The JCW seats lean more toward the comfort side of things rather than performance side as far as support. All JCWs come with a black vegan-leather interior. Gone are the fun, very British upholstery patterns of the past. However, 11 exterior colors are available, including some bright ones such as Blazing Blue Metallic, Chili Red or, my personal favorite, Sunny Side Yellow.
There’s more than enough headroom and legroom for this 6-foot-4 guy, but at times I found myself bending to see a traffic light. (I spoke with a 6-foot-9 member of the media and he told me he had no problem–your experience might vary.) Overall, though, the Mini feels like another British icon, the TARDIS–it’s small on the outside but seemingly quite large on the inside.
The steering wheel feels nice and beefy in your hands. The number of buttons feels appropriate for this day and age. It’s the right kind of balance between minimalism and functionality.
Outside the Driver's Compartment
Mini execs prided themselves on not dramatically increasing the size of the JCW 2 Door. How does it compare with the previous generation? Width-wise, the 2 Door grew 0.7 inches. It’s also 1.5 inches taller. And the 2 Door actually shrunk in length by 0.2 inches. On the scales, it weighs 3047 pounds, roughly 100 more than the older version. Considering how every new model seems bigger and fatter than its predecessor, this isn’t a sizeable increase (relatively), and Mini 2 Doors rank as one of the smallest cars on the U.S. market.
Mini often says its cars drive like go-karts, and the JCW 2 Door epitomizes that, for better or for worse. As with a go-kart, on rough Savannah cobblestone roads, it feels like you’re riding on no suspension. The JCW uses mechanically adaptive dampers–not electronically controlled ones like on many of Mini’s BMW cousins–and while simpler, they do not cushion the blows well on rough roads. However, when pushed to the limit, they’ll most likely shine for you. |
