MINI has put ‘snap, crackle and pop’ back on the menu.

It will launching the more edgy John Cooper Works Hatchback and Clubman 1.6-litre 211bhp following feedback from existing new MINI owners about what they wanted from this now iconic brand.

Lee Connolly, MINI product and planning manager, said over and above the Cooper S 175bhp variants there was a requirement to provide a production road car with even more power and performance, sharper snappier handling and to return the days when ‘Minis’ of the past had a distinctive exhaust crackle and pop.

The outcome is the MINI John Cooper Works three-door Hatchbacks and the Clubman estate variants.
The John Cooper Works Hatchback, costing £20,995, will go on sale from 22 July 2008, Press Day at the British International Motor Show.   John Cooper Works Clubman models for the UK will follow in the first quarter of 2009.
Markets outside the UK will receive the go-faster Clubman models this year but they will not be fitted with the JCW aerodynamic body styling kit which is still being developed. Prices for the John Cooper Works Clubman models for the UK will be announced at a later date once the final specification is known.
He said, “John Cooper Works is now a sporting sub-brand of MINI and the name is inextricably linked to British motorsport and the MINI brand. In 2001 the Cooper name was reborn with the introduction by BMW Group of the new MINI in 2001 and with Cooper developing aftermarket tuning kits.
Like all MINIs to date the John Cooper Works models will be built at Plant Cowley Oxford where annual total MINI production of 260,000 vehicles is possible. 237,709 vehicles were produced there last year and 60 per cent of the content of the second-generation MINI comes from the UK.
Swindon provides 90 per cent of MINI body pressings and 80 per cent of pre-assembled body components. Plant Hams Hall Birmingham provides all the petrol engines for MINI. The new uprated JCW 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines are also being supplied by Plant Hams Hall.
The UK is still the largest market in the world for the British built MINI and in 2007 47,500 MINIS were sold in this country. This year 50,000 sales is the target and 2009 should see a further growth once the new Convertible models become available.
Of total MINI production Cooper S model sales in the UK will be in the region of 5,500 units this year, 6,000 in 2009 and 6,200 in 2010.   Regarding the John Cooper Works versions Lee Connolly said he expected 730 Hatchbacks to be sold this year, 820 JCW Hatchbacks and 430 Clubman model sales in 2009 and 850 Hatchbacks and 450 Clubman versions in 2010.
He added, “The figures can change depending upon demand, we have no limit on production.”
In the UK the MINI product is primarily bought by retail customers, around 85 per cent, ranging in age from 17 to 80 years and across the range the female to male sales split is 50-50. “The initial advance orders accounting for all of the first three months production for the new JCW models show 95 per cent are from male customers but that doesn’t mean that only males will be driving or using the cars on a regular basis.
“We are receiving significant interest from current owners of powerful sports cars, saloons and even premium 4x4s who are now actively down-sizing due to road congestion, parking issues, high taxation and rising fuel prices but they still want a high performance quality car.” 
MINI will be offering their well liked five-year/50,000 tlc £150 inflation proof servicing package for the new John Cooper Works models.

Feedback from UK MINI owners, enthusiasts and dealers said that John Cooper Works Clubman models should only be sold with the distinctive body tweaks found on the new JCW Hatchback version.
Connolly added that all MINI model ranges in the future will include JCW variants, including the new Convertible which is due Spring next year and a forthcoming SUV version which will be built by Steyr in Austria. A concept of this future MINI SUV will be shown at the Paris Motor Show in October this year.

On the face of it the fastest ever production MINI is also the most expensive at a fiver under £21,000 for the Hatchback version which goes on sale from 22 July after it debut at the British International Motor Show.

MINI argue that not only do they now deliver with the new 211bhp John Cooper Works Hatchback, and the forthcoming JCW Clubman version the distinctive snap, crackle and pop characteristics desired by MINI enthusiasts, but the new additions have loads of extra equipment and technical enhancements.

If priced individually, or indeed if they were even available as aftermarket items, the enhancements would be significantly more expensive than £20,995. The 175bhp MINI Cooper S Hatchback is currently priced at £16,245 and the Cooper S Clubman at £17,210.

Because the MINI is marketed by BMW Group as a ‘premium’ brand small car it is solidly built and has loads of specification and equipment fitted. All this adds weight and weight dulls performance and most of all it has compromised the go-kart agility that made the original British Minis performance icons.

The German owned company has responded to that by giving the JCW models edgier snap performance, more power and torque and a return to the distinctive exhaust note with its signature ‘crackle and pop’.

