Bucket Seat: 2017 MINI Countryman JCW

John Cooper Works is an English company which was founded by Michael Cooper, son of the racing car tuner John Cooper. The company was formed in the year 2000 and since been tuning parts for BMW's new Mini's, becoming the brands "M" division for Mini's. Although the car is rich in British Heritage, it's hard to ignore the German influence in the current Mini's so with JCW tuned cars, there adding some of that heritage back, and boy do they do a good job! I spent a week with the all new Mini Countryman JCW, a car which hold's a special place for me as when I first started to review cars on the blog, the very first test car I received was the older generation Countryman JCW and had a blast with it, so I was expecting much of the same from this new model, if not more.

DESIGN

Being a performance version of the regular Countryman, I'm glad that they didn't just stick a kit to the car for the JCW package, they've added a lot bulk which adds that aggressive look to the vehilce. From a low stance, large 19" wheels, flares and stripes, the Countryman JCW really looks menacing, whether it's standing still or on the road tearing up the tarmac and hunting cars down. The trademark JCW logs are prominent all over the car, so there's no mistaking it when you see one. Onto the interior, the first thing that strikes you is the seats, racing style JCW seats with a red outline, in a mixture of suede and leather, the red and black theme continues throughout the cabin as well as full glass electric sunroof. The dash and instrument cluster is much the same as the standard Countryman  with the added JCW badges here and there but the mood lighting on the dash has this awesome streak effect, different from normal. 

PERFORMANCE

The big talking point about this car comes from whats under the hood, while it does have the same 2 liter engine that comes in the Cooper S, this one has been tuned by Michael and his crew at John Cooper Works in Farnborough, Hampshire. They managed to produce 170kW from the motor and produces 350Nm of torque. Apart from that, the entire set-up is tweaked for ultimate driving pleasure. From the suspension, to the dampers and even the exhaust got some treatment with the sounds being enhanced when put into Sport mode. It's hard not to drive the car in sports mode with the pure symphony that comes from those pipes while driving around, gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. The snap, crackle and pop just gets your blood going, the acceleration and handling is faultless in the Mini, while it's perfect for road driving, I can only imagine how much fun this would be on a circuit. Now as usual with Mini's, they tend to be a bit thirsty, this one particularly more than the others but I decided to do something I wouldn't normally do, I switched over to the Green Mode, which is basically their equivalent of Eco Pro, I was blown away at how everything changes. The car goes silent, its clam and composed, it even gives you a reading as to how many extra km's you building up in your range! So may be there is some truth in that combined fuel economy figure.

COMFORT

Being a car built for the track in mind, you would expect all this changes and tweaks would make for quite an uncomfortable ride, its quite the opposite. The racing seats are extra cushioned and are a snug fit. The ride quality is just as a good as a normal Countryman and the space is just great. There is plenty of room in the back for the passengers and the luggage area is more than adequate with even an option for more space beneath the trunk floor. The interior has dual climate control which maintains the temperature quite well. The car came with the optional extra of the Harman/Kardon Hi-fi lound speaker system which in local terms "cranks", with the two subs located beneath the driver and front passenger seats. Other extra's that were note worthy are definitely the adaptive LED headlamps. BMW seemed to have perfected this technology and I haven't see anyone that does it better. 

VERDICT

Take all conventional thinking of a Mini and throw it out the window, why? Because this car just kills every cliche there is to it. It is big and spacious, it has immense power, and once you get your foot down, it just keeps going. It is extremely fun to drive, in fact it's addictive to drive, I found myself taking the longer routes home on purpose just so I could spend more time driving it. That doesn't bode well for your bank balance though, I suppose if you could afford one of these you can pay for the fuel as well. It's still can make for a great family car, seeing how spacious it is or for anyone for that matter, also it is has the all4 drive, which means it is capable for some light off roading ...or rally driving. This car gets a big thumbs up from me....almost didn't want to give it back. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2L TwinPower Turbo, supercharged
Gear Box	8 Speed Automatic with paddle shift
Power	170kW
Torque	350Nm
Fuel Comsumption	7.4L/100km
0-100kph	6.5 Seconds
Price	R604,000.00*

*Price excludes extras

Bucket Seat: Mini Test Pilot - SA Festival of Motoring

So as most of you know, that's if you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, last week I was invited to the SA Festival of Motoring held at the refurbished Kyalami Circuit by Mini South Africa. For those of you who didn't catch the action, fear not as I captured as much as I could and will recap most of the action here on the blog. It was an early start to the day last Friday but it was entirely worth it, we arrived and the brand spanking new Kyalami Grandprix Circuit for the start of proceedings. It was my first time visiting the track after it underwent a major overhaul, I've got to say Toby Venter has done a magnificent job with the track and here's hoping it hosts some major races in the motor sport calendar in the coming future. 

