I remember being at the GP2 launch with MINI UK and having hot laps in one and thinking MINI can do no wrong. Oh God! how wrong was I when the official pictures came out for the 3rd BMW MINI. How could they get it so wrong?? It looked like they tried too hard as it was an amalgamation of some 1st Gen MINI styling features, BUT it had a Face only a mother could love. So I thought, fine, it is what is. I buy my cars in this order – Handling, Power & Looks, so all this fits in my confines. Like anything, the proof is in the pudding…

Roll on the launch of the 3rd Gen MINI F56 series, and I got to dealer launch with Stratstone, who I did the marketing at the time. I was impressed by the interior, but the looks didn’t look any better in the metal, with the Cooper being the looker for the range. Fast forward again, and I drive the Cooper S manual courtesy of MINI Shrewsbury, and it is a disappointment as it drove like an F20 1 Series BMW.

Then a few months later, I headed out to the US for MINI TAKES THE STATES and drove the F56 MINI Cooper S auto with the JCW Pro kit with the suspension and exhaust with the carbon fibre tips. Again I was left muted as there was no connection again as it all felt forced, like it was computerised to give some involvement. To get some of the R56/R50/R53 magic, you had to buy the exhaust and suspension, which pushes the car in the other territories of price options of the Civic Type R, BMW 135i, Golf R & Focus RS. At this point, the S or JCW is outgunned, and you can’t even say it’s a more involving drive which was the justification for R series MINIs.

Click the link to my UK & USA review of the F56 MINI Cooper S

This brings me on to why I’m not fond of an F series MINI at all, and I will break it down into categories so you can see why there is some love lost with the MINI…

Chassis

All cars are made on a platform to which they share inherently the same DNA with such the Volkswagen Golf platform is a share within the V Dub group, which allows VW to make 200 cars on one platform. Therefore the underlining traits will be the same; therefore, they handle the same and use the same parts, which is why VW can create so many cars and make higher profits. On the negative side is they are dialled in the same to have understeer so everyone can drive it and all and any problems affect all the models.

The heads of BMW/MINI made a big mistake to share the same platform for the 3rd Gen MINI with a BMW given it ruined the looks, and if anything, the go karting feeling went as it drove like a BMW. The main charm of the MINI that it was fun to drive and the feedback you got from the road. A lot of that was dialled away in the F series as it lacks the confident initial turn feel. The F-series feels like a BMW 1-series you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference if someone blindfolded you and put you identical spec engine variates. If I wanted a BMW, then I would have brought one…

The rawness from the R-Series MINI has been lost in this scramble towards refinement as the sense of speed and cabin is now whisper quiet. This is all cool for lower spec like the Cooper or Cooper D/SD, but the Cooper S & JCW franticness is gone, which made you think about your driving and enjoy the aural satisfaction from supercharged whine and turbo noises.

Steering, Pedals & Gearbox

Like the chassis points above, the dartiness has been removed, and BMW 1 series DNA has been added. There is some sort of feedback, but not like I know where the wheels are after 2 seconds after the initial input but where the time is of the turn or tyre feedback just simply not there.

i.e. MINI’s unique selling point of driving pleasure has been removed to be a crowd pleasure of the masses.

For anyone who has driven the F56 manual version is the pedals genuinely feel like an afterthought as they positioned in such a way it’s not comfortable and the gear change is something wishy-washy. By the looks of things, it was designed to be an automatic in the first instance than a manual again which is a dying breed. Manual should have been done right as Porsche GT3 still shows it’s still alive and kicking along with Toyota GR Yaris & Ford Fiesta ST across the automotive landscape it is still an item of desire. MINI has often prided itself on selling Manual especially in the USA and for a few model years, they completely took away the option to have a manual.

#SaveTheManual

Sound

With all the refinements that came, the noise with the cabin was muted. Still, sadly the same happened the exhaust with it not producing a natural sound but instead an artificial one either cabin side or the ECU programmed to create some overrun. The worst part is the stock JCW wasn’t much better; another muted affair is made worst because you had to pay to get noise at the tune of £1200 plus with the JCW pro exhaust. JCW pro exhaust is an amazing piece of kit. However, the JCW should have sounded amazing from the beginning.

Turbo Lag

Personally, I like a bit of lag from a turbo as it hards some charm because you have to work for it. There a lot of great older generational cars with turbo lag like the Ferrari F40, BMW Turbo 2002, Ford Escort RS Turbo, Toyota Supra, MR2 & 911 Turbo to name a few. Yes, it annoying when you’re trying to pull away from a junction and nothing happens, but that is always far and in between. F56 virtually gets rid of it completely in all models, but the Cooper & Cooper S power levels are hard to distinguish between, just down to the fact the Cooper is best of the bunch now with that peppy 3 cylinders at around-town speeds it’s on par with the S.

Looks

Yeah, everyone knows this, but they flopped hard, and there is no way around it or any bodykit that would save it…

The 3rd MINI just reminds me of the other automotive misfit, the Mark 3/4 VW Golf, which just a fatter with every generation after the Mark 1 and got worse in all-around fun and desirability.

Individuality

This is one major key where MINI dropped all the balls, and it rebounded and smacked them in the face.

At launch and through the F56 life cycle, there was always a lack of customisation from spec, paint and accessory parts.

It was either too much money or downright cheapening the look of the classic less MINI.

All they had to is get a photocopier and redo the R-series accessory book from the carbon trim, JCW performance part and marketing push.

By not making the parts, they killed their dealer network as they had nothing to sell or anything some wanted to buy or know about, which ultimately killed the desire of the F-series MINI. For other owners and me, I know the fact going into a dealership and looking at the accessories on the walls and demo cars made you want to save up more or think about buying parts later down the line.

The dealers I know said there was no uptake minus the exhaust and no marketing push from MINI themselves. In the days of the 1st & 2nd Gen MINIs, they would be sending out body kits, carbon parts and interior trim on the regular in the UK and around the world but no more. Instead, MINI Headoffice aftersales teams are trying to sell little door lock caps…..

No happy dealers equal poor sales, interest and enquiries, i.e. dealer network needs to be busy and excited about the product in the 6-year life cycle of a car.

Doors & Quirkiness

Just why MINI why why why??? Why did you make a 5-door MINI & drop the suicide door on the Clubman?

The Countryman exists and lets it be that car or the loveable Clubman.

I don’t know what’s more depressing the fact the 5-door outsells the 3-door or the fact MINI sells 5-d00r hatchback exists.

The worst thing was sitting at the launch of the MINI Clubman was them banging about it’s the same size as a VW Golf. If I wanted a Golf I would buy one…

I brought my MINI because it was a small, fun car, and if I wanted a more practical version, I would get a Countryman or Clubman, but sadly they killed the Paceman : /

Sadly the accountants win the battle, and some cars are dropped at the end of the day; it’s a business and money talks.

The buttons and layout were changed, which annoyed me as it had me switching on the fogs lights instead of dropping windows, and the dumb switch for the lights on the dash trim instead of the stalks annoyed me as well. Yes, I am aware I am sounding like an old fart, but the toggle switches and layout was different, which was part of the experience in a MINI. R56 FOR LIFE!

