11 July 2012
New car report; Anything but ordinary
Plain and ordinary cars have their place. Most of us drive them every day to and from work and to run the errands, because they tick the basic mobility and practicality boxes we require to go about our daily lives. But for the most part they’re not much fun, are nothing to look at and they blend in with the rest of the bland automotive wallpaper that makes up our cities’ commuter queues.
But thankfully, plain and ordinary isn’t for everyone. Like the snappy dresser who turns up to a meeting in a room full of grey suits, some like to make a statement; to stand out from the crowd and present themselves as a bit more flamboyant and with their own individuality. They add some interest to our otherwise dull, boring day.
The MINI Coupe is a car with similar virtues. Leave it in a carpark amongst a sea of silver hatchbacks and it draws a crowd. It turns heads in the traffic jam and when parked outside the cafe, you’ll inevitably come back to find a couple of kids holding onto their skateboards or a group of admirers peering in through the window.
Goes as good as it looks
But this thing isn’t all about looks; it’s a car to be driven too. And it doesn’t half brighten up your day in that department as well, so why would you want to leave it parked anywhere for too long, just for others to admire?
The 155kW/260Nm powerplant mated to a 6 speed manual ‘box, propels the little John Cooper Works MINI Coupe we tested to our open road speed limit in 6.4 seconds and fuel consumption is said to be 7.1L/100km. Not bad considering the performance.
Yes okay, it’s fairly firm riding thanks to the 205/45/17’s, but it’s lively and nimble, with a ton of character in the cabin, which is trimmed with high quality materials and beautifully contrasting sporty black and red hues.
The humongous centrally mounted speedo houses a sat nav screen and an intuitive iDrive system, controlled by a joystick by the gear lever which allows you to select between the various vehicle settings, navigation, radio, phone and media systems etc.
Also mounted near the gear lever is a Sport button, which when activated sharpens up the throttle response markedly, quickens up the steering and adds a crisp bark to the exhaust note. It also adds a further 20Nm of torque which helps to increase the grin factor when you hit the loud pedal.
The Chilli Red roof complete with contrasting racing stripes, a rear spoiler that automatically raises at 80km/h, JCW logos and chequered flag trimmings all add to the theatre and increase the entertainment value.
And it's not a pretender
MINI doesn’t make out the Coupe is something it isn’t, so unlike some competitors who offer the pretence of a 2+2 rear seating configuration that could never hope to accommodate life-sized human beings, you get a pair of incredibly supportive and comfortable seats in the front only. Doing away with the pretend rear seats makes room for a huge amount of rear luggage space where others might squeeze in the unusable “plus 2” feature.
Like any Coupe, it has its limitations from a practicality perspective and clearly it’s not suitable for a family of four and a golden retriever, however for singles or couples wanting something that oozes personality and charm and is anything but plain or ordinary, with a good deal of performance thrown in too, the JCW MINI Coupe fits the bill perfectly.
Priced at $62,200 including On Road Costs (or $67,200 as tested) the MINI Coupe sits in a fairly niche corner of the market where visual impact, fun factor and enjoyment are more important than sales volumes. And if these attributes are the measure of the best in class (albeit, a fairly small class), the MINI Coupe would have to be a front runner for the title.