Edward Makwana of BMW

Back to the schedule of the day, after arriving at the Mini stand at the SA Festival of Motoring and registering for the day ahead, Edward Makwana of BMW gave us a brief run down on Mini's John Cooper Works model as well as the history behind the legendary racing name. Mini has a proud racing heritage, stemming from the Rally days with John Cooper and now with the latest generation Mini's see's them make their way onto the track, and to tell us more about that we were introduced to current Mini Challenge Champion Charlie Butler Henderson of the UK, name sounds sort of familiar? That's because his sister might be recognised on 5th Gear. Charlie was down with his Mini Challenge Race car to show exactly how fast you can get a Mini to go!

Myself and Charlie Butler Henderson

First up though was us trying our hand at taking the production version JCW out on track. I know it won't relate to everyone but almost every young boys dream is to one day be a race car driver and for me it was my first time racing on a proper race track. Having done my BMW Dynamic Driving course, I had suitable knowledge on how to handle the car but by no means would I consider myself a pro. Luckily for us we had instructors in the car giving us tips about the track and car. We were allowed one lap around the new circuit and it was extremely thrilling, having the chance to push the Mini JCW to its peak potential was exhilarating to the say the least. Also most of the driving aides were turned off to allow maximum track feel. 

I thought I did a pretty decent job of the lap, well that was until I jumped into the passenger seat and the instructor showed me how it was done. It was then I realised I got some practicing to do if I want to resurrect my dream of becoming a race driver. After that kick back into reality, it was time to for me to strap into the Mini Challenge, Charlie wanted to show me how to really drive around the track! Word's cannot describe the feeling, firstly being strapped into a race car and secondly being thrown around the track at high speeds, it was all good fun and better than any roller coaster ride you can think of! Charlie is a pro and have experienced going around a track with him is something you will remember forever. After completing all the activities, we were awarded honorary Mini Test Pilot statuses, not a bad accolade to have if you ask me. 

That was it for the day but I went to visit the boys down at BMW in their pit garage to see what all the fuss was about. Apart from all their M cars, the Germans brought down their mighty M6 GT3 along with it's driver Jens Klingmann, that car is nothing short of awesome and epitomizes everything BMW M Power stands for. It was by far the loudest and fastest car present their that weekend. Other goodies hidden in the BMW garage was the recently launched M4 GTS, of which only 23 will be sold locally. The BMW 30th Anniversary M3 Jarhe and flown in from Germany, the BMW M760Li. A true luxury limousine with a monster V12 engine in the front. 

Overall it was an amazing experience and I would like to thank BMW and Mini for making this happen as it was Bucket list stuff that was being ticked off that day. Cannot wait to see what next year's festival has in store!

Some highlights for the Festival

Riding shotgun in the BMW M3

Riding with Charlie Butler Henderson

BMW M6 GT3

BMW M3 30 Jahre

BMW M760Li

Bucket Seat: Mini Cooper Convertible

I've always spoken about the joy one gets when driving a Mini, it's a car unlike any other that gives the driver a sense of happiness when they're behind the wheel. It's small, fast and nimble, the short turning circle means tighter steering so it's almost like you're driving a go-kart and with the new engines the latest models have, whether you're driving the Cooper, Cooper S or JCW derivative, you're guaranteed to have sufficient power at any time, with any type of gear box. 

This past week I spent it driving around in the latest Mini Convertible, it essentially is everything I said above but you have the option to have a roof or not and that in Durban is a major plus. The east coast is proud to boast a winter that's not really winter, mornings and evenings have a slight chill but during the day, bright sunshine and warmth which is perfect conditions for a convertible and with that, the Mini came in very handy. 