So exactly what are we talking about in terms of performance? Well the JCW specification provides 211bhp from the 1.6-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine and just as importantly 260Nm of torque, or 280NM in overboost mode from 1,850 to 5,600rpm. This gives the new models a top speed of 148mph, 0-62mph takes 6.5 seconds and the combined fuel consumption is officially 40.9mpg and CO2 emissions are 165g/km putting them in Band D for road tax costing £145 this year and £175 from next April.  

Not only is this fastest production MINI built to date it also offers the most torque and it is the most costly to buy and to run. Real-life fuel consumption during a hard test driving session over A and B roads saw my JCW Hatchback return 24.4mpg. More sympathetic driving will improve of this figure but even more enthusiastic driving on roads or a racetrack will see figures around 20mpg.

But you cannot put a price on pure driving pleasure and the smiles on the faces of the motoring scribes after the world-first pre-launch test session last week was priceless.

So those are the performance figures at a glance. Delving deeper into what a John Cooper Works model is reveals the 1.6-litre turbo power direct injection petrol unit as used with the Cooper S to have been substantially modified. The basic structure of the die-cast aluminium four cylinder engine has not changed, nor has the forged crankshaft and conrods.

But the intake valves and valve seats have been upgraded with more durable materials to cope with the increased operating temperature. The pistons have reinforced sidewalls and new design of crown and the compression ratio is reduced to 10:1. The cylinder head has wider diameter water channels and the walls are thicker to overcome increased stress and hotspots.

The engine mapping has changed as has the air mass sensor and induction is speeded up with a larger air intake. A larger and stronger twin-scroll turbocharger and exhaust manifold are central to the performance improvements.

A completely new exhaust system, available only for the JCW models, has a larger bore and catalytic converter to speed up gas flow and of course to return to the MINI its long missed exhaust note. Large polished stainless steel twin tailpipes enhance the burble, crackle and pop signature sounds.

The six-speed manual transmission and clutch have been strengthened to cope with the extra power and driving stresses. The John Cooper Works models have, ABS anti-lock braking operating four-pot Brembo brakes with larger discs, electronic brakeforce distribution, cornering brake control, a new electronic differential control which improves cornering traction by 20 per cent, traction control and dynamic stability control.

There are various controls, including a Sport setting, which will switch on or off some or sharpening still further these handling packages depending on how the customer wants to drive their car.

The suspension is beefed up to handle the extra power and improve handling over the Cooper S version but there is also a JCW sports suspension option available for £140.

Other standard equipment including a host of airbags includes John Cooper interior styling details, air conditioning, electric windows and door mirrors, distinctive cloth upholstery and front sports seats.

Outside the JCW MINIs have exclusive lightweight 17-inch alloy wheels shod with run-flat tyres, a bespoke factory fitted body styling kit which includes the usual side sill, front and rear bumper extensions, rear roof spoiler, honeycomb grille and various airflow vents.

With the added visual specification that sets this MINI apart from any other, the unseen modifications to the engine, gearbox, suspension and brakes, not to mention the very real increase in performance, the extra cost of the John Cooper Works Hatchback over the Cooper S will be worth it for many customers even though £21,000 for a MINI will leave some people unconvinced.

The doubters need only to book a test drive just to see how great this car really is. The plentiful supply of power and torque is seamless and the responsive delivery is superb right throughout the rev range. It is at home being driven in top gear at low speeds, or in stop start traffic, as it is being thrashed on the open roads or around a race track.

Yes there is lots of torque-steer despite the ‘trick’ traction control and electronic differential; yes you do need to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel under hard acceleration and cornering due to the grip available and it being front wheel drive. But the car is totally predictable, the go-kart handling has returned and the brakes are strong.

Some road surfaces, deep potholes and oddly cambered corners will unsettle the car and the ride comfort when being driven at full tilt due to the short wheelbase, but the car deserves your attention.

I guarantee your smile will be as big as mine was when I’d finished my test drive. Happy motoring.

Price: £20,995. Engine/transmission: 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged, direct injection petrol engine, 211bhp, 260-280Nm of torque from 1,850rpm, front-wheel drive, 6-speed manual gearbox. Performance: 148mph, 0-62mph 6.5 seconds, 40.9mpg (24.4mpg actual), CO2 165g/km, VED Band D £145. Insurance group: tba. 

For: Not for boring passive ‘green’ motorists, real fun driving, performance, handling, image, smile-making in a currently glum motoring world.
Against: Sounds expensive, high fuel costs if you enjoy really fast driving.