John Cooper Works Cabriolet Driving Report

Last Sunday I got the opportunity to move the John Cooper Works Cabriolet through Munich. My dear friend Peter actually let me drive his little red and black “M - PS” from the city center to Eschenried. Not really long enough for an extensive test drive, but enough to get a good impression of this fun machine.

For me as a mutant with 1,99 body size, I was able to adjust the seat distance between the backrest and steering wheel amazingly perfect and the knee did not bother distraction this time. Certainly not as sporty seating position as in the Porsche Cayman but perfectly sufficient to have the steering wheel firmly under control.

For the first few meters, I tried to get an idea of ​​the throttle and clutch. Since I drive mostly automatic, this is always a small challenge for me. Especially when 280 Nm must be coupled. The Works does it at this point but relatively easy. Although the clutch is anything but butter soft to kick (I could clearly feel the soreness of the hike the previous day), I managed the change between the courses without jerking or stuttering.

The small steering wheel of the Mini fits well in the hand and even if the steering movements are transmitted directly to the front wheels, this can be significantly improved by the "Sport" button above the gear lever. In the sport mode, the steering is then a bit tighter and the accelerator more influential.

A ride through the Munich city center offers basically no room for extensive acceleration attempts. The vMax for me was limited to short 120 km / h, but enough to enjoy the engine and exhaust sound in the speed range from 1000 to 6000 tours. And here, dear readers, you already get goose bumps!
The little one sounds like a really big one. This subtle bubbling and clattering when you roll in a small aisle at the red traffic light clearly leads to wanting to go full throttle right at the green, only to be able to hear this bubbling from the exhaust again at the next red traffic light. It is clear that from 1.6l displacement, divided into four cylinders and powered by a turbocharger, this sound can actually not be created. But no matter - here the sound engineers have accomplished a masterpiece and with this sound image you long for the Nordschleife ... But since I was denied high-speed driving and tight bends, I had enough time to deal with the interior at the many red traffic lights.

My father always used to say to me: You have or do not have any taste. Whether this is correct in this absoluteness, I do not want to discuss here. The fact is that the design of the interior has its own charm. The mini-style is in any case consistent and extends consistently across all components of the interior. Here is the motto rather round as square, rather thick than thin and rather bulky than graceful. Whether that suits a small sporty racing slogan and whether you think it's great is just the question of taste.
By far the most notable is the center console with the oversized porthole in the middle of the 16: 9 screen aims at the squaring of the circle. Only at the second glance is it noticeable that at the edge of the porthole a scale from 0 to 260 km / h indicates the driving speed. The indicator (which is otherwise a tachometer needle), in the case of the Works is a small float that displays the speed like a depth gauge in a submarine.

Luckily, the tachometer is right where you need it, right above the wheel. Within the tachometer, the current speed is again displayed as a numeric integer, so you do not pay attention to the depth gauge.
But completely puzzling is the round instrument to the left of the tachometer. Here, my friend Peter had to give a brief explanation: "This is the Allways Open Timer".

Aha! Clear as sun! - Sun? Yes, of course! We are sitting in a cabriolet and one should desirably drive as often as possible without a roof. So it makes sense to display the number of hours you could drive open in addition to speed and speed.

All other controls such as switches, buttons, turn signals, air vents and the seat adjustment are well processed and leave no room for qualitative criticism.
The small stubby buttons for ventilation and air conditioning as well as the miniature bullet eye to indicate the target temperature of the interior are other elements that match the style of the Mini, but also ensure that the Mini either love or find it very nasty.

With the "Checker" I have learned that you always have to do an external check. If you look at the Works so attentively from the outside, you realize that the Mini is anything but mini. The deep-drawn front bumper and the discreet side skirts give the Works a very sporty touch. Since it does not worry that the air inlets for the brake system of the rear wheels are just dummies.
The wheel arches are filled by massive black 18 "rims and the low profile tires forgive any contact with the curb (sorry, Peter because of the small quirk). Somewhat weird are the red painted calipers, but maybe only because too many 3 riders painted red brake calipers with paint from the hardware store.

If you look at the Works from behind, you can actually see only the two matte black exhaust pipes whose diameter is much larger than normal, but luckily smaller than the above-mentioned 3er BMWs fails. With all the red and black of the vehicle, something like chrome-plated roll bars that flash out between folding roof and rear seat disturb.

And finally ...

Fortunately, Peter has a garage, so the Always Open Timer will probably never go to zero. It's a shame that there is a speed limit in downtown Munich and the tight bends (with curbs) can only be found at traffic lights - But maybe I will get the opportunity to drive across the Alps by car someday. Otherwise there is only one thing left to say: Thank you Peter for a successful Sunday.

Driving report from Leif - the first guest author 😉 - Thank you!