This latest variant of the most mental Mini ever made is proudly advertised as the brand's 'halo offering,' and with the amount of kit and extra little touches you can see why they're keen to push this. It's the fastest accelerating and most powerful Mini yet...so I was delighted to get the opportunity to drive one around the country lanes of Hampshire.
New induction and exhaust systems, which sound wonderful, and a brand new turbo has managed to give the new edition of the John Cooper Works Mini something of a grown up attitude and stance. It's a very mature product - and the revised looks, with standout bumpers and fantastic 18 inch wheels, speaks volumes about the way Mini has grown up as a brand.
One important thing to note about this car is that it is a significant step up from the 189bhp Mini Cooper S. With 228bhp, the extra power is delivered directly and excitably through a great short shift manual gearbox - zooming up the rev range with a speed I hadn't experience in a while. It feels skittish but not unbalanced, and although on a country lane it's quite a firm ride, it feels a comfortable place to be and the interior is as premium as you're likely to get on a Mini....which in BMW terms is pretty premium indeed. It's a great cabin, and not as parochial as history would suggest.
That's not to say the little thing didn't take me by surprise a little. Light, nimble and responsive aren't really superlative enough - and although the car does suffer from a little unpredictability in terms of understeer - it was pacy and bouncy and a joy to throw around, with the exhaust notes hitting the right spots at any blip of the right foot. I'd say the manual is definitely the version to go for here...it's a little slower than the auto, but you'll be having so much more fun you won't notice it. The adaptive dampers are an option but worth going for - in sport mode you're likely to want to use it on a flat and even surface - but in any mode the car is really responsive and finds bucket loads of grip. There could do with being a little more sharpness in the steering when really pushing it, but most people won't worry about this.
In any gear and at any point throughout the rev range, the John Cooper Works Mini feels quick. I loved the gearbox and I loved the way it bounded down the road like an excitable dog with a frisbee in its mouth. The sound never got boring, either.
My only concern is the price. At nearly £30,000 when you've taken into consideration a good set of tyres, adaptive damping and add-ons you'll probably like the look of such as the HUD in front of the driver, it does seem expensive. But, and it's a big but, I don't think Mini are asking too much. This car put the biggest smile on my face, and although the price puts it in a slightly more ambitious category than which it belongs, there's nothing wrong with punching above your weight.
It's what us Brits are good at, anyway, right?