TOO BIG! Please be small

With the SUV craze and cars are getting bigger, but that’s actually laziness of the manufacturers for safety etc.

It’s cheaper to make a car bigger than make it stronger, so they comply with new laws and regulations.

What they should have done with the MINI is to do a Porsche design language of it looks the same as the original and increased the size by 10 to 15%.

Finance

I am not a fan of car finance as it is the idea of renting something and not owning something.

However, personal contract purchase (PCP) is the method the masses use now, and that’s where MINI falls flat as they priced themselves out of the market.

An equivalent A-Class Mercedes, VW Golf or even Parent brand BMW 1-series worked out cheaper, so why would want to have something less ‘premium’ and less car???

There was a time where the BMW 135i was cheaper to fiance than the F56 JCW!?! You get two more cylinders, a bigger boot, more car, rear-wheel drive and the badge to match.

Madness in the grand scale of schemes and BMW sold the 135i by the boatload.

Marketing

Someone that’s worked in marketing for the last 10 years and worked for the worldwide marketing team for Jaguar & Land Rover. MINI push the brand beyond their actual target audience as they move more premium. The majority of people who buy MINI’s are the creative type and don’t like to fit the norm. F-series MINI advertising campaigns are full of LA Hipsters and giving that high-end premium looking which anything remotely the people who buy them who is students, marketing professionals and medical professional in the ages bracket of 22 to 60 years olds. MINI should be stuck to what they did best with the ads as MINI is emotional purchasing decisions, and it’s all about being a fun brand, not a wannabe hipster brand that’s trying to be cool. Everyone loves and remembers the MINI Adventure TV adverts, Funny billboards and print adverts.

MINI Community & Events

This is a weird one as MINI before was all about the MINI scene with it being integrated and doing stuff with them. MINI UNITED was the peak and they took that away and from there hasn’t been much with association only when it is needed for marketing needs. In contrast, if we go towards the dark side of Fiat with the Abarth they have fully embraced ‘the scene’ with the Scorpionship club for Abarth owners so they offer discount, parts, news and events. They literally have Abarth Day which is essentially a copy of MINI UNITED and they went for the 70th Anniversary where on the other hand MINI UK didn’t do anything. MINI USA on the other hand fully lean into the community with the marketing campaigns and doing MINI TAKES THE STATES which happens every two years which is 1 week of road tripping and fun. What better to keep owners staying, upgrading to newer models or performance variates and buying parts than having 300 to 500 MINIs in convoy travelling across the USA it’s essentially a driving billboard to gets press and word of mouth coverage. MINI is the only brand that positions itself as the car brand that comes with friends and they have gone against the grain with that. Get back to being with the MINI community and understand your target market MINI Head Office.

Focus Group.

I truly believe the 3rd Gen F-Series MINI was built for people who didn’t own a MINI before instead to attract more of the masses. I remember a friend of mine being asked to join the focus group for MINI and him recollecting what happened when he was sitting with other people. He was left shocked that they were clearly not MINI owners and instead were moaning about the things that make a MINI a MINI. The ride is too hard, lacks boot space and interior space, and ergonomics is not like other cars. Clearly, you’re in the wrong car if you want all that? It’s like being in an electric car and expecting it to make some noise or a supercar is too loud/raw…

The F-series MINI’s are a better car, but what they did with making it more ‘normal’ but BMW/MINI took away the essence of what a Modern MINI is from BMW’s vision from the 2001 rebirth. The sales figure speak volume as they down to the levels of 2006 with the F-series which is ridiculous when they only sold two models and US dealers there biggest market has been closing doors.

Deep down, I truly hope the 4th Gen MINI brings backs the mojo, rawness and quirkiness as we move to an electric future with MINI becoming an Electric only brand.

Here are my recommendations for MINI UK & Overseas specialist to visit:

Lohen – lohen.co.uk

1320 Mini – 1320.co.uk

Sussex Road & Race – sussexroadandrace.co.uk

Millys Auto – millsysautos.co.uk

TWG Automotive – twgautomotive.co.uk

MiniWorks – mini-works.co.uk

RSI C6 – rsic6.com

Outmotoring – outmotoring.com

ESC Tuning – ecstuning.com

Detroit Tuned – detroittuned.com

My list is made by my own opinions and me speaking to respective companies & other owners worldwide, and this is not sponsored post for full transparency.

If you got the modding bug, don’t forget to check out JCW Adventures Store or Official eBay Store for some stickers for all generations of MINIs or R56 JCW carbon fibre exhaust tips seen on my MINI R56 JCW to support the blog & YouTube channel.

All your support over the years, and please offer that same support by following my Youtube Channel as well : )

As Always, it’s a MINI Adventure. Try to keep up & Stay Safe!

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The post Love Hate Relationship: Everything Wrong with the F Series MINI appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Here are my tips on how to look after your MINI during non-use:

Battery

As with all modern cars now the power and state of the battery are key for the starting and all electronic in the car with that being said, there are so many ways to look after it.

Invest in a trickle charger to keep the battery topped up that way it doesn’t die and doesn’t cause any faults warning lights and keeps the alarm active

There are two types of chargers:

Dumb – Old school charge which will top up the battery at a cheaper cost as they are similar like any charger but doesn’t know when the battery is fully charged, so it’s up to you to stop it from overcharging

Smart – Moden advance charging unit which adjusts for different types of the battery from acid to lithium so can be used on any car brand regardless of the type of battery. The smart unit is a ‘plugin and forget’ as it will top of the battery then stop charging and will monitor the charge level and turn back on when needed when the battery drops down to a certain level.

Obviously, with both systems there is a price difference ranging from £30 for dumb and £80 above for smart chargers – It will depend on how often you will keep the car on the charge to know which one to buy and maintenance and time should play in the critical factor. Personally, I use a CTEK trickle charger which is the best one you get, and it has never failed me after five years of owning one.

I understand that some people will say let the car idle for 15 minutes which will charge the battery is true. But this will use fuel and depending on your country you can not leave a car unattended when it’s idling, and it’s not a good idea to idle a vehicle in a closed garage due to carbon monoxide risks. I would rather be warm inside and getting on with life as the smart charger did it’s a thing over the winter or eating ice cream in the summer so take your pick.

Tyres

Often overlooked by people as you just expected not to do anything to them, which is a fault of many motorists as they forget it’s the only thing keeping you on the road!

If your car is going to sitting for a long while then pump up your tyres to 15 psi above what they should be, e.g. standard psi 34 – storing psi 49 – this stops flat spots on your tyre as deforming under the constant load of the car on them when stationary. Where possible to move the vehicle forward or back to stop flat stops even more periodically. Leave a note on your steering wheel or dash to remind you to deflate to correct pressure when your car out from storage to drive. If you have more money, you can buy tyre protectors, but you have to jack up the car and place them underneath or invest in a scissor lift.

