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JST · 05-27-2019, 10:52 PM

I had forgotten that the Mini Clubman is still available with a stick. I went and tried one of those today.

The Good: steering, suspension, and clutch feel are all solid, better than the VW in most ways. The car has a decent amount of room. It's fun to toss around.

The Bad: The Cooper S, with 189 hp, is not fast. It's not slow, but it's not quick. The JCW has 228 hp and may fix that problem, but is $$$. Even in Cooper S form, the Mini has more torque steer than it probably should. The interior continues to be riven with gimmicks. They aren't as cute or well-executed as they were back in 2003 or 2007.

Most of all, the car doesn't feel very "mini" any more.

The Punchline: The 2020 JCW gets a 300 hp 4, which should fix any lingering acceleration concerns. It also gets a standard 8 speed auto.

Then I went to drive a Quad. I tried a Stelvio, because AWD seems interesting and the extra cargo space would be nice.

Unlike a BMW dealer, which guards access to M cars like the crown jewels, the Alfa dealer was more than happy to let me drive a 505 hp SUV.

The Stelvio Quad is an...interesting car to drive. It has a lot of power, but to be honest it's a little soft off the line, and because it's AWD it's never traction limited. The turbos spool fairly fast, but this is an engine with more top end than bottom. The auto shifts for you near redline (or you can flappy paddle it), with a really loud BRRRAAAP from the exhaust that sounds awesome until it occurs to you that it also sort of sounds like the car is farting from exerting itself too hard.

It handles well, though it feels like it's taller than it should be (it's an SUV, after all). Steering feel is good, and I liked the interior a lot.

The Stelvio makes no sense at all. I liked it, though maybe not as much as I thought I would. It's absurd but is it absurd *enough*?

05-27-2019, 10:52 PM	#15
JST 195 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 24,607	I had forgotten that the Mini Clubman is still available with a stick. I went and tried one of those today. The Good: steering, suspension, and clutch feel are all solid, better than the VW in most ways. The car has a decent amount of room. It's fun to toss around. The Bad: The Cooper S, with 189 hp, is not fast. It's not slow, but it's not quick. The JCW has 228 hp and may fix that problem, but is $$$. Even in Cooper S form, the Mini has more torque steer than it probably should. The interior continues to be riven with gimmicks. They aren't as cute or well-executed as they were back in 2003 or 2007. Most of all, the car doesn't feel very "mini" any more. The Punchline: The 2020 JCW gets a 300 hp 4, which should fix any lingering acceleration concerns. It also gets a standard 8 speed auto. Then I went to drive a Quad. I tried a Stelvio, because AWD seems interesting and the extra cargo space would be nice. Unlike a BMW dealer, which guards access to M cars like the crown jewels, the Alfa dealer was more than happy to let me drive a 505 hp SUV. The Stelvio Quad is an...interesting car to drive. It has a lot of power, but to be honest it's a little soft off the line, and because it's AWD it's never traction limited. The turbos spool fairly fast, but this is an engine with more top end than bottom. The auto shifts for you near redline (or you can flappy paddle it), with a really loud BRRRAAAP from the exhaust that sounds awesome until it occurs to you that it also sort of sounds like the car is farting from exerting itself too hard. It handles well, though it feels like it's taller than it should be (it's an SUV, after all). Steering feel is good, and I liked the interior a lot. The Stelvio makes no sense at all. I liked it, though maybe not as much as I thought I would. It's absurd but is it absurd enough?