the speed limit. This has got the boost button,

07:22which adds a little bit more drama as well. But I think the biggest problem that the John Cooper

07:28Works versions have is that the standard cars are just so much fun. I love driving my mini Aceman,

07:33I've still got the same noises, there's no extra noises in here. Acceleration isn't quite as quick,

07:39but it's still fun, and I guess that's the issue. Every mini is super fun. I guess this one just

07:46dials it up a little bit more. Whether you want to pay the extra for that, that's up to you.

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