It was one of the most talked about cars at the recent Detroit Auto Show. The new MINI John Cooper Works, based on the latest MINI 3-door Hatch, has become the hottest new car to hit the streets of Britain and soon Ireland. Taking inspiration from the brand’s 55 years of proud motorsport heritage, it is the most powerful production MINI ever. The 2.0-litre MINI TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder engine delivers 231 hp and 320 Nm of torque which is seriously quick! The car has been developed with competition expertise developing the design of the engine, suspension, brakes and aerodynamics. The exterior styling and interior trim are also motorsport inspired and distinguish the John Cooper Works as a model different from the regular MINI Cooper S. At the rear the sports exhaust system delivers a deep racing-inspired sound.
The new John Cooper Works accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 6.3 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission and an even quicker 6.1 seconds with the optional six-speed Steptronic sports automatic gearbox, which includes Launch Control. For overtaking you now have 320 Nm of torque delivering serious pull all the way to top speed of 346km/h or 153mph in old money. With the manual gearbox, the new John Cooper Works is also frugal with a combined fuel consumption of 42.2 mpg with CO2 emissions pared to 155 g/km. With the automatic sports transmission there are even better improvements of almost 20 per cent over the old model, with figures of 49.6 mpg and 133 g/km. All in this is an impressive package that Mini should be proud of. We just can’t wait to see one on Irish roads.