The age and condition of the tyre play a major factor as well as having cracks, or an old tyre is dangerous as like any rubber over time it degrades, making it unsafe. Use your free time to check for any nicks, cracks, bulges on the inside or outside facing of the tyre. To check the age of the tyre is very simple as it’s a legal requirement of all tyre manufactures. If you look at the tyre sidewall, there will be the manufacture date code such 1519 – where 15 denotes the week of manufacture and 19 represents the year, meaning the tyre was manufactured on the 15th week of 2019. Always a good thing to look when buying new tyres just in general so you can maximise your time with the tyre.

Fluids – Oil, Coolant, Brakes & Fuel

Checking all the fluids are another major point as they key the car running how it should when it fires up from storage, so its best to check their levels, condition and age.

The oil will be a simple one as a dipstick, or the colour of the oil will tell you, but if it hasn’t been changed in 6 months to 1 year, this would be time to change it or learn how to do it as it’s off the road. Once again like tyres or any perishable items oil does go off as it degrades over time so it doesn’t matter if you have done 5 miles or 8,000 miles in a year it will still need to be changed. Remember, £50 of oil is cheaper than a new engine…

Coolant is slightly different to oil as you can visually check it, but it’s harder to tell as you have to think when it was changed/flushed or do a test using coolant test strips which tell you the health of your coolant. If the coolant hasn’t been changed in 2-3 years, look to change it or learn how to do it as it’s off the road as this can be done with ease on a driveway or garage using simple tools.

If the car is stored over the winter inside or outside having a good level of anti-freeze mixture will stop any coolant from expanding and cracking the coolant tank or lines. Same can be said to the washer fluid as it can expanding and cracking the washer fluid bottle due to no anti-freeze additive.

Brake fluid is similar to coolant as well to check it for issues and condition along with assessing whether to change or not.

If you can leave the car in gear only and put stop behind the rear wheels as brakes and especially the handbrake can cease if they are left on over prolonged time which is an issue you don’t want.

Check your brake discs if your car is kept outside as them being steel will cause them to rust.

Often debated topic of how much fuel should you put into your tank when it’s being stored? The simple answer is either full or near on close to top to avoid any issues with the fuel tank or lines. Having fuel in the system stops the riot in the lines or tank and avoids are moisture or oxidation in the fuel or system.

Exterior

Wash your car to remove any dirt or grime etc. to avoid any rust or unwanted mould growth and dry it correctly at points to avoid any issues with changes with the weather.

If you have a car cover, put it on after full cleaning and drying the car all over to avoid any scratches or moisture retention from the cover.

Convertibles or roadster make sure you top is up to stop creases in the fabric.

Interior 

Clean the interior and if possible, make sure there is no damp or spillage on any surfaces as the car. Once it’s locked, it will be breeding ground for any bacteria over time. So clean appropriately either by hand or wet vac and disinfectant kill any unwanted smells or bacteria.

Do open the car periodically to check on any smells or any issues within the cabin.

Also, another perfect time to change a thing that people always forget about it! The cabin air filter which is easily removed by pulling two tabs and inserting a new filter which is a 5-minute job and cheap part buy at £15. Not replacing it every year damages your air-con or heating system just any dirty air filter as your restricting it’s operating efficiency.

If you have a leather dash or surfaces I would advise on covering it as the heat from the sun will cause it to be damaged, crack or peel away if it’s left outside in the summer under prolonged heat.

Getting back on the road

Once you want to take your car back on the road, make sure to follow these procedures to give it the best chance to get it going.

Make sure to unplug your battery chargers and reset the tyres to the correct pressures and reset the tyre monitor sensor, so you don’t get the dash warning later.

Check your oil and coolant to make sure they haven’t dropped before think about starting as the last you want to start a car with no major fluids.

I advise this as there might have been an unnoticed leak or the under trays are hiding a major leak that your unaware or not noticed.

Turn the key one click or press the start button once to allow the fuel pump to prime, which will make an audible noise and let it do it for about 10 seconds then start the car.

A gentle drive around without going for high revs till after about 5 minutes and in the time do test your brakes as the pressure will be low the first time you press them.

Having OBD reader will look at any error codes that pop up and allow you to work out everything from a bulb out or emissions issue.

Hopefully, these tips will keep your MINI in tip-top condition now given it’s not being used or limited usage.

I have started making videos on YouTube to help the MINI community that cherish and love deeply.

So from one MINI owner to another, please subscribe to the channel, so I grow it and help MINI owners all across the world.

The below video is the first of many videos to help MINI owners – I outline on how to maintain an N14/N18 engined MINI.

I am aiming to do a new Youtube Video every month about all things MINI from maintenance to showcasing the best MINIs out there in the MINI community.

If you got the modding bug don’t forget to check out JCW Adventures Store or Official eBay Store for some stickers for all generations of MINIs or R56 JCW carbon fibre exhaust tips as seen on my MINI R56 JCW.

All your support over the years has kept the blog going and made it what it is.

So thank you deeply straight from my heart for being a supporter of JCW Adventures.

As Always it’s a MINI Adventure try to keep up & Stay Safe!

Support the blog by Sharing, Subscribing or Buying from the stores

JCW Adventures Store

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The post MINI Car Tips: How Look After Your Car In Storage, Lockdown or Winter appeared first on JCW Adventures.

The idea of the challenge is to get MINI owners across the world to showcase their MINIs for the world to see. During these times, this will allow the MINI community to grow a strong bond, new friends made, and MINI owners aided.

Naturally, the photo challenge starts in May and will end at the end of the month and please make sure to use the hashtag #MINIMAY in all your photos. I will be looking through the hashtags and share the best picture I see that given day on my own Instagram – D4rkhorse

Hopefully, this will help fight the boredom with the lockdown and with that, I have started making videos on YouTube to help the MINI community that cherish and love deeply.

So from one MINI owner to another, please subscribe to the channel, so I grow it and help MINI owners all across the world.

The below video is the first of many videos to help MINI owners – I outline on how to maintain an N14/N18 engined MINI.

If you got the modding bug don’t forget to check out JCW Adventures Store or Official eBay Store for some stickers for generations of MINIs or R56 JCW carbon fibre exhaust tips as seen on my MINI R56 JCW.

All your support over the years has kept the blog going and made it what it is.

So thank you deeply straight from my heart for being a supporter of JCW Adventures.

As Always it’s a MINI Adventure try to keep up & Stay Safe!

Ali

Support the blog by Sharing, Subscribing or buying from the stores

JCW Adventures Store

Official eBay Store

JCW Adventures Youtube Channel

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The post Do It For The Gram: #MINIMAY Photo Challenge appeared first on JCW Adventures.

This list will include a mix of PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia & Mobile so you can play on your favourite gaming platform.

The Crew 2 – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC & Stadia

The Crew 2 is an open-world game that has land, sea and air cover as you can switch between any time of vehicle anytime you want to give you the vehicle fix while you’re stuck indoors. The open-world is a mix of the US states in a large map which can be covered by a variety of vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats, and aeroplanes.

The game features a nonlinear story that follows the unnamed player character as they go to become a racing icon in the United States by winning in all racing disciplines available in the game. There are four disciplines: Street Racing, Off-Road, Freestyle and Pro Racing. In Street Racing, the player is assisted by Latrell. In Off-Road, the player is assisted by Tucker “Tuck” Morgan. In Freestyle, the player is assisted by Sofia and her father. In Pro Racing, the player is assisted by Alexis.

