3 doors, 4 wheels, many personalities

The Mini JCW Cooper 3Dr offers fun and finesse with style and substance

- Christopher Tan

Like many others, BMW Group-owned Mini has rolled out a number of electric models for the benefit of mankind. Also like many others, the British brand has retained a few combustion models for those within mankind who do not know better.

The Mini JCW Cooper 3Dr is among the latter - and what a delight it is to the hapless souls among us.

The turbocharged petrol hatch retains its 2-litre four-pot engine, which makes 228hp at 5,000rpm and 380Nm of torque from 1,500rpm to 4,000rpm.

While peak power is unchanged except for it arriving at a slightly lower engine speed, peak torque has risen substantially from the previous 320Nm.

That makes the car noticeably more drivable in the city. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which replaces the previous eight-speed torque converter autobox, further improves progress in stop-start traffic. It also makes unhurried highway cruising more relaxed.

In fact, the ample torque and the dual-clutch transmission’s inherent seamlessness combine to make this front-wheel drive seem like an electric vehicle (EV). It is super torquey, very smooth and surprisingly quiet. As long as you are in a laid-back frame of mind.

Give the throttle a hard squeeze, and you get a hint of another beast altogether. Its exhaust takes on a guttural note and you start to leave other cars behind.

The sportiness of the JCW nameplate is evident, but the car remains relatively civilised.