What is it?
The new Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works. Mini had warned us that the new turbocharged engine wasn't as easy to tune as the old supercharged unit, and so it proves.
Where the old Works kit boosted the old Cooper S’s power by 37bhp, the new one adds just 16bhp and 7lb ft.
Still, that takes the Works car to 189bhp and 184lb ft (with 199lb ft on overboost under hard acceleration), lowers the 0-62mph time from 7.1 to 6.8 seconds and raises the top speed to 144mph.
What's it like?
Even more fun than the standard Cooper S. Start it up, and it sounds just a little bit naughtier, like it’s blowing a raspberry. Thank the new sports air filter and stainless steel exhausts for that.
It also feels naughtier on the road. It’s genuinely quick in any gear, with just enough added zest to make it noticeably quicker than the standard Cooper S.
The ride (as on the standard Cooper S) is also much-improved over the previous Mini's, meaning you won't be catapulted into the undergrowth if you hit a bump on a B-road.
So engaging is it to drive that you’ve really got to watch your speed, which is not made easy by the ludicrously large yet ludicrously hard-to-read speedometer.
Just don’t bother pressing the ‘sport’ button. It sharpens the throttle response a smidgen, and is meant to make the steering more direct, but simply makes it heavier and less feelsome.
Oh yes, and don’t be disconcerted if your new Works Mini conks out when you come to a halt – it’s now got an eco-friendly stop-start system.
Should I buy one?
We’d be tempted, but it depends on how much you value your fun, because at £1095 plus fitting (reckon on around £1500 total), each extra horsepower costs you almost £100.
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