MINIs in the game:

2010 – R56 MINI Cooper S

2013 – R60 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

Both have a rallycross edition to them, and another plus to the Crew 2 is that you modify your car to your liking with visuals to fully race car with engine mods etc.

Need For Speed: Heat – PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC

NFS: Heat returns to it’s rooted with the latest iteration with racers and police but this interesting take on it all. By day is a certified league of professional racing to climb up the ladder and then switch over to the darkness of the night it’s illegal street racing and avoid the police. The police are on the hunt for street racers, so they won’t let you go easy and they will hunt you down whether your cruising around or in a race and the gloves will be off.

Heat’s key feature is modifying your car to your dreams right down to the colour to the actual exhaust note of the car which can be done in the game or through the mobile NFS Heat Studio app. Your car can also be modified to different disciplines ranging from road racing to drifting so you can have the edge over the competition both online and offline.

The games start with you the player arriving in Palm City for the Speedhunter Showdown, a citywide exhibition which draws in racers to compete in legally sanctioned races throughout the day, and illegal street races throughout the night. Lt. Frank Mercer, leader of the police department’s High-Speed Task Force, announces his intent to ruthlessly pursue and arrest all street racers in the city. Lucas Rivera, a local mechanic and retired street racer, sells the player their first car, helps the player enter their first Showdown race, and becomes their mechanic and mentor for much of the game. Lucas’s younger sister, Ana Rivera (Ana Marte), is a street racer whose crew recently disbanded after a task force raid nearly killed one of her friends.

MINI in the game:

2017 – F60 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

Gran Turismo Sport – Playstation 4

The lastest run in the longest-running Playstation exclusive real driving simulator from Polyphony Digital on the PS4. This is not your arcade racer but more of sim so your inputs will need to be like how they would be in real life; otherwise, you will crash or spin out. Gran Turismo has always tried to blend the line between real life and the digital world, so there are real tracks, cars and competitions which have FIA approved around the world. The tweaks to your car are all about the suspension, aero, gearing setup etc like you would have in real life in order to gain that extra second on lap time.

Gran Turismo Sport has VR for a feature which is cool to look around cars and there is photo mode to get your clicks to make the best images around the various locations and scenes. Gran Turismo will receive one-off concept cars made by manufactures exclusively to the game which will not be found elsewhere like the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo.

GT Sport doesn’t have a story mode or anything is just go out there and race on real or original tracks and go compete online to win to be the best and actually become a real racing driver.

MINIs in the game:

MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo Concept

1965 – Mini-Cooper ‘S’

2005 – R53 Mini Cooper S

GRID – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC & Stadia

This is another return to beloved franchise but more of reboot to bringing back white knuckle bumper to bumper racing. GRID was created by the Codemasters who made the TOCA, Colin Mcrae, DIRT & F1 s they know how to make a great car game.

GRID covers the following disciplines Touring, Stock, Tuner & Invitational which ranges the cars from Hot Hatches to F1 to bring out your inner Stig. The game has an arcade feel to as it allows some liberalities as there is a rewind feature which lets you go back to where you ran out of talent then move forward from correcting your mistake. There is a mix of racing from the day, night and different weather effects so there plenty of locations on the drive on through your career.

There is only visual customisation with liveries on the vehicles and setup of suspension etc to make the most of laps times.

MINIs in the game:

2012 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works

1965 – Mini-Cooper ‘S’

Driveclub – PS4

This one on the list is one of my personal favourite car games of all time. Driveclub gave you all the cars you could dream of and made you feel like you were driving them with the sounds and visuals. There is an arcade feel to the driving, but that was built in to give you some fun straight away so the words easy to learn and hard to master come to mind.

The car list is something to lust about as there is everything from Hot hatches to hypercars, but there are no mods just changing the colour or the liveries.

Driveclub makes up for the lack of changes with the weather effects in the game ranging from sunny days to snow. Along with the best locations in each corner of the world, so one race your racing through the Scotland highlands to Tokyo Turnpikes with a fantastic level of details with lighting, backdrops and the most realistic cars sounds ever with backfires, deeper noise echoing in turns with in-car views outlaying every single stitch in the Ferrari 458 speciale.

Another feature that was added later on was the DLC of having to drive on two wheels if that tickles your fancy with Drive Club Bikes along with the paid-for upgrade to play in VR for more sensory overload.

MINIs in the game:

2013 – R56 Mini GP2

Forza Motorsport 7 – Xbox One & PC

A Microsoft exclusive that runs with the leader of the pack Gran Turismo with giving you real racing to hoon your skills in the digital with fastest cars on the street to every series of racing on the track.

Forza Motorsport 7 features over 700 cars—including new Forza Edition cars, most of which have been brought over from Forza Horizon 3—and more than 200 different configurations to race on across 32 locations at launch, including all from Forza Motorsport 6; a fictional street circuit in Dubai is one of the new circuits and several tracks returning from Forza Motorsport 4 including Maple Valley Raceway, Mugello Circuit and Suzuka Circuit. Two features that are new to the Motorsport title include dynamic weather which changes over the course of the race and customisable drivers.

Don’t be brushed off by this sim racer as it can be tailored around skill level as you can a lot of driving aids on like it show the racing line as a minimum to auto braking for corners to help you learn cars and tracks the easy way.

Most of these games do have an online feature but Xbox wins hands down on the community given the number of laughs I have had in lobbies and racing on the track.

MINIs in the game:

1965 – Mini Cooper S

1965 – Mini Cooper S Forza Edition

2012 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works

2013 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works GP

2013 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works GP Forza Edition

2014 – R60 Mini Monster Energy All4 Racing X-Raid

Forza Horizon 4 – Xbox One & PC

Another open-world car game with an arcade feel, but this includes real cars with added FUN to the world as you go about racing for money, prizes and doing ridiculous with cars like racing a train or Vulcan bomber to a finish point. The aim here is to buy and drive your favourite car in open-world which changes through the seasons yes you hear me right seasons, so it changes throughout your time from summer to snow-filled winter. Every type of racing is here from circuit racing to drag racing on a frozen lake and that’s just the start with the DLC adding more depth and madness to the mix like LEGO world where you can drive lego versions of the Bugatti Chiron.

Whatever car you can imagine it’s in the game ranging from James Bond’s DB5 to V10 howl of the Lexus LFA. If any of those cars don’t tickle your fancy you can modify to your heart’s content by taking a Land Rover Defender and shove in big V8 race motor and change it to rear-wheel drive then modify the bodywork or paint to any colour want.

The game is continuously updated for free and with paid DLC of new cars or races so the fun will always continue until the next iteration comes out.

MINIs in the game:

1965 – MINI Cooper S Traveller

1965 – MINI Cooper S Traveller

1965 – LEGO Version MINI Cooper S

2009 – R56 MINI John Cooper Works

2012 – R56 MINI John Cooper Works GP

2014 – R60 MINI X-Raid All4 Racing Countryman

2018 – F57 MINI John Cooper Works Convertible

2018 – F60 MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4

2018 – MINI X-raid John Cooper Works Buggy

Dirt Rally 2.0 – PS4, Xbox One & PC

Codemasters worked their magic as they always do with car games as they made the legendary Colin Mcrae rally games.

