2016 Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop: More power and more refinement - CNET
Buyers of the original Mini Cooper had little in the way of creature comforts, and "refinement" isn't a word many would apply to that little thing, but that certainly didn't prevent it from becoming an icon. Fifty-odd years on, the formula has also fragmented, and today's Mini fits within a very competitive landscape of hatchback cars that offer some degree of sporting pretensions and more power than is strictly necessary. Meet the 2016 Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop, the most powerful Mini yet. As in previous peppy Minis, all that power finds its way to the ground through the front tires, now routed through a differential that can be electronically locked. The other typical problem for fast FWD cars is torque steer, and Mini has tackled that by getting smart with the electronic power steering. Step on the gas and the car automatically compensates, preventing any unwanted steering forces from getting through to the wheel. It all sounds like a bunch of marketing optimism, but I'm here to say it works. It all sounds like a bunch of marketing optimism, but after spending a few hours behind the wheel of the thing on road, track and autocross, I'm here to say it works. Torque steer is not a problem, even when accelerating like a loon at extreme steering angles. Source: www.cnet.com
