MINI Releases Video With All John Cooper Works Models

There have been more cars like this then there are today. For example, I can remember enjoying both the JCW Paceman and the Coupe. However, I've always though MINI needed a more compact range of highly competitive models, and that's what they have right now.

You've got the hardtop which can be ordered as a 5-door, the Clubman as an excellent VW Golf alternative and the new crossover with lots more space. All of them can be ordered with the same JCW engine, which is not what you'd call high-strung anymore.

In place of the 1.6-liter turbo you had a few years ago, the company now offers a 231 PS 2.0-liter turbo. The main difference with the Clubman and Countryman is the all-wheel drive, although the Steptronic automatic gearbox is an 8-speed instead of 6-speed too.

There's quite a bit of variety here, as the base JCW hatch is still pretty small at 3,874mm long while the Countryman is 4.3 meters long and adds about 300 kilos of extra weight. However, the performance is about the same because the bigger have more driven wheels and wider tires.

MINI doesn't make the fastest hatchbacks in the world. Pretty soon, BMW won't be a contender either. But I don't know; there's just something different about them. You hear that exhaust pop and look at those rounded hood lines, and suddenly all the heritage is there.

This official video is only a culmination of the footage is just a compilation of clips MINI has been releasing for a while. Now that the gang is all together, we think they're going to stop and focus on something other than JCW models. So money-no-object, which one would you buy? I think I'd go for either a 5-door or a family-friendly Countryman JCW with FWD.