Dirt Rally 2.0 is focused on rallying and rallycross across timed stage events on tarmac and off-road terrain in varying weather conditions. The locations for races are in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Spain and the United States, Finland, Germany, Greece, Monte Carlo, Sweden and Wales. There are remastered versions of the stages included in the original Dirt Rally.

The car roster covers 50 cars: World Rallycross Supercars, historic rally cars from the 1960s through the 1980s, Groups A, B and R rally cars, and modern rally cars from the 1990s to the late 2010s.

There is a new weather modelling system changes the level of grip, visibility and the surface of the stages degrades as more cars pass over a stage. The level of detail with damages not only be visual but also mechanical effect so have to fix a race without a wheel or broken gearbox.

MINIs in the game:

1965 – MINI Cooper S

2018 – XITE Racing F56 Mini Cooper SX1

Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Nintendo Switch

The game is an arcade-style racer which uses the switch controllers to its advantage with the face buttons are used for braking and accelerating. The game has local split-screen with online multiplayer covering more than 250 different races across the four main environments and over 50 licensed cars.

The game includes a story mode as well as a Club feature they can be shared with friends and challenge rival clubs across the world. There is a garage feature so players can upgrade and customise any model of car from the paint and bodywork, or change the performance with engine tuning.

MINIs in the game:

2015 – F56 MINI John Cooper Works

CSR Racing 2 – Mobile (Andriod/iOS)

Custom street racing 2 is a free to play drag racing game on mobile devices. The game is split into five tiers, with each tier introducing progressively faster opposition and vehicles. To move on to a new tier, the player must race and beat the crew boss for the level. After beating the boss of each level, the player will be challenged to a high stakes rematch to which if you win again you win the boss’s car. However, if the player loses, they must give back the gold won from the previous boss race.

The car list ranges from hot hatches to hypercars for straight-line drag races as the racing is limited to 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile races. The game focuses on timing gear changes and use of the nitrous upgrade by tapping the screen, which allows a low barrier of entry to the game so anyone can play.

MINIs in the game:

2015 – F56 MINI Cooper S

That’s my list of car games to get you through the lockdown and I hope to meet some of you online and keep the MINI community going online. If there is any that you know, please chime in the comments or reach out to me on social media.

Gamer Tag Playstation: AM_AUTOS

Gamer Tag Xbox: AMAUTOS

If anyone needs me during this difficult time, please do not hesitate to reach over social media and over the time of the lockdown, I will be reaching out to the community to keep all of us moving forward.

Hope to see you at the next corner for the next MINI Adventure…

Ali

Founder of JCW Adventures

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The post Digital Racers: Best Car Games With MINIs appeared first on JCW Adventures.

We are all defined by moments and events in our life who change who and what we are. To car people, decades are defined by cars and MINI takes the 60s with all four wheels heading to your heart, the movie screen, racing tracks, fashion, music and your driveway.

To celebrate this Icon was the only way possible to bring owners all across together for events and hear their stories for a year-long celebration. MINI UK & their marketing agency approached me to share my story early in 2019 after knowing about my website. It was an honour to share why MINI has key place in my heart, life and how it changed my life all those years ago in 2011.

My MINI adventures started in 2008 when my dad brought me my first car my beloved R56 MINI One to which to this day I miss dearly. That little four-wheel wonder taught me how to drive as I had to squeeze everything out of 1.4-litre engine producing 89 BHP with keeping the momentum and speed through and out of corners. This chapter closed with a bittersweet moment as I had to let her go for the right reasons to move forward with my life. That closed chapter allowed me to move forward but 2011 brought a lot of bad to which I didn’t fully understand or wish upon on anyone else and the only thing that got me through that period is my beloved JCW.

From those ashes, JCW Adventures was born and Surrey New MINI became my 2nd family with my first of many MINI Adventures across the globe. My JCW has taken beyond my dreams and reality with all the doors it opened as both an individual and making me who I am.

The concept of MINI’s 60th-anniversary celebrations was to showcase 60 years of continuous of the brand and stories that go with it from 1959 to 2019.

Me & Rob got the ball rolling with his stories and how his life changed in 2017 and how his MINI & I saved his outlook on life and kept him going from the unfortunate life-changing accident.

This video only shows part of the bond Rob and me as the road isn’t always smooth, but we will always have each other back as JCW blood brothers.

From there was both of us submitting our stories for the Instagram posts to be shared to other fans and owners across the world and on the MINI official website.

The next part of the celebrations is the movie that spread the word of the Mini worldwide with a special screening of The Italian Job in MINI plant Oxford which has seen 105 years of continued car manufacturing.

The final part of the celebrations wouldn’t just be our moments but the whole MINI community spanning 60 years. MINI selected 60 cars to mark each year of MINI production spanning from 1959 to 2019 models.

My JCW would represent 2011 and Rob’s JCW would mark 2013 with only two years apart of one another they both the mark the factory introduction of the Factory John Cooper Works built to owners specifications from Plant Oxford.

Fun fact – R56 MINI FJCW were always made in batches as the engines were different from the Cooper S significantly which warrantied a longer manufacturing time. This schedule didn’t align with the just in time production line method resulting in the batch making and it wasn’t every day an FJCW was ordered either.

This was another event at the home of MINI at Plant Oxford with all 60 owners and Minis converging on the grounds to which they were all born. Rob & I convoyed down together as we usually do to the MINI factory with them both being detailed on the same day to mark this landmark occasion. The only difference is mine loves to drink oil while rob’s loves to drink fuel.

Arriving at Plant Oxford we were greeted by the MINI PR team as we signed in and were waved past into the factory plant past the barriers. Queueing up with other minis of different ages we waited our turn before we called to line up our cars in formation. They were all being lined up for a photo shoot to honour this little city car that is no beloved all around the world and puts a smile on people faces and brought people together from every walk of life.

We were all lined up with pinpoint accuracy and left my car on the grass infield on the grounds of the MINI factory. Leaving our cars behind we took my luggage to the coach which take us to back the visitor centre & MINI Factory Store for our assigned exclusive factory tour.

Back off the coach, we headed into the visitors’ centre to sign in and leave our bags till later. This gave us time to see and meet the others who had been chosen and some of which were familiar faces like Abbie & Ian from my club Surrey New MINI, Harry who I met a Black Panthaa car meet following the release of Forza Horizon 4 for the Xbox.

Sadly as with any car factory tours, no cameras are allowed and there was no sneak peek of the electric MINI Cooper SE or MINI GP 3. However, the only plus that we did see the new 306bhp clubman in full production and fun fact pepper white is most popular MINIs are now painted with which is a contrast from 2nd Gen MINIs days when Chilli Red was to go to paint.

Tour completed we got back on the coach and retire back to our hotel courtesy of MINI UK with the luggage and given a goody bag full of some MINI swag.