Style

I, for one quite like the look of the new Mini, it's meant to be a small car but it's quite bold in it's design giving the impression that it's much bigger than it actually is. It's a fun car and everything that has to do with the design is just that, fun. The car I had was bright read and came fitted with the JCW kit which had all the sport goodness with a JCW front grille and bumper, bigger wheels fitted with JCW rims, the interior received the JCW treatment as well with sport seats, JCW steering and carbon finishes. I'm not quite sure what it is about Mini's, they are good looking cars but they're guaranteed to turn heads, where ever you go. with the folding roof, this just escalated attraction as people always asked to see what it looked like with the roof down. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige to their requests. The roof can also be opened slightly almost like a sunroof for the car if you don't feel like opening the entire thing.

Performance

As mentioned before, the engine line up in the Mini is excellent even the Cooper model which I had, comes fitted with the 1.5l Twin Power Turbo engine which gives you more than adequate power for this little car. Being a convertible, it is a bit heavier than your normal Mini and this is evident when cornering but on straight stretch this baby has no problem propelling itself to quite high speeds. There is slight turbo lag to it but nothing that will get you too bothered. Side note, the car sounds really good and that exhaust plays a tone that you don't get tired of hearing especially when you throw down the hammer but this affects your fuel consumption drastically!

Comfort

While the car is a 4 seater, it would take a group of very small individuals to sit in total comfort. Being 1.8m in height, I am forced to move my seat almost entirely back which negates any leg room for something sitting behind me, unless they have no limbs, then it would be fine but with the front passenger, we did manage to seat a passenger behind them with a slight compromise to the front passengers seat position but they were not in discomfort from this. The seats are really comfy and of high quality. If there's no one in the back, you can always make use of the wind breaker screen that comes with the car and folds up neatly so you can chuck it into the boot if not in use. 

Storage

What did surprise me about this model is that even thought it has a folding roof, it doesn't impact the storage space in the boot. It remains the same whether the roof is open or closed. The one problem I had with it is the door and access hatch, it could be a little bigger for slightly larger luggage to get in and out. Like I said the space is sufficient and you can get a lot of stuff in there but it's a mission to get it in! If that's not enough for you, you can always put stuff on the back seats and since they're bucket seats, it won't go rolling around the car. 

Extras

It's a Mini but lets not forget who's its relative is, the big boys from Germany so you can be rest assured that there is a significant extras list for every car. The car I had came with the JCW kit as mentioned before, heated seats, satellite navigation, Mini Connect which is like BMW Connected Drive, Harman Kardon sound system, automatic windscreen wipers, colour changing mood lighting, Bluetooth Telephone connectivity and audio streaming and heads up display which is pretty cool as it's a small screen that pops up when you switch on the car. Also a cool addition to the covertible is that you can choose to have the Union Jack imprint on your roof as an added extra. 

Verdict

In many of my Mini reviews before, I mentioned that the Mini was aimed more for the youth but given it's price tag and how much it's grown I don't see why adults can't enjoy them. I certainly did during my time. It does seem a bit gimmicky but that aspect also adds to the charm of the vehicle. What I do love a lot about the car is the high quality finishing, with many of the cars we get now, they have a lot of cheap plastics and make the car look and feel cheap but with this product you're getting what you paid for. Good quality finishes and a solid built car. I found it very difficult to get more than 400km from one tank but that could just be my heavy foot along with the automatic gear box but hey, I can't deny I didn't have fun driving every one of those kilometers. 

Specifications

• 1.5 litre, 3 cylinder TwinPower Turbo
• 6 speed automatic gear box
• 100kW
• 220Nm torque
• Consumption: 5.1ltr/ 100km
• Top Speed: 208kph
• 0-100kph: 8.8 seconds 
• Price: R397 000* (*excluding extras)

Bucket Seat: Mini Paceman JCW

A few weeks ago I reviewed the Mini Paceman Cooper, it was a mixed bag sort of car. It was fun to drive, looked good but lacked a power and in my closing I said I'd prefer one with more gumption. Well the guys at Mini South Africa headed my call and sent me the range topping John Cooper Works model. The sporty body kit, lowered suspension, JCW racing stripes and those two massive exhausts at the back it just transformed what I said was a good looking car into a menacing beast!

