derBayerische May/June 2023 - 32

T H E
2 0 2 3 M I N I
J C W
blast to drive. The interior noise
was low, the ride was smooth, the
handling was quick and predictable,
and the acceleration was instant.
Not once did we feel tired after a
long road trip, which is something
we can't say about the typical Asian
subcompact cars.
There was no discernable
difference between the driving
characteristics of the MINI JCW and
the MINI EV, which proves the
engineering success of the UKL
platform.
There is enough interior room
to fit four adults, but we suspect the
back seats of a 2-door MINI hardtop
are seldom used. It would not
surprise us to learn that most MINI
2-door hardtop owners keep their
rear seat folded to compensate for
the MINI's tiny " boot " .
Gas is now over $7.00 a gallon
in California, so our achieved
average fuel economy of 33 miles
per gallon was very much appreciated.
The MINI's 11-gallon fuel tank
ensured that fueling would take less
than 10 minutes - even with the
usual " under the bonnet " check.
In today's market, there are few
survivors from the 1980's 2-door
" hot hatch " era. The MINI 2-door
■ (Above) This gives a better idea of the MINI rear cargo room (with the
rear seats up). (Left) The special JCW badging is placed in some clever
and noticeable locations.
trend, which goes in and out of
style. While the glitter has faded
considerably, BMW is committed to
continuing the MINI brand.
The 2023 MINI hardtop is a
freshening on the 2014 model.
The exterior design has focused on
accentuating the grill as well as
the " roundness " . The " iconic " wheel
design connotes a feeling of
constant motion.
Our " John Cooper Works " test
vehicle had the " TwinPower "
4-cylinder turbocharged engine,
which produces 228 horsepower
and 236 foot-pounds of torque.
32
While we would have been delighted
with the standard 6-speed
manual shifter, the 7-speed dual
clutch automatic transmission
with paddle shifters seemed tuned
to realize the MINI's driving
personality.
As expected, parallel parking
the MINI 2-door hardtop is a
breeze. From the driver's seat,
one can instinctively " sense " the
dimensions.
Driving over 700 miles in two
days showed the main difference
between a MINI and a " typical " subcompact/compact:
the MINI is a
hardtop's only competitors seem to
be the VW GTI and the VW Type-R
Golf. Their lack of everyday
practicality and their relatively high
sticker prices would seem to limit
their market appeal.
However, there seems to be a
MINI sales renaissance. According
to iSeeCars, the MINI 2-door hardtop
is selling close to 19% above
MSRP. For MINI, this is good news.
It implies two things: (1) that a
robust new generation of MINI
enthusiasts is being created, and (2)
those who owned a MINI 20 years
ago then raised a family, are now
empty nesters seeking to again have
some driving fun.
These people are finding that
both they and the MINI JCW 2-door
hatch are still crazy after all these
years.
Let's Motor.
derBayerische
derBayerische May/June 2023

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