The 60th Anniversary Goody Bag included some stickers, 60th edition water bottle, limited-edition classic mini t-shirt and free tickets to IMM 2019.

From there it was a change of plan as it was going to rain so the photoshoot would happen tonight instead of tomorrow due to the rain overnight. So it was back on the bus for the Big photoshoot which us feel like school kids as we waited for the bus to fill up gaining and heads were counted.

Back to our beloved MINIs, we briefed on the shots on how the Queen of the lens Amy Shore wanted us positioned for the photos. Here are the shots:

The British Racing Green IV Cooper S is a 60th Edition MINI Cooper S which is the 10th Millionth MINI every made sitting with first-ever Mini every made upfront in the picture.

History made I took a moment to think while looking at my JCW and where this open road has taken me after 8 years of ownership. This little car has changed my life as I know with the places I have been and people I have met along the way. I glad I made a decision back on 12th March I walked into my local MINI dealership and ordered my JCW to my spec. I say with great pride she was made for me and we both share the same star sign as it Chassis was given its stamp on May 2011 making her a Tauras as well.

The dream was turned into a reality within a few months and I took delivery on the 1st June 2011 to what is the last of the N14 engined JCW but an R56 facelift (LCI) model. The N14 gets a lot of flack but mine is still going strong after 125,000 miles plus and it boils down to maintenance and preventative measures. I will dive into a later blog on how to look maintain a 2nd Gen MINI and what to look out for when you want to buy one.

The photoshoot was done we headed back to the coaches to retire for dinner at the hotel which was courtesy of MINI UK hospitality. It was nice to sit down and have dinner with my club again as it had been a while and talk about our tenth-anniversary celebrations which include a trip to the Nurburgring and autobahn.

I did get a chance to sit down with the now infamous owner of Ruby Roadster aka Petrol Ped. There may be something at a later date will do together as a collaboration as I decided to give Youtube side of the blog to grow then retired for the night.

Breakfast the next day was courtesy of MINI UK we headed back to the visitor centre on the coaches again. This time it was to grab lunch and for the MINI UK team to talk to us about how far the brand has come from its history and BMW being under the helm. Rob and I were asked to be filmed post his video shoot so it was nice catching up with the team we met a few months back now.

With everything wrapped up, we head back to our sweet chariots to load up and head out to the International MINI Meet (IMM 2019) in Bristol but first, there were a few more pictures then some video shooting as we all left.

From there me and Rob convoyed down to IMM but it wasn’t the best of weather as it was down on and off heavy downpours all along the way. The main reason why I was heading down was to meet friends who had come down from the US who I met on my previous adventures for MINI TAKES THE STATES back in 2014. However, another plus was the free t-shirt one-off made by MINI events team and swag I got in the goody bags did make it worthwhile.

If I am honest IMM wasn’t a good experience at all and disorganised which left a bad taste in my mouth personally. It’s gonna be one of those events I can say I did but I won’t be doing it anytime soon in hurry…

I guess this celebration sums up MINI ownership in a dime as it’s a mix of highs, lows and oh I love this thing as it puts a smile on my face & taken places I would never have thought of.

I appreciate the invite, opportunity and hospitality MINI UK has given me and making mine and rob’s JCW forever written in the history books.

Thank you dear icon for changing the world as I know it and for the millions out there with a MINI story and their own parked on their driveways. So here’s to the next milestone of 70 years in 2029 and always it’s a MINI Adventure try to keep up!!!

p.s. MINI if your reading this bring back MINI UNITED…

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The post 60 Years Young: Celebrating The Iconic MINI appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Let’s get straight to business with the headline figure and MINI are finally leaving the 200 BHP realm with the last 2 Gens JCW & GP2 with the official figures being at their highest at 218 BHP officially. The standard 3rd F56 JCW brought more power to the table at 228 BHP courtesy of extra displacement now with the 2.0-litre engine instead of the outgoing 1.6-litre capacity. The MINI GP3 will use the F56 2.0-litre engine but pumping out 300 BHP which is a massive jump of 72 BHP from the JCW.

God knows how fast it will be now and how it will put down through the front wheels!!!! I predict the GP3 will shave a 1 second of the F56 JCW and hit 0 to 60 in at least 5.4 seconds with some of limited slip differential.

The limited run model will be 3,000 units worldwide which is a 1,000 increase over the last two GPs which only had 2,000 units worldwide. I gather all the original GP1 & GP2 will soon be getting emails/invites like last time to secure their slots and have matching numbers of their current car/s.

MINI didn’t release pricing but let’s look at the MINI timeline:

R53 GP aka GP1 – Original RRP – £22,000 in 2006 – 2,000 units worldwide
R56 GP aka GP2 – Original RRP – £28,790 in 2012 – 2,000 units worldwide

If I use my maths and look at how the price changed over 6 years here are my estimates on how much the sticker price will be:

F56 GP aka GP3 – Estimate – £34,950 in 2020 – 3,000 units worldwide

The price might be lower if they are producing 3,000 units instead of 2,000 so the economy of scales might be on your side but even then expect to pay at least £30,000 for MINI GP3.

Looking at the teaser shots the large front and rear aprons, a striking roof spoiler and the extensive use of carbon fibre will make it to production after all. Engineers have said aerodynamic properties, optimised weight and suspension will be a crucial part of the GP3 toolbox to make the most of the power and go-karting handling as they want to beat the GP2 Nurburgring lap time of 8 minutes and 23 seconds. I think with the aggressive aero and power the GP3 could break the 7 minutes barrier with a lap time of around 7 minutes 45 seconds.

As soon as I hear more information, I will update this post, and hopefully, I can get some seat time with the MINI GP3 with some road and track time.

Since writing this I have now seen the MINI GP3 at Goodwood Festival of speed so here is my walkaround video:

Let me know in the comments or on social media what you think of the forthcoming MINI GP3? Hit or Miss

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The post The BIG MINI Adventure: MINI TAKES THE STATES Part 1 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

The original Mini arrived in 1959 and became an instant Icon to the 60s generation. This love affair lasted until 2000 under MG Rover stopping production. The Mini was meant to an economy car but evolved into a classless motoring icon and a rally legend, showing that power isn’t everything. A quick hop and twist to 2001 the legend was reborn under BMW ownership with the design penned by an American. The second iteration of the new MINI under BMW’s ownership arrived in 2007. For this 3rd generation new MINI, BMW went back to the drawing board to create this new model from the ground up with an all new chassis, engines and components.

Will this new original live up to the hype and legacy of that famous badge?

The automotive industry is still in its infancy but has been rapidly evolving through the years with leaps and bounds with engines, safety, materials and technology. The original Mini was designed to be cheap affordable car to the mass population. The engineering team cleverly designed the front wheel drive layout to utilise the same oil sump for the gearbox and transmission giving a compact design. The new MINI is very far from this ingenuity as that famous badge as it has become a powerful marketing tool in positioning this small car as premium hatchback.

2014 saw the launch of the new original MINI with dealers across the UK officially inviting prospect customers and existing owners to see the new hatch in person. The dealer launches started at 19:59pm with a MINI show reel of MINI through the ages with the video ending at 20:14pm to welcome the new hatch in the UK (clever touch with the times).