After you're done admiring the car from the outside, its time to get behind the wheel. The first thing that gets the blood racing is when you switch the car on, the tone of the dual exhausts is enough to send shivers down your spine, coupled with the deep hum of the twin scroll, turbo charged, 4 cylinder, 1.6 litre engine which it shares with its brother the Countryman JCW just makes you itch to get on the open road.

It comes with the usual 6 speed manual gear box which isn't bad and I feel slightly improved to that in the Countryman with first and second gear having much more pull but I found the clutch very hard and took time to get used to, so taking off from a stop always was funny to watch.... if you were sitting in another car. Like the Countryman the engine pushes out 160kW, 280Nm or torque and a claimed top speed of 226kph. Being a coupe and having that smaller and more narrow back, the handling of the Paceman is excellent, the All4 four wheel drive probably has much to do with this but either way it gives you confidence in pushing the car to the limits in the corners. 

Once you've mastered the clutch, taking off from the traffic lights becomes one of the best feelings when driving the car, that instant acceleration catapults you away from all the other cars and in 6.9 seconds you're doing 100Kph in 3rd gear. One thing I realised about the car is that it loves high revving, so when taking it up to 6000rpm it purred at you rather that moan for you to change up. When in higher gears and on a freeway its hard not to go fast, there is still so much more that engine has to offer, drifting from 120kph to 160kph can almost be done in a blink of an eye, the car is heavy 91.7 tons) and solid so its hard for the mind to comprehend how something so big can go so fast, so quickly. There is one area that did cause some concern, the car comes with 18" alloys which are wrapped with 225/ 45 run flats, I'm not entirely sure if the pressure was overfilled but every time the car hit a bump on the road, it sort of bounced, not the best feeling when doing 120.

Moving on to the interior, nothing much has changed from the Cooper, the 2+2 seat configuration remains with the solid bar running through the centre, if a flat bench seat is needed it can be added on as an extra. Again 4 adults can sit semi comfortably in it, this car came with leather seats with heating options for the front two. Climate control is standard and the car came with the Mini connect system which has a display screen located in the large speedometer which is the stand out feature in the dashboard. The navigation controls were tiny and annoying to use, perhaps touch screen in the next model guys? The GPS navigation was pin point accurate and simple to use whilst the voice activated commands worked well with the phonebook but sucked at everything else. 

Being Indian, the first thing I did was change the bass settings to full on the sound settings, the car comes with an 8 speaker Harman Kardon sound system, not good as the Beeemers I've driven but it does make the bass kick. The steering wheel is the perfect size and very light weight which makes steering a joy. The past grips I had with the other Paceman did sneak up but I very quickly forgot about them because I was having too much fun driving. Which brings up a bigger problem, although the consumption in the brochure for urban driving states 10.5ltr/ 100km, I managed to keep it to 9.9ltr, this is even with me driving like a doos. As I said before, the car is big and heavy so the engine is very thirsty so whilst I was enjoyed prolonging my gear changes I wasn't keeping an eye on the tank. After doing just 360km, the cars reserve light started to annoy me. It has a 47 litre tank but it seems like a small juice box for it since it cannot quench its thirst. That being said, I did only do city driving and didn't have a chance to take it on a long trip but somehow I don't think that would affect it too much. 

On the whole, its hard to take credit away from the car since its so awesome to drive let alone look at, it still turned heads no matter where I went and the sound it makes just made it all that more better. The handling was great and overall driver enjoyment levels were very high when behind the wheel of this one. While being spacious there wasn't much space in the boot and its very hard to ignore its healthy appetite for petrol. It is essentially a big boys toy, that's if you have that much money lying around for toys, but if you have one you'll love it and if you don't you will always question people who buy it. 

Specifications

• 1.6ltr twin scroll turbo charge engine
• 6 speed manual transmission
• 160kW @ 6000pm
• 280Nm
• 0-100 in 6.9 seconds
• Top Speed 226kph (electronically governed)
• Consumption 10.5/100km
• CO2 emission 186g/km
• Price R440 500