Every time I snag my left cheek on the high bolstered Recaro I feel the upcoming drive will be a little special. Whether it is just the drive home, to the shops or away for a long weekend away the JCW – which still needs a name, though we are trying out Jochen for now – always promises an entertaining experience.
There are several reasons for this; firstly there are those figure-hugging Recaros, which despite the high bolsters are very comfortable, even over long distances. Another factor is that the Mini’s cabin is intuitive and navigating around the facia is never a chore, even after I’ve spent a few days driving a test car. The driving controls, too, are all perfectly placed and weighted, well for me anyway; the clutch has life and the steering action is meaty. Best of all pedal placement in relation to each other makes heel-toeing a treat.
Then there is that engine. The 1,6-litre turbocharged four-pot cranks out a decent 155 kW and 260 N.m of twist action. It does display a bit more turbo lag than say, a Golf GTI but the JCW motor is far more characterful. It spins up with a zwweeeee, which is similar but does not quite match the audio of the older supercharged JCW. At low engine speeds it praaaps along. And best of all, the JCW backfires. Yep, strues bob; shut the throttle really quickly at high engine speeds and there is a resounding BWAH. The bang emanating from the pair of large bore exhausts can be so loud as to occasionally scare pedestrians. I have been toying with inducing the backfire at lower engine speed and in a lower gear. I seem to have found a sweet spot in second and third gears; much to the annoyance of the resident hot blonde in the passenger seat, and the fuel bill.
It may have a hard ride; Jake Venter described the suspension as having a purely cosmetic value and serving no real purpose – though he has seen a few sunsets in his life, he may not have been as critical in his hell-raising twenties – when I loaned him the car for a weekend a few months ago; and even despite the harsh ride I still enjoy every moment. Meneer Venter assures me that the original Mini was unfriendly to one’s spine, too.
Then there is the torque steer, which has a surprised a few colleagues when they let rip in the JCW for the first time. The thing is, not many cars display too much wheel fight anymore, so it’s a really eye-opener to someone that has never driven a Superboss or a 300 kW FWD turbo monster.
Sure JCW is not for the faint-hearted; between the eructation, the wheel wriggle and suspension Jochen is still a car I look forward to driving as often as possible. It’s no wonder then that I have amassed over 7 000 km in just three months. Unlike too many cars of today it has real character and spirit. It is unapologetic about its flaws and so am I.
I have had many long termers over the years and to a greater or lesser degree find the good in all of them. I do, however, believe that when the time comes to let go of the JCW’s keys the staff may find that I have popped out for one last blast and that there will be loud backfires on the nearest set of twistiest.