Rybrook MINI Shrewsbury provided me with a F56 Cooper S in Thunder Grey, as you all know I only work in black or very very dark grey. This S rode on 18 inch Cone spoke wheels with black roof, mirror caps and bonnet stripes with JCW rear spoiler. The interior was lavished in satellite grey leather on sport seats with black, chrome and satellite grey setting the theme of the cabin. The cabin was tech laden with mini connected, nav and head ups display giving any techno geek a sensory overload with LED headlights illuminating the road ahead.

With the pics taken and a quick walk around and nosed about I climbed in shut the door with the familiar MINI clunk to find a quieter cabin already. I took a moment of silence as wiggled my bum in the Sport seats, which can say are on par with my JCW Recaro bucket seats on the side bolstering. I was in a trance as basked in the plushness of the cabin running my heads on the door panel, dashboard and passenger seat. The sheer quality and feel of the interior set me back to what I would expect in dare I say it a Bentley. Yes there is a BIG difference in a Bentley interior but coming from visiting the factory earlier in the year I was sent back to think. MINI has really stepped up their game! It’s not like the R56 was not a nice place to be but even more so it was somewhere you could call home yet again.

From there on it got a little confusing for a MINI owner, the light switches are not the stalk but on the right side of the dash of the steering wheel and window & door switches on the door. Madness I tell you!!! NO NO NO NO Why would you do that? It felt like MINI caved in and followed a bunch of surveys & focus group just to conform to the mass market. A MINI is meant to be quirky in it’s design and feel! My beloved scaredometer has gone to show my passengers how fast we are going but instead being replaced with a Tron identity disc which changes colour dependent on modes. It is nice touch which complements the mood lighting but the speedo has been moved and moulded in with the rev counter and fuel gauge. This tacho which gives you all the information you will ever need on the running of the car.

My next annoyance was where is the key slot??? Oh there isn’t one Hmmmmmm. Instead there is a pulsating red fighter jet toggle waiting you to awaken the beast. The speedo lights up like fighter jet cockpit with the heads up display raising from the dash to greet me with the road speed limits and navigation information at easy glance (cue the Top Gun music). The central screen brought up the MINI Logo, three lower heater controls lit up and the radio came to life as I buckled up for the test drive ahead.

I slotted her into first with new gear knob which is reminiscent of an 8 ball and dropped the hand brake to see what this new chick on the block was made of. I noticed straight away the clutch was alot lighter and easier to engage to find the biting point and gearbox was silky smooth. As I drove out of the dealership I could noticeable feel that the new generation of runflat tyres gave a better ride comfort as this F56 Cooper S over the R56. This F56 Cooper S was fitted with Dunlop Sport Maxx with a tyre profile of 205/40 R18 86W which seems to be standard fitment at the moment. I hit the dual carriage ways to see what this all new four-cylinder 2.0 litre engine is all about which is happens to be fitted to other BMW models which will give more leeway for tuning and scoop for mods.

I had been reading the specs on this 2.0 litre F56 Cooper S to find it only has 192Bhp & 280Nm which is minor increase from the last generation as the 1.6 litre which had 184Bhp and 240Nm of torque. The extra torque is welcomed but only 8 more bhp??? This is strange given the engine size as theoretically been increased by 25% which is total U-turn in the face of companies downsizing engines for emissions and efficiency. Even with this bigger engine the all new MINI meets all EU6 emission laws and this extra grunt of torque gives engine more of a punch.

As I headed to the test route I noticed the extra grunt from the engine when leaving from standing still and at speed as the new gear knob makes life alot easier than the stock R56 gearknob. But that heads up display is sooo cool!!! God I was like a kid watching it slide up from the dash and it telling me all information I needed for the road ahead. It would warn me if went into a different speed zone and indicate the limit in that area. We all get caught out sometimes wondering ermmm is this a 30 or 40 zone in an area we don’t know? If only you could play tetris on it when in traffic jams…

The lack of any pops and bangs was a big let down for me as a fruity exhaust note is deal breaker for me. I had it sports mode with the windows dropped to get her to play ball but she wasn’t having it. It didn’t even pop once during my hour of play as I tried various methods of letting her warm, changing modes, backing off at various rpms.

Whilst driving on the test route I noticed straight away how much more composed the steering and suspension was with the steering feedback being on par with the GP2 on feel. I got that exact same confidence I got from driving any MINI, how it encourages you to push that bit future is there. But I was left with a strange after taste which wasn’t MINI like at but more BMW as it was like I was driving an 1 series. It was like going to your favourite restaurant, sitting down and ordering the perfect meal and it not tasting the same as your remembered. God how I wanted to love it, as I read how it was an all new platform and built from the ground up but that cheeky grin I get every time I hop into my MINI wasn’t there. I guess they made it too good??

Its like the refinement has killed all the excitement? Is it too good for its own good? The MINI character as been lost! By taking away the rawness/edge of the noise and sense of speed the magic has definitely been engineered out thus making the MINI like any other car (I must sound like a 1st gen owners after they drove the R56). Not once did I smile on this test drive, the F56 S engine it felt like it was held back from its fully potential with no joy from winding her out to the redline.

I couldn’t seem to fault the F56 as a car but as a MINI it lacked the fun factor brought me into the brand with the R56 MINI One (my first car). Given I have driven a cumulative of over 90,000 miles in the R56 I felt disappointed in driving the F56 as I expected a more fun whilst being the better car. But it was the latter, the F56 clearly is better car but at the cost of fun as the feeling of driving the F56 is no way near as any of the 2nd generation MINIs. I have driven the whole 2nd Gen range from the One D to GP2 and even the MINI Clubvan felt better to drive than the F56 S which sounds odd but is true for me. The Clubvan had the Cooper D engine but it felt more involvement from the steering wheel. I giggled on the test route with its Harvey Dent aka Twoface colour scheme (another review for another time).

This is where I would be normally give my conclusion on the F56 but I am not going to but instead take a flight to the US for MINI TAKES THE STATES 2014 (MTTS 2014) and my exclusive drive of the F56 Cooper S with JCW tuning upgrades. I was the first person to spot this sneaky addition to the MINI USA fleet on the MTTS. I spotted the carbon exhaust tips on this F56 hmmmm. Upon closer inspection it was true but there was something different about this F56 as it sat low to the floor than anything other F56 MINI I had ever seen with no wheel gap (wheel gap police fall back).

The F56 Cooper S was fitted the JCW coilovers, JCW tuning kit and a JCW exhaust with carbon fibre exhaust tips. This JCW tuning kit raises power from the 189Bhp to 208Bhp and torque increases by 20Nm to 300Nm all done by MINI with that lovely warranty intact. The JCW exhaust brings a lot more noise but this exhaust isn’t merely a bolt exhaust but a bi-module which has an bluetooth enabled clicker. Once double pressed it bypasses the rear silencer to give a significantly louder exhaust with all the pops, bangs and crackles all at the command of your right foot.

