How does a small car drive with high performance and great fun?

Mini Today it is a company that offers a family of vehicles with options that are very different from each other. But the three-door design and its sporty character are the combination that best sums up the brand’s heritage. But with the release John Cooper WorksAll of this is taken to the extreme.

The new version of this exclusive option has arrived in the local market and Clarion We drove it for a week to see the improvement over its predecessors. The developments are diverse and important, from an aesthetic and technological standpoint, as well as behavior and performance.

Mini is the brand that She finds a very interesting way to constantly reinvent herself. From being a company with practically one car for decades, its phase in this millennium, under the BMW umbrella, has brought all kinds of silhouettes: country, SUV, coupe, roadster… but it is the traditional three-door body that represents it best.

All this is enhanced by the John Cooper Works Edition, the sportiest version of the entire collection, born from the tradition represented by the association in the 1960s between the British brand and trainer John Cooper.

This new edition is characterized by maintaining the brand’s youthful identity, however It includes strong elements that highlight its sporting spirit.

Legend John Cooper

Mini John Cooper Works approaches the ground.

In the midst of the Formula 1 media explosion around the world and especially in Argentina due to the influence of Franco Colapinto, it is good to briefly mention John Cooper And his relationship with Minnie.

Cooper was an engineering legend associated with the golden age of British motorsport in the 1950s and 1960s. His Cooper T43 made its debut at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix, with Jack Brabham at the wheel, and the following year, at the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix, Stirling Moss achieved The first win in Formula 1 history for a rear-engined carThis is the design that prevailed and is still used today.

Cooper’s success in Formula 1 continued for 9 years, with the team achieving 16 Grand Prix victories, 11 pole positions, and 14 lap records. But what stands out most are the two successive World Championships in 1959 and 1960 that Brabham won with the unmistakable dark green Cooper.

The Mini John Cooper Works maintains the original Mini theme on the inside.

In parallel, Alec Issigonis created the Mini in the late 1950s As a low-consumption response to fuel shortages. He gave his friend Cooper the prototype to test and realized it took angles like no other. He convinced Issigonis to prepare Mini for the Monte Carlo Rally. Thus the mathematical approach to this model was born.

With John Cooper Works stamp

In the new Mini era, born in 2001 under BMW’s tutelage, the Cooper name was reborn under the supervision of John’s son, Mike, with the development of preparation kits that were introduced at the brand’s dealerships. Since 2003, versions bearing the abbreviation JCW come with all the improvements made by the factory.

The latest exponent was released this year and It maintains all the sporting spirit of the previous one. It’s easy to see from his appearance. Although it retains the Mini “language”, it has larger air intakes at the front, wings at the end of the bumper and red details that highlight its liveliness.

The OLED screen in the Mini John Cooper Works has great picture quality.

The design of the wheels (18 inches) is specific to this version and is closer to the ground than in other options in the group. The rear sector reveals its intentions with a rear spoiler that follows the roof line and a rear diffuser at the bottom that mainly attracts the central exhaust outlet.

JCW comes equipped with 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with 231 horsepower. It is coupled to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.

It has a specific setup, with a firmer and more configured suspension that allows you to get closer to the ground, but it also has a management control that can adapt some parameters depending on the handling to be performed.

Various textile covers appear on the Mini John Cooper Works.

The interior design maintains that youthful spirit but with flashes of simplicity and practicality. Now the internal scene is dominated by A Large circular OLED screen with very high image quality And speed of response.

The interior features front seats with very good support, fabric-covered surfaces, and LED lighting in some sectors. There are many red details in search of a sporty atmosphere.

All this surrounding makes us realize that once we sit down, We’re behind the wheel of a different car. The position closest to the Earth also attests to this. And running the engine confirms all assumptions.

The details of the Mini John Cooper Works emphasize its sporty character.

It is a car that has become more accessible with time and technological advancement. Now, thanks to electronic management, it can be handled calmly, without jerking. Even the suspension bumps have been softened.

But whoever is looking for a car like this chooses it for its liveliness and nervousness. Yeso is more present than ever. The ability to gain speed is scary. In addition to its great dynamic behavior, it offers amazing flexibility to move around on a daily basis. Unlike previous generations, it is not comfortable on uneven or gravel terrain.

But the best thing you will enjoy is if you can take it to the right track. It provides great stability at high speeds despite its small size. Curves are handled with frankness and without taking away even a modicum of confidence from the driver. On the contrary, it constantly invites us to challenge conductive capacities.

The track is the most fun place to drive a Mini John Cooper Works car.

There’s a drive option called “Go-Kart,” which pays homage to its go-kart-like behavior. The truth is that it has become the closest thing to karting. But be careful with this option, which triggers all the electronic aids and it’s very easy to end up with wheelspin if the throttle is too much.

But once you get the hang of it, there’s no more fun way to drive this Mini John Cooper Works.