I wanted to find out how the Clubman JCW compares with the hatchback version

When you like a certain model of car you tend to get excited when a new version is released, and excited is exactly how I felt recently when I overheard the road testers saying my current favourite letters: J, C and W.

But my excitement soon turned to slight disappointment when I discovered that the new John Cooper Works they were talking about was a Clubman. You see, while I enjoyed our old Cooper S Clubman long-termer when I tried it, I just couldn’t get past the looks. And although it was a nice place to be inside, each time I glanced in the mirror I found my view obscured not only by the frames of the two rear doors meeting in the middle of the car but also by the pair of rear wipers. Blipping the remote as I walked away, I didn’t feel the need to glance back.

But looks aren’t everything, so I still wanted to find out how the Clubman JCW compares with the hatchback. Being no road tester myself, I recruited our track test editor, Roger Green, to talk me through the differences.

‘Longer cars handle bumps better than shorter ones,’ he explained. ‘The greater distance between the axles allows the front wheels more time to react to and recover from a bump before the back wheels arrive at it. It’s the difference between the ride of a smooth 7-series BMW to a bouncy Fiat 500. It’s the “jiggle factor”.’ Interesting…

‘The extra 80mm in the Clubman’s wheelbase doesn’t sound a lot, but that’s the big difference between these two,’ he continued. ‘On a track you can trail-brake a bit harder and any slide is a bit slower and easier to control. I reckon the Clubman would be a few tenths quicker around the Bedford Autodrome. You still get the exciting Mini experience, but the Clubman is a little more controlled. Its not so “jiggly”.’

But even after Roger’s explanation I still prefer the regular JCW to the Clubman alternative. OK, it bounces around more and the steering wheel is constantly struggling at higher speeds, but I like that, I like it a lot. I know exactly what the car is doing; it’s giving me feedback all the time and I feel in control. It’s much the same in the Clubman, but my JCW makes you feel like you’re a great driver, and you always end your journey with a grin and a story to tell.