Super Cooper

Sadly the famed road and rallying "enhancement" specialist is no longer with us, but his name lives on in the John Cooper Works brand which was taken over by new Mini makers BMW in late 2006. Having traditionally been an after-market package, the John Cooper badge has now become a fully fledged in-house, Oxford built, member of the Mini family with the Works' name achieving sub brand status with its own identity and character as it becomes the sporting wing of the hugely successful lineage.

The hatch is the first to get the John Cooper Works (JCW) treatment here in the UK. In the rest of Europe they can also choose a Clubman version but in Britain Mini is waiting for a full aero kit to be developed before releasing the stretched version.

The JCW can be identified by a body coloured engine scoop, honeycomb black radiator grille, body coloured rear roof spoiler, side skirts, stainless sill plates, a deep front bib (with JCW badging), chrome plated door handles, fuel filler cap and side indicator grilles.

Plus unique 17 inch alloy JCW Cross-Spoke wheels (shod with run flat tyres) and bright red performance brake callipers.

Inside the upgrades are limited to a leather sports steering wheel, Piano Black trimming, black headlining and air conditioning, which are added to Cooper S provided figure hugging but not excessively sculptured seats, cloth chequered upholstery (leather is a £1,000 optional extra) and an upgraded audio system with 10 speakers and an eight channel amplifier.

Power on the Works versions is supplied by essentially the same BMW designed (British built) twin-scroll turbocharged, direct injection1.6 litre engine as found in the Cooper S, but in this case output has been upped from 175bhp to 211bhp (which gives it 132bhp per litre) and at 192lb ft the highest peak torque ever on a production Mini.

This is achieved on the John Cooper Works Mini by giving the four cylinder unit the same modifications found on the Mini Challenge race cars this centres on; strengthening many of the components (including the cylinder head and reinforced polished pistons) plus measures designed to pump more air in through the larger turbocharger.

Modifications have been made to the air filter and air mass meter, plus a larger turbocharger and larger air intake pipe with a few extra few horse power also squeezed out by the use of a sports exhaust headed by distinctive polished stainless steel twin tailpipes.

Handling the extra grunt is a modified six speed manual gearbox and beefed-up clutch.

Press the starter button and the breathed on engine is remarkably noise free with very little audible intrusion into the cabin - so it makes for a clam place to be even under heavy encouragement from a lead filled right foot.

On the road the JCW is just over half a second quicker than the Cooper S reaching 62mph in 6.5 seconds while top speed is quoted at 148mph (the speedometer having to be increased to read up to 160mph).

This is achieved with virtually no turbo lag, but with lots of instant and sustained acceleration as the neat slotting six cogs transmit the power to the front wheels.

For those demanding a little more excitement, a Sport button located in front of the gearstick activates a bespoke engine control system that produces turbo boost earlier in the rev range and also sharpens the steering and throttle responses.

First on-road impressions of the John Cooper Works Mini are how remarkably civilised it is. I had expected it to be a bit rough and aggressive (and it can be if you opt for the stiffer sports suspension) but in standard form the JCW just seems to enhance the Mini's traditional kart like handling without becoming a brick on wheels.

The stiffening of the sinews firms things up without getting rock hard leaving just enough spring travel to collect any rebound and smooth out reactions on broken surfaces.

It also serves to add more grip to the tyres - these can bite into the tarmac for a rapid take-off and committed control when accelerating out of a corner.

With so much to enjoy the only down side could be the effect on fuel consumption, because while Mini quotes a combined figure of 40.9mpg its going to be hard to achieve this if you are really making the most of the Works. And at 165g/km emissions are not the most environmentally friendly.

Despite its small stature the JCW now includes some big car safety features. These include Dynamic Traction Control and an Electronic Differential Lock (a first for a front wheel drive car) which is the equivalent of a limited slip differential.

Switchable traction control has three settings ranging from fully on to fully off - which on a test track shows distinct levels of grip. But I have always been a believer that if a car has been engineered with extra safety features why would anyone want to turn then off.

Of course many owners are likely to want to take their Cooper Works versions on track days and here will be the opportunity to play with the systems.

Keeping enthusiasm in check are the biggest brakes ever on a Mini in the form of 17 inch front discs and 16 inch at the rear with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Cornerning Brake Control and Dynamic Stability Control.

As the pinnacle of the Mini brand the John Cooper Works has both heritage and modern technology behind it.

But it comes at a price, in chequebook terms the Works adds another £4,750 to the price of the Cooper S (making the total £20,995) but when compared like for like (deleting the £1,000 for air conditioning) the actual increase is £3,700.

The Mini is already premium priced so the extra cost may not be a significant deterrent as Mini looks to sell around £1,300 JCW versions a year.

In its factory made debut the JCW resolves itself as a very quick but very civilised everyday car that's not just for Sunday outings.