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The MINI John Cooper Works Electric is a sporty version of the small hatch, with more performance, go faster styling details, and less comfortable ride quality.
John Cooper developed a sportier version of the classic MINI which won the Monte Carlo Rally three times in the 1960s. Now we have a John Cooper Works version of the electric MINI. The fact that we now have an electric MINI hatch AND a sporty JCW version shows how wide the choice now is for drivers wanting an EV. So should you go for the standard hatch or the hot hatch?
The MINI John Cooper Works Electric shares the MINI Hatch body, so this is a small car, with four seats and two doors. The original MINI Cooper was even smaller, which was part of the reason for its success in motorsport, so small isn’t a bad thing for a driver’s car, it just means there’s not much space for rear passengers or luggage (the boot is just 210 litres in size, or folding down the rear seats gives 800 litres).
The MINI John Cooper Works Electric looks sporty on the outside with its spoilers and air ducts, and the black and red JCW colour scheme continues inside the vehicle.
There’s a 54.2 kWh battery and an electric motor delivering front-wheel drive and producing 258hp (including the extra 20kW of electric boost in John Cooper Works mode) and 340Nm of torque.
The MINI PR people will be delighted to remind you that the standard electric MINI Hatch has “go-kart” handling, thanks to its small size, minimal front and rear overhangs, low centre of gravity, and sharp steering. The MINI John Cooper Works Electric takes this base and adds steroids. As well as more performance (0-62 mph is reached in 5.9 seconds), there’s John Cooper Works suspension, along with specific high-performance tyres.
As a result the MINI John Cooper Works Electric is even more fun to drive – on the right road. When we say the right road, we mean a twisty road, but a smooth twisty road. If you’re driving on a bumpy road, you’ll be very aware of the firm ride quality, with the suspension transmitting the imperfections – and noise – through the car. You can also feel the vibrations from the road through the steering, and enthusiastic acceleration results in a lot of torque steer.
The gear selector is no longer in the traditional position between the front seats, it’s moved onto the dashboard, along with a small button for the parking brake; although it may be unconventional for a MINI, you get used to this location.
Another change is the introduction of ‘Experiences’, as seen on increasing numbers of new BMW models, which replace the more conventional drive modes. The Experience modes are Go Kart, Core, Green, Vivid, Timeless, Personal and Balance. Go Kart, Green and Balance may be fairly self-explanatory, but what the other modes do may not be that clear to people – other than Balance resulting in a different type of speedometer on the central screen, Timeless giving yet another style of speedo – an old-fashioned one, and a sunset over the hills appearing on the screen with Personal mode. There’s also a John Cooper Works mode, activated using a rocker switch on the steering wheel.
The large circular central screen dominates the dashboard and may look impressive but accessing some controls such as fan settings isn’t straightforward because there are no separate climate controls. There are five digital shortcut buttons in a toolbar at the bottom of the screen, and if Apple CarPlay is included as one of these buttons, the Radio button disappears, and it’s a challenge to go delving into the screen to get back the controls for the radio.
If you use Apple CarPlay, a small square map will appear in the middle of the circular screen, but if you use the car’s own satnav, the map pretty much fills the screen.
Under the touchscreen are some ‘toggle’-style controls, and a useful button at the bottom left which allows you to switch off the lane departure warning system and the speed warning.
The MINI John Cooper Works Electric has an official WLTP combined electric driving range of 226 miles. On our relatively short first drive review it wasn’t possible to test the real-world range. It has a maximum rapid charging rate of 95 kW; we’d prefer to see a minimum of 100 kW.
The MINI John Cooper Works Electric is priced at £38,420. Our test car had options of Blazing Blue paint (£550) and ‘Level 2’ trim (£1,300), taking the total price of our test car to £40,270.
There’s also a MINI John Cooper Works Convertible.
We’ve reviewed the latest MINI Cooper E, MINI Cooper SE, and now the MINI John Cooper Works Electric. The fact that you can now get all of these models with an electric powertrain shows progress. As you climb up the range, you get more performance, and higher prices. You also get less comfortable ride quality. So if you really want maximum performance and minimal body movement, then go for the MINI John Cooper Works Electric. However if you’re planning to drive the car on the same sort of urban roads that we experience on a daily basis – ie. full of potholes – be prepared for a rough ride. The entry-level MINI Cooper E is the most comfortable of the lot, but if you want a MINI which is a balance between performance and comfort, the MINI Cooper SE is the one to go for. The MINI John Cooper Works Electric is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 8 out of 10.
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