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2019 Mini Cooper JCW Knight Edition Drivers' Notes | Drama in a tiny package

The Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Hardtop is the most performance you can buy in a Mini. More powerful JCW Clubmans and Countrymans are over the horizon, but those are much larger cars. A two-door hardtop with a hatchback is the traditional Mini shape, and we were thrilled to have a go in it. Being the JCW, our tester was equipped with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Those power figures aren’t tantalizing, but theyÂ’re enough to make this little car a real hoot to zip around town in. We also had the six-speed automatic, which costs $1,500 more than a manual — donÂ’t worry, the automatic is still fun. After adding options and the all-important Knights Edition package, the sticker was up to $42,565. That is far more expensive than a lot of cars with more performance than what this little Mini has to offer. However, the Mini lifestyle is about more than just performance — customizability is huge, allowing you to personalize your brand-new car to a much higher degree than competitors. Additionally, there are only going to be 150 Knights Edition models made, so youÂ’ll have a car that could be rather appealing to a Mini enthusiast in the future. Road Test Editor Reese Counts: I love hot hatches. Even in the hatchback-averse American market, there's a wide variety to choose from. There's the tried-and-true Volkswagen Golf GTI (I used to own a MkV), its more powerful all-wheel-drive Golf R sibling, the unfortunately styled but extremely fun Honda Civic Type R, and the soon-to-be-extinct (if possibly already) European-American hybrid Ford Focus RS. Few cars at any price point are as consistently fun as hot hatches. Good ones are always eager to play, even putting around town. The Mini Cooper JCW has always been one of the more wild of the bunch, a hopped-up version of the Cooper S that spits and pops and burbles like oil on a cast iron pan. Past models were for Mini enthusiasts that were willing to pay more for the most hardcore Cooper around. The current car debuted in 2015, and while I've driven a few current-gen Coopers, this is the first time I had a chance in a JCW. My complaints hold true — visibility isn't great and it's expensive for what you get — but it's a hell of a lot of fun and not nearly as punishing as I expected. The ride was pretty compliant on Detroit's moon-cratered streets, even with our tester's 17-inch wheels. It was firm, sure, but not nearly as bad as I'd heard.

Mini reveals Untold, Resolute and Untamed special editions for 2023

Mini is aggressively stepping into the world of special editions for its 2023 model year lineup, and it’s revealing three of them today. They include the Untold Edition, Resolute Edition and Untamed Edition. Not all special editions are available on all models, but every model gets at least one special edition To our delight, all of these models are legitimately interesting in their appearance, so letÂ’s dive right into it. Mini Untold Edition The Untold Edition is specifically for the Clubman, and you can spec it on the modelÂ’s performance trims, including the S, S All4 and John Cooper Works. ItÂ’s the flashiest of the three special editions, and much of that can be attributed to the 18-inch “Refined Brass” and black two-tone wheels. This wheel is exclusive to the Untold Edition, and itÂ’s bound to turn heads. The exterior is done in Sage Green paint, but Mini has done something a little special to further separate the exterior from normal Clubmans by color-matching the plastic cladding to the exterior paint. This is done by dyeing it during production, and it visually lowers the ride height by giving the whole car a generally uniform color. Other trim pieces are done in either “Refined Brass” or glossy black to give a premium and sinister look. You get some intriguing hood and roof stripes, and the side scuttles are 3-D-printed with a unique pattern. Mini attacks the interior by installing leather seats in a paint-matching Sage Green with contrasting seams and piping. YouÂ’ll see Sage Green accents on the dash, and the air vents mimic exterior trim in Refined Brass. YouÂ’ll find “Untold Edition” logos in a few different places, like the steering wheel and side sills. The Mini Cooper S Clubman Untold Edition starts at $42,500. ItÂ’s based on the top-rung Iconic trim (just like the other special editions announced today), which means it comes loaded with most any option you might want. If you desire the JCW version, the price jumps to $49,750. Mini is allowing you to spec these special editions by just adding a separate option package onto the car. For example, a regular Clubman S is made into an Untold Edition via a $2,250 package. Mini Resolute Edition The Resolute Edition can be applied to the widest range of Minis, including the Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door, Cooper S Hardtop 4 Door, Cooper S Convertible and Cooper SE. Yes, this is the one you can get if you want the electric Mini SE.

Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid out for a snowy stroll

When Mini launched the Countryman in 2010, it emerged as the brand's first all-wheel-drive model. Now there's a new Countryman on the way, and it's also set to mark a Mini first by incorporating not just a mild hybrid system, but a plug-in hybrid powertrain. And that's just what we're looking at here. How do we know this prototype is packing a hybrid powertrain, you ask? A fair question, and we'll tell you: because the manufacturer chose to mark "Hybrid Test Vehicle" on the door. And because parent company BMW is already known to be working on a PHEV system for the 2 Series Active Tourer on which the new Mini crossover will be based, it's fairly safe to say it won't be developing a separate system for the Countryman. Expect the hybrid mega-Mini to combine a 1.5-liter inline-three driving 136 horsepower to the front wheels, and an electric motor good for another 102 hp on the rear wheels for through-the-road all-wheel drive and a combined output of nearly 240 hp. That's more than even the John Cooper Works performance model has offered. Scope out the spy shots in the gallery above, where you'll also find an interior shot of a conventional next-gen Countryman.