When you buy into a Mini John Cooper Works, you’re in for three things: speed, noise, and discomfort. The previous generation Mini Coopers were never known for their ride quality, but the JCW models ramped up the hardcore even further, providing lots more fun if you were willing to put up with some rough edges. So what’s the 2016 Mini JCW like?
According to our friends at XCAR, it’s completely ridiculous, and it emits crazy, unnatural sounds you don’t expect to hear out of a cute-looking hatchback. You can hear it best in their video around the five minute mark. Listen to that and tell me you didn’t start giggling a little bit.
The new JCW packs a 2.0-liter turbo four with 228 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful Mini Cooper ever and propelling the car from zero to 60 mph in about six seconds. You get a choice of manual or automatic. It’s the kind of power you can wring out on daily basis without having to ever hold it back.
So how’s the suspension? “A little bit tough,” Alex Goy says here. “A touch bumpy and uncomfortable... You have to commit to this car.”
That sounds appropriate to me. Was anyone hoping for a soft, cushy Mini JCW? Didn’t think so.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.