First Test: 2012 Mini Coupe John Cooper Works

Call it what you want -- just don't call it boring. If you're struggling for a descriptor, call it a trailblazer, because the all-new 2012 Mini Coupe touts some significant brand firsts: It's the first Mini with room for only two; the first to have active aerodynamics, and the first to be engineered with what designers call a three-box structure. (More on this later.) And here comes the biggie: Nearly everything about this Mini -- particularly in sportier John Cooper Works form -- is honed specifically for "optimum performance" and supposedly entertains drivers "even better" than the rest of the lineup. In the flesh, the Mini Coupe is a car that makes you go, "Hmmm." Its design takes some getting used to, which isn't necessarily a good thing. But it is unmistakably Mini. Nothing can really prepare you for its smushed A-pillar, wraparound rear glass, and intriguing ba-donk-a-donk. (Yes, gentlemen, you can put a drink on this "Grand Turismo-style" booty and it won't topple over.) OK, I take that back. Maybe a Red Bull marketing car equipped with cute co-eds and a ginormous mock beverage could serve as adequate preparation. But that's about it.

Like other similarly equipped Minis, the JCW edition dons a wardrobe fit for the circuit. Aggressive fascias fore, aft, and at its flanks replace the more sedate versions. Bigger 17-inch alloys, a 0.4-inch lower spring height, sturdier anti-roll bars, central exhaust, and bigger (12.4-inch front, 11.0-inch rear) brakes differentiate the Coupe from other siblings, while also upping its athleticism. An integrated roof spoiler set at the latter half of its contrasting "helmet" directs air down to an active rear spoiler that rises at 50 mph. Both provide 88 pounds of additional downforce while travelling at the Coupe's electronically limited 149 mph top speed. Having all that push to the ground has does have a negative effect, mostly in the form of a slightly higher drag coefficient that's up to 0.35 versus a slipperier 0.33 of the base Cooper hardtop. If you're wondering, no Coupe can be had with a color-matched helmet.

First, it stands alone as a footwork master among a group of surefooted siblings. The sole act of applying power more effectively via stiffer, thicker, robust, mostly aluminum suspension components individualizes the two-seater from its other brandmates. Its miniscule 1.6-liter's all-too-familiar turbo lag (albeit minimal) continues its tenure, but once the thrilling 207 lb-ft of sub-2000 rpm overboost torque is dialed in, and the smooth power band gets tapped with 3000-rpm-plus six-speed Getrag throws, the zealous Coupe runs, jinks, and grips like nothing else bred in Oxford.

Of course, the most fun is had with all nannies switched to their lowest settings, or off, and Sport mode engaged. (It remaps throttle response and provides a weightier Electronic Power Steering.) Speaking of nannies, there are quite a few to mention, including Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Traction Control, and Electric Differential Lock Control, all standard on the JCW. Amazingly, torque steer has been reduced to next-to-nil levels thanks to Mini's tinkerers.

It's not often we agree with marketers, but of all the current-generation Minis, the JCW Coupe is the most entertaining Mini I've driven. It isn't its speed, everyday usability, or fashionable design that makes it so. Rather, the Coupe's high grip, punchy powered, and overexcited personality fused with usual Mini cheekiness earns it the title. It's the type of car that's sure to get most any driver's blood flowing, and one Mini you'll never want unbuckle from.

Front engine, FWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe 1.6L/208-hp/192-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4

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