Turbo sport model added to the Mini Cooper lineup - Washington Times
The hip and Euro-looking Mini now has a new top-of-the line, sport-oriented companion to join the hardtop, convertible and clubman models.
The new Mini John Cooper Works is designed for the unconventional purist who desires atypical sports car looks, turbocharged performance and fuel efficiency.
I drove the 2009 John Cooper Works hardtop with a base price of $28,550. This four-passenger sedan is a front-wheel drive turbocharged entry from the automaker with an emphasis on jazzy exterior sporting styling cues complemented by a sport-tuned ride.
Who is John Cooper? He was a boy in England who started racing at age12 in a car his father built in 1923. The father-son team went on to develop a successful professional racing organization called the Cooper Car Co.
On the 2009 model, the 16-valve, 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo is mated to a six-speed Getrag manual transmission. With its subcompact diminutive go-kart measurements of a 97-inch wheelbase and length of 146 inches, the Mini powerplant is rated to produce with all its might a horsepower rating of 208 and 192 lb. ft. of torque. Shifting through the ideally set six-speed gear ratios ensures the driver kart loads of fun driving. The Mini John Cooper Works has an EPA fuel economy rating of 25/33 mpg.
