Mini JCW: PH Fleet

Attempting to unlock some of that Mini magic Danny tries pushing harder...

It's taken a while, but my relationship with the JCW has finally broken new ground. The turning point came on the way to a pre-work dawn mountain bike ride around the Surrey Hills. It was a beautiful morning. All of Surrey had seemingly decamped to their holiday homes in the Dordogne, and in their place were just empty roads, warm tarmac and the farts and whistles of an over-exuberant Mini with a bike clinging to its roof rack for dear life.

Still dumpy and yet...

The road in question is a favourite of mine I know particularly well. It's a tempting, if less direct, special stage alternative to congested A-roads, where point and squirt straights merge into corner sequences that call for precision and agility. There's an awkward crest, at least five changes of surface, a corner with big bump in the middle of it and a couple of downhill off-camber turns where you are braking hard to the apex and the back end really wants to rotate.

So far the JCW has remained frustratingly aloof when shown a good road. Immensely strong on the straights and under braking, it hauls itself ruthlessly out of slow corners, with the e-diff and traction control working efficiently to meter out all that power and torque. Under braking it's much the same, only in reverse, with reassuring power coupled with excellent feel through the pedal. Only when you have to turn the wheel does the composure start to unravel. In this era of electric steering, we can forgive a certain level of remoteness, but I always feel completely detached in the JCW, not least because there's no gradual increase in weight as the tyres load up through a corner.

On this occasion, though, I found some extra commitment. I didn't back down at the lack of information coming from the chassis, and kept pushing. To my surprise, the JCW hung on gamely, nosing a little wide in places, but exhibiting levels of mechanical grip previously unseen. Given some sticky tarmac, it seems the Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres do actually work, but making this discovery was a bit of a shot in the dark, and I still wouldn't put the Mini's levels of adhesion on par with its rivals.

Mini to the track, Clio on track is interesting

Nor, more importantly, do I think it is anywhere near as satisfying to drive along a B-road as a Fiesta ST, Peugeot 208 GTI or Clio Renaultsport. Indeed, having travelled up to Oulton Park in the JCW for a day driving the Clio 220 Trophy on track, that is something I am more convinced about than ever.

In terms of performance, you could say the Mini and the Renault are polar opposites. Swap between the two and you'd swear the French car's power deficit was two or three times what's quoted on paper. Equally, the Clio is crying out for a set of brakes as good as the JCW's Brembo four-pots. But, chuck it at a corner and the Trophy has it licked for communication, conviction and sheer tenacity. Ultimately, neither feels fully resolved, although combine the best characteristics of both cars and the result would be a very exciting proposition indeed.

Where the Mini does continue to impress is as a daily driver. With Green mode selected and the gearbox in auto it goes about its business around town comfortably and efficiently. The only time it occasionally fumbles for the right gear is when picking up the throttle again after slowing down or coasting. Even then it's no big deal, as you can take control yourself simply by pulling a paddle. Throttle response in eco mode is toned down considerably and the stop start system activated, which not only helps economy but relaxes your mindset too.

A better month then, but rivals still more fun

Even with its extra power and displacement, the Mini is proving pleasantly frugal compared to my previous Clio 200. On long motorway runs I'm seeing around 42mpg, and even two-up, fully loaded, with a bike on the roof on a trip to Wales, that only dropped to 35mpg. The Clio, on the other hand, was consistently around 10 per cent thirstier.

Keeping the right side of average speed cameras on these long motorway hauls is made easy by the perfectly placed LIM button. Positioned on the left of the steering wheel, it's within easy reach of a thumb, and pressing it immediately sets the current speed as a maximum. You can then adjust the speed with the up and down buttons, or cancel it by pressing the limiter button again.

Last week the heated seats went on for the first time; a depressing reminder winter is just around the corner. With it came thoughts of frosty mornings and damp, greasy roads. Knowing what the grip levels are like in the wet, I have a feeling the JCW is going to be a lively companion for the rest of the year. Maybe it's time to moot the idea of a fleet exchange for the next update. Something apparently unstickable with four-wheel drive and an 'R' badge on the back would be just the ticket. If only I knew someone with such a car...

FACT SHEET:
Car: Mini John Cooper Works
Run by: Danny Milner
On fleet since: May 2015
Mileage: 7,013
List price new: £31,945 (Basic list of £24,445 plus £750 for Rebel Green paint, £1,400 for Media Pack XL, £2,470 for Chili Pack, £240 for variable damper control, £140 for run-flat tyres, £220 for sun protection glass, £215 for seat heating, £210 for Mini Yours fibre alloy interior, £590 for Park Distance Control, £150 for LED headlights, £590 for Harman Kardon hi-fi, £140 for intelligent emergency calling, £450 for head-up display)
Last month at a glance: If in doubt then flat out, right?

Previous updates:
£32K for an automatic Mini? It's off to a tough start...
To Scotland for a proper test
New tyres and roof bars before Silverstone

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redroadster

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