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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.

2016 John Cooper Works Clubman is torquiest Mini ever

Mini fancies its latest Clubman as more an executive car than a typical premium compact. Think BMW 5 Series to the regular Hardtop's 3 Series. With that in mind, you can think of the new John Cooper Works Clubman as a Mini M5 of sorts. The new JCW Clubman boasts a number of features not offered on its little brothers. Mini engineers are squeezing 228 horsepower out of the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, just like on the Hardtop model. But the bigger John Cooper Works gets a significant bump in torque, up from 236 pound-feet of torque to a more robust 258 lb-ft. And with a standard All4 all-wheel-drive system, the JCW Clubman maximizes the ability to deploy that extra power. View 15 Photos Regardless of transmission, the new Works model hits 60 in 6.0 seconds and runs up to 147 miles per hour, 0.9 seconds quicker and five miles per hour faster than the S model we drove last year. A sportier suspension, meanwhile, drops the ride height 0.4 inches, so expect at least slightly better handling from Mini's newest Works model. Exclusive two-piece sport seats should keep drivers in place while exercising the newfound handling ability. But beyond the extra power, all-wheel drive, upgraded suspension, and neat seats, the JCW Clubman is largely a mishmash of parts we know and like. It uses the same standard six-speed manual and optional eight-speed automatic as the regular car, while the polarizing six-doored body wears the usual JCW tinsel – 18-inch wheels and a more aggressive body kit that promises better engine and brake cooling. And it still has a weight problem – the new car weighs in just under 3,500 pounds to the standard car's 3,300-pound curb weight. Mini hasn't published pricing, but if the trend set by the Hardtop and Convertible continues, we'd wager the new JCW will start around $35,500, tacking $6,000 onto the S model's $29,450. Well, at least Mini has the executive-level pricing down. The John Cooper Works Clubman should hit US dealers in December. Related Video: Related Gallery 2016 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman View 18 Photos News Source: MiniImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL MINI Wagon Luxury Performance mini clubman

2020 Mini E spy photos reveal its interior

The 2020 Mini E electric hatchback has been spied once again. It doesn't reveal much on the outside, in fact it actually shows less than the last time, since this one doesn't have the groovy concept-inspired wheels. But our spy photographer managed to get a good shot of the interior, which reveals some neat details. Chief among the interior's changes is the instrument panel on the steering column. While current gasoline-powered Minis have a typical needle-and-dial set of gauges on the column, those have been replaced by a thin screen. In an effort to keep it from looking too out of place, it has semi-circle ends and a chrome ring around the screen. Odds are that the actual screen will likely be in the middle, and additional warning and indicator lights will fill up the circular ends. Other than the screen, the only other major change is the shifter. Instead of the round leather knob of conventional automatic Minis, it has a more rectangular knob made entirely of plastic. The rest of the Mini's interior is like any other current model. The vents, controls and infotainment are all taken right from the other Minis. Interestingly, this Mini E has carbon fiber interior trim. This will probably be an option, not standard equipment. We expect the electric Mini Hardtop will make its debut sometime next year. If we're lucky, it may make the same 204 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque as the original Mini E and more than that car's 150 mile range. Related Video: