2012 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo Review and Performance Comparison

Mini Cooper Performance Review.

Introduction:

The 2012 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo is a powered by a Petrol Straight 4. This variant of the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo is the 6 speed / Manual version and was first brought out around 2012. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and the 2013 Nissan Skyline GT-R Black Edition R35.

This particular Mini Cooper has a 1598cc Turbo Petrol powerplant driven by the Mini Front Wheel Drive system.

Alternative Petrol Straight 4's include the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce

The Cooper shares its Petrol Straight 4 engine configuration with the likes of the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce and the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo.If you're looking for other similar performing cars which share the Cooper's Front Wheel Drive, Hatchback combination then how about the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Golf R Performance 2.0 Turbo or the earlier 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD 3.5 V6.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1235 kgs (2722 lbs) places the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo in a similar weight category as the 2024 Toyota Yaris GR RC Automatic and the excellent 2024 Toyota Yaris GR RZ High Performance Automatic, give or take 50kg.

The Mini Cooper shares the same bhp with the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 ZX (201 bhp)

In terms of pure power the 1598cc 16 valve, Straight 4 engine produces around 215 bhp (160 kW) @ 6000 rpm which is comparable to the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 ZX (201 bhp) and also the 2022 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Cabrio 2.0 Turbo (228 bhp).

The Turbo Straight 4 throws out 207 lb-ft (280.6 Nm) @ 2000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2020 Lotus Elise Cup 250 1.8 Supercharged (184 lb-ft) or the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (184 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If you look at both power or torque of the 2012 Mini Cooper in comparison with its weight you get a much more accurate idea of its real world performance.

The 2017 Land-Rover Velar 3.0 V6 Supercharged 360 (199.0 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Mini Cooper.

The Mini Cooper has a power to weight ratio of 174.0 bhp per ton. Bhp per ton figures of the 2012 Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo means you're competing with the 2017 Land-Rover Velar 3.0 V6 Supercharged 360 (199.0 bhp per ton) and the equally quick 2003 Mercedes CLK 55 AMG Cabriolet (198.9 bhp per ton).

Torque to Weight:

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance is Torque!. However, torque isn't the whole story, you also need to compare weight as well for more real world comparisons such as torque per ton.

The Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo generates around 167.6 lb-ft per ton. So if you're looking at what cars perform similarly either on the drag strip or at the traffic lights using torque to weight as a benchmark, then look no further than the 2024 Audi A3 S3 Sportback (192.5 lb-ft per ton) or the similarly performing 1955 Ford Thunderbird 292 Fordomatic 1st Gen. (192.5 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

The Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo can accelerate 0–60mph in 6.10 secs or 0–100km/h (0–62mph) in 6.3 secs. Acceleration rivals to the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo include the 2017 Maserati Ghibli 3.0 V6 Diesel (6.10 secs) or the equally as fast to 60mph 2017 Hyundai i30 N 2.0 Turbo (6.10 secs).

The Straight 4 engine of the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo ensures that, ‘on paper’ at least, accelerates slightly faster than the 2022 Mercedes EQE SUV 350+ (6.20 secs) and the 2019 Toyota Supra SZ-R 2.0 Turbo (6.20 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo and the Subaru Forester STi tS 2.5L Turbo

On a longer format for acceleration comparisons the 2012 Mini Cooper can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 14.34 secs with a trap speed around 95.0 mph. Similar performances down the quarter mile drag strip can be found with the the Subaru Forester STi tS 2.5L Turbo (14.35 seconds @ 94.9 mph) and a close race between the Chrysler 300 c 5.7 V8 (14.35 seconds @ 94.9 mph) too.

Top Speed:

Some modern performance cars are often artificially restricted particularly when it comes to max speed. 155 mph top speