MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS

One of the last petrol hot hatches standing faces our timing gear

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If someone had asked you a few years ago what would be the last two traditional supermini-based hot hatches to remain on sale, you might have guessed the Renault Clio RS and Ford Fiesta ST, or even the Hyundai i20 N. Would your money have been on the Mini John Cooper Works and the Volkswagen Polo GTI? Probably not.

It says something about the sheer momentum of big groups like BMW and Volkswagen. The petrol hot hatch has become a sufficiently marginalised kind of car that an entirely new one would struggle to get board approval: bad for the CO2 quotas in Europe, not popular enough outside it.

But there’s no major reason for Volkswagen to stop making the Polo GTI just yet, and a JCW version has sneaked onto the price list of the refreshed Mini Cooper.

This fourth-generation (not counting the Issigonis cars) Mini, then, builds on its predecessor from 2013, using the same UKL platform and the same engines and gearboxes. The styling is brought in line with the EV’s much cleaner look and the interior gets the same minimalist makeover, so this F66-generation Cooper is more than just a facelift. That there is a fast version is something to be upbeat about, but is it any good?

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

PROS

That it exists at all; genuine powertrain and suspension upgrades over standard Cooper; classic Mini looks

CONS

Visually very similar to a Cooper with a Sport pack; no manual gearbox

Let’s start with a quick note on naming, because it’s easy to lose track of how the Mini range has ballooned over the past 25 years, particularly since there are now mirror petrol and electric line-ups.