While the idea appealed when the
Mini Coupe was launched
back in 2011 the execution left a great many people shaking their heads. In fact, it left a few people turning away and trying not to look.
The rounder, lowered roof didn’t sit well with the lumpy, squared-off rump, the bluff front end and high shoulder. The peculiarly-shaped glasshouse didn’t help matters, and when one of the company higher-ups described it as being inspired by a yoof’s reversed baseball cap, there were howls of dismay and derision. The die was cast for the Coupe.
Coupe seems less offensive than once it did
Or was it? Today, the Coupe’s looks seem somehow less offensive than they once did. In fact, when we first clap eyes on the red JCW we’ll be testing, we actually rather like it. It could be that that the black roof combines with the tinted windows to mask that awkward window-line; it could be that the passage of time and familiarity has softened the edges. Either way, the looks don’t feel like quite such a big issue as they once did. Here and now, the Coupe JCW has the air of a bulldog puppy: squat, taut and ready for anything. With the disclaimer that there's still a definite whiff of Marmite car about it.
It’s worth pointing out that this isn’t quite the same Coupe we tested back in 2011. Mini’s just indulged in a spot of engine tweakery that, it says, will make the 1.6-litre twin-scroll unit in all hatch-based JCWs feel more responsive while improving fuel consumption and lowering emissions. There’s no outright power increase over the previous engine’s 211hp, though.
Interior's still the same as the hatch
Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be an issue for the Coupe’s driving experience. There’s instant response and a solid shove in the back, no matter which gear you’re in or revs you’re at. With such solid low-end performance, you might expect a drop-off in urge as the revs rise, but you’d be wrong. Instead, the engine takes on an angry snarl, overlaid with a smidge of turbo whistle, and suddenly it’s charging on towards the red line. It suits the Coupe’s pugnacious personality ideally.
It’s also well-matched to the Coupe’s chassis setup. It’s slightly firmer than the JCW hatch, but not so much so that it becomes uncomfortable, at least on the Portuguese roads of the test route. And it does add an extra degree of sharpness. It needs a certain driving style to get the best of it, though. Snicking down into second for higher revs on the exit doesn’t work quite so well, overwhelming the electronic diff and resulting in a scrabbling inside tyre and a gentle drift of the nose toward the outside of the bend.
Leaving it in third suits all but the tightest of corners better, allowing you to use that prodigious mid-range to squirt out of the bend. Drive the Coupe like this, and it’s a hoot. It never becomes jittery mid-corner, and even the most ham-fisted of lifts checks any understeer that might creep in without unsettling the rear. And when the traction control’s set to Sport to give you more leeway, it does a great job of providing the sort of safety net it should without ever intruding on the driving experience.
No rear seats. Room for a bag, though...
It’s a beguiling thing to drive, then. More so than the JCW hatch, in fact, which is ever-so-slightly squidgier. But of course, the Coupe does command a £1,500 premium, meaning it’ll set you back £23,800. That’s a significant chunk of cash when you consider you have to make do with the same interior as the hatch, and you lose two rear seats. Compared with the JCW GP – more of which shortly – it’s reasonably good value. But that’s a bit like saying that compared to polonium, lard is reasonably healthy.
You won’t find a performance car bargain here, then. It’s too small, too impractical, and not quite powerful enough for that. But if you’re among the camp that likes its looks, so much so that the price doesn’t put you off, or if nothing but a Mini will do, then we wouldn’t stop you. And you wouldn’t be disappointed. Against expectations, it provides the best-rounded driving experience of the JCW range.
MINI COUPE JOHN COOPER WORKS
Engine: 1,598cc 4-cyl direct-injection turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Power (hp): 211@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 192@1750-5500
0-62mph: 6.4sec
Top speed: 149mph
Weight: 1,175kg
MPG: 42.8 (combined)
CO2: 153g/km
Price: £23,800