JCW Exhaust

Officially JCW exhaust can not be sold without the JCW tuning kit meaning this will be only a dealer fit option plus the carbon fibre tips are on option on top with pricing of the exhaust at an eye watering 1600 Euros. Carbon exhaust tips at 208 Euros.

JCW Coilovers

Coilovers with red springs are another dealer fitted option which allow 10 to 20mm drop in height is 1300 Euros.

JCW Brakes

Another option I learned about later but wasn’t fitted were the JCW brake kit which are JCW branded 4 piston calipers with 350 x 30mm drilled and slotted discs for that extra rip your face off braking performance. This will be another expensive option at 1650 Euros.

All these additional modifications gives us a real insight into the forthcoming JCW. You can imagine I am dying to drive the F56 JCW as I feel I can’t back to anything under 200 Bhp which mixes driving fun, performance and out of this world cornering speeds all wrapped under that infamous JCW badge.

In this leg of MTTS I would be driving from Memphis to St. Louis which would be about 300 miles and take around 6 hours with stoppage at the half way point for lunch stop at birth place of pink lemonade. The night before I was told I would be handed the keys to this F56 in question to enjoy on the US roads. I presumed I would be accompanied with the head of After sales of MINI USA instead I was met with Andrew Zolper Head of Sales for MINI USA who was a more of local as he lived in Chicago (cool dude, really down to earth guy and strangely has similar taste in cars like me).

We headed out of Memphis from the partying the night before on the infamous Beale Street under police escort who were stopping all traffic en route to the highway. This left the population of Memphis looking at us in disbelief on the colours of the rainbow our MINIs were making. I laid back with my shades on taking pictures as we would be soon be stopping to fill up and to switch seats for me to drive.

Sitting in the passenger seat I could feel the difference in the ride quality as the ride was firmer but better damped as we drove through town and on to higher speeds on the on ramps and highway. There was one thing I forgot the mention this F56 S was fitted with the automatic gearbox NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. This autobox is actually a carry over from the R56 but with some tweaks and better software programming. Yes this is sacrilege to me but this would give me a better view on how the auto MINI felt and whether or not is actually worth premium given the autobox shifts faster, improves mpg and has a lower 0 to 60 dash time.

I did quick walk around video for you guys before once again for my drive in the US I sat on the wrong side but with no manual gearbox so no worries with wobbly shifting with my right hand. I double tapped the Bluetooth remote for the exhaust and slotted the box into D and floored to join the free way towards that lush pink lemonade.

Straight away there was more of rasp from the exhaust and the engine was reeving more freely to the redline. I am not gonna lie the autobox made the F56 very easy to drive, as I wasn’t full comfortable sitting on the other side and the fact you can drive through a red light if your turning right!

We were following the route to St.Louis which was more of the scenic as the route laid out by MINI USA was there for you to enjoy that go karting handling whilst see the sights. We hit some classic country western corn field back roads so we could open the taps on the tight switch backs. She didn’t disappoint as flicked the autobox into Sport for full control as I wanted to dedicate on the gear changes. Change ups were rapid with a tiny amount of power interruption but alot less than a manual with auto blipping on the down shifts as the JCW exhaust crackled, popped and bang (the F56 manual gets auto rev match down shifts too). I cant wait to see how the ZF gearbox will improve over the revised R56 transmission and try out the paddles as this car didn’t have the shift paddles behind the wheel. Rating the autobox as a whole and comparing it the R56 autobox it was vast improvement! It didn’t get confused which switching into manual or on quick down shifts or full throttle gear changes and not once did it pull me away from the fun I was having driving it on the highway, back roads or around town. BIG THUMBS UP!

Going back to the coilovers fitted on this F56 S, I definitely felt more of a road connection which was more of a welcomed addition as I said previously the F56 S felt like a BMW which I didn’t like. These coilovers address this issue of more steering and road feel whilst driving. The coilovers bring back that more MINI go-kart feel as the ride is firmer and balance yet which doesn’t distract from any form of driving around town, highway or back roads.

I was deliberately driving on crack highway roads and rough road to see how well the coilovers soaked up the bumps and uneven roads to fully test this dealer fitted option (don’t worry I did warn my passenger Andrew before doing so). I honestly couldn’t fault it as it felt like normal road compliant suspension going over the potholes which no harsh noise or crashing in the cabin. If you have the money definitely worth cost as it comes with a warranty from MINI if you do have any problems. On a major plus your MINI will have that STANCE straight from the start when you pull that cover off and handed the keys.

The next part of the drive to St.Louis couldn’t make up and should how easy the F56 S is able to change direction. I was cruising in the slow lane doing just under the limit and this Doge Caliber comes blowing past with a blown out tyre front passenger tyre with sparks flying from the rim. I look over to Andrew and say ‘What the hell? Are you seeing this!!???’ as he was down in his phone doing emails. About a few seconds later the tyre completely gives away and as I howl out the words ‘EVASIVE MANOEUVRES’ so immediately check my mirrors and drop the box down two gears and dodge incoming shrapnel of tyre left and right using both lanes. I gently slowed down the F56 S and said you all good? When’s the last time to read a car review like this? I felt like Will Smith dodging car on the highway in Bad Boys 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaLtd0H8G-s.

Moving over to more aesthetics than go faster bits as the F56 S was fitted with John Cooper Works Pro design mirror caps, rear view mirror and side scuttles which are nice additions to add some extra flair. One thing I hate about the side scuttles if you don’t know are the fact they have to be bonded on by glue!!!!! No thank you as I would go to any vinyl design place and get a design done to get my own custom design to go over that area, that way I could change or remove it with ease. Another subtle detail was the JCW rear wing and John Cooper Works Pro LED door stills which touches off the design for the exterior and interior nicely which give you that smerk you get when you look back at your MINI after parking up.

We are all know if you don’t look back after parking your car, you brought the wrong car

Bringing the F56 around for a cool down lap I learned that the F56 is more capable car than R56 by significant difference in levels of chassis, refinement and usability but some of the magic has been lost in that transition. New comers to the MINI world will love it as little querkiness and loveable MINI looks are still there but die-hard fans will miss the 1st gen & 2nd over top cabin, noises and engines which made a big part of the MINI charm. A lot of people forget that having something that is imperfect is better than having something that is perfect.

Let me explain in car terms, do you remember you first car? It wasn’t the fastest, coolest or pulling magnet you hoped it be but you still think back and smile & laugh that’s what the 1st  & 2nd Gens will always be. Yes you have upgraded to bigger and faster cars with nav, heated seats etc but that first car, love or whatever it might be will always have a place in your heart. The all new F56 MINI has addressed every conceivable issue with the R56 and improved on the formula but in order to bring the R56 charm it seems you have to spec wisely for the additional JCW goodies to bring back the old school fun.

Review Score: 4/5

The all new MINI Cooper S is better than it’s predecessor in both refinement usability, ride, interior and build quality. This new generation of MINIs addresses the mass market issues of the MINI such as interior space and is the best car MINI has ever made but at the cost of MINIs quirkiness as some of the ‘MINI Magic’ has been lost in transit.

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The post F56 MINI Cooper S UK & USA Review: Evolution or Revolution? appeared first on JCW Adventures.