This Is What It's Like To Hoon A 2015 Mini JCW Around Silverstone

A few years ago I used to spend rather a lot of my time both road testing cars, and hooning around on motor racing circuits. These days, though, those opportunities are few and far between, so when the lovely people over at Blue Bell Mini Crewe asked if I fancied trying out the all new John Cooper Works at the world famous Silverstone motor racing circuit, naturally I jumped at the chance. On Saturday last weekend, I went along to Silverstone and put the car through its paces.

I’d heard some great things about the JCW but I’d not actually driven one before - in fact the only two Minis I have driven were a classic one from the 1980s (my first car) and a standard 2007 Mini Cooper I had as a company car at my first job - so I was pretty keen to see what all the fuss was about.

I was introduced to the new JCW in one of the pit garages, where it had been draped in moody black cloth and red mood lighting. It was all very fitting as the cars had all been specced up with the ‘Chili Pack’, which meant they were kitted out with less than subtle red trim on the grille, mirrors and wheel arches. Yes, it was all slightly gimmicky, but it looked pretty cool.

Upon opening the car, I discovered an equally cool interior. Lovely supportive bucket seats wrapped in Dinamica (Mini’s very own take on Alcantara) along with really high quality trim and red stitching throughout to match the exterior.

All the cars available to drive on the day were the ‘automatic sport boxes’ which boast both a full automatic mode and a ‘true manual paddleshift’ opition which requires you to manually shift through the gears with the aid of a hydraulically-operated clutch… hang on, does this sound familier to a certain blue M3 we know…?

There are many little quirks and adaptations to the JCW which differ from the Cooper S. The large four-pot Brembo brake callipers, for example, are so big they barely fit inside the wheels, so the arches have had to be given even more flare to accommodate the necessary wider track. The JCW also boasts a unique exhaust design which has a thicker bore for better exhaust flow but has been crafted from thinner steel in order to not add additional weight to the car.

After a thorough briefing, we were invited to jump into the driving seat and hit the track.

Out on track, the little JCW certainly does pack a punch, with 231bhp it takes off in a similar manner to a Leon Cupra or Golf R. The car feels light through the corners and is surprisingly forgiving with its handling meaning you can hit corners at pretty ambitious speeds. One of my favourite things to test on track are brakes, and the big Brembos that come as standard on the JCW are quite simply superb. I was able to really stamp on the pedal and rely on them to get the job done after some 100mph+ runs along the circuit’s straights.

Driving the car is a very involved experience; the exhaust cracks, pops and bangs through the downshifts which you can’t help but smile about, even though it’s a completely manufactured feature. I have to say, the gear selection wasn’t quite as aggressive and precise as I was hoping for, especially given how much the team promoted it during the briefing. With a little more time in the car and playing with the many driver settings, hopefully this could have been improved. Either way, in a small(ish) hot hatch, I would personally prefer a clutch pedal and gear stick for maximum enjoyment.

Overall, the chassis feels perfectly tight, the driving position is great, and it makes all the right noises - the JCW really does have the feel of a far more expensive car.

If you’re drawing up a shortlist for a potential new hot hatch, you simply cannot ignore the JCW. UK prices start from £23,050 but it is worth noting that the option list is pretty extensive meaning you can spec a car up to £30k+ suprisingly easily. The hot hatch market is chock-full of brilliant rivals for the new JCW, but if you’re considering one of the alternatives, we’d recommend giving the fast Mini a try.

Check out our full launch review of the new Mini JCW by clicking here.