Personally, I’m a big fan if MINI. I’ve driven almost every sort of MINI currently on the market and taken part in two MINI Takes the States events. Needless to say, I like the brand. Of all modern MINIs, my favorite is still the two-door, hardtop MINI JCW with a six-speed. It’s just a riot to drive, with this scrappy pugnacious attitude. Though, the MINI JCW isn’t truly, properly fast. It’s quick enough to be fun but a Volkswagen Golf R will flat-out run away from one in a straight line for not much more money.
However, that’s not to say that they’re slow. In this new video from AutoTopNL, we get to see a MINI JCW make its run all the way up to 250 km/h (155 mph), which it’s electronically limited to. It get there surprisingly quickly for just a little 231 hp 2.0 liter turbo-four. But focusing on this is missing the point.
The car in this video has the optional six-speed automatic gearbox equipped, which is honestly the wrong gearbox for a MINI JCW, but that likely helps with a bit of its quickness in getting to top speed, as it shifts quicker than a human with a manual could. That said, take the slower shifts and get the manual because the JCW is about interacting with the car, engaging its indulgence for fun.
It sounds good, too. I’ve always loved that punchy little turbo-four growl. It’s not a pretty sound or an exotic sound but it’s an angry sound. It perfectly fits the angry nature of the JCW. It makes you wanna push it harder and harder, downshift more often and rev the bolts off of it. It’s just a charismatic little car that it doesn’t matter how fast it goes. So this video might show you that it’s still a quick little car but don’t let it bother you if the Golf R, or anything else for the money, is faster. Because the JCW isn’t about speed. It’s about fun.
