Comments on: 2008 MINI John Cooper Works range

By: Allan D

Allan D — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:10:18 +0000

Does the jcw version come with lowered JCW springs? Last time in inquired, they hadn’t passed ADR yet. pft.. The “sports suspension” in the S and Chili are the same height as the normal suspension. I hate how the R56 looks likes it’s on stilts.

By: Liam

Liam — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:57:04 +0000

I’ve been driving a Cooper S since 2004. ;)

By: The Salesman

The Salesman — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:15:59 +0000

Liam. Come clean, you have bought one haven’t you? Or maybe you work in a Mini garage? Seems you have some emotional attachment either way

By: Liam

Liam — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:39:39 +0000

Compared to what?

A MINI is an emotional purchasing decision, not a rational one. Therefore it could be argued the price of a MINI is no more over the top than, say, a 911 Turbo. Maybe a daft comparison, but you probably get my drift.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:52:20 +0000

The price is simply over the top.

By: Realcars

Realcars — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:22:45 +0000

Love these.

By: Liam

Liam — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:31:56 +0000

Haha, MINIs are small, sure, but they’re not that cramped. Granted I’m not overly tall, but still, there’s comparable foot room and head room in these compared to a Golf, for example. For front seat passengers anyway. Fair enough, the rear seat room is small, although not so bad once you’re in, but not suited to long drives. And the boot is a rear glove box, rather than a boot.

I drove a new JCW last week, and there’s still not much around in its segment that compares to its direct steering and immediate feel, even if the steering has dropped a fraction of its sharpness over the earlier R53 models.

If you can spend $50K on a hatch, and the reduced convenience/sizing isn’t an issue for you, the JCW is definitely worth considering. They love to be driven and driven hard and the rewards for doing so are great.

Check out the fuel consumption claims as well. If you’re still looking for a fun drive without burning a hole in your pocket each time you fill up the MINI JCW makes a pretty compelling case for itself.

By: Ra

Ra — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:04:34 +0000

How does this car compare to the Lotus for Price vs Handling vs Crampness?

By: The Salesman

The Salesman — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:40:17 +0000

Great car. I would love to buy one. Only you must be a 5ft Millionaire to drive one out the showroom. have you got anything in a long wheel base?