Overall impression: Meh.

Great brakes and good grunt, but otherwise an uninspiring driving experience relative to my R53 JCW with 90k miles. I think the biggest disappointment was the steering. Even with the "Sport button" engaged, the steering felt numb and slow (ratio-wise) compared to the R53, even with the smaller diameter JCW wheel. The "Sport" suspension was also a disappointment, lots of body roll cornering and far too much pitching on acceleration and braking. I'm sure the JCW suspension helps, but my sense is that it only brings the new cars up to the level of the first-gen cars with stock suspension, and at a huge additional cost.

I was hoping to really love this car, as I did the first R50 I drove back in 2002, but that was not the case. Definitely felt much more like a "mainstream" car in terms of driving feel and dynamics than a MINI, imo. I was expecting a lot more for $32k. Oh, well...

 

The big problem you felt were the horrid stock front control arm bushings paired with the "new" front control arm geometry. They make the steering poo compared to the R53. Fixing the bushings helps TONS, as well as copious ride height lowering to lower roll center and improve mechanical grip. The added weight of the clubby doesn't help either, but properly matched spring rates on coilovers and bigger anti-roll bars could give the car an amazing feel.

 

So, forget the JCW suspension then and just go aftermarket? The R53 had control arms and bushings from the 3-series front suspension, right? So they scrapped that design in the name of cost saving? Good call...

 

There is no JCW suspension offered with the JCW Clubman. Wondering if you tested a car with standard or sport suspension? How was the sound?

 

I test drove a Clubman S a while back and thought it felt kind of heavy, especially through the steering. I much preferred my Cooper S with sport suspension. I've never driven a 1st Gen Mini.

 

It had the Sport suspension. Exhaust sound was ok, although it would make a real backfire-esque single pop on decceleration, as opposed to a nice mellow burble. I definitely prefer the sound of the resonatorless JCW on my R53.

 

I have the sport suspension on my cooper S clubman and I prefer it to a non- sport suspension MCS I drove extensively; much smoother in the longer wheelbase even with stiffer springs. I really like the back pressure sound from tuned sports cars and hope the JCW is loud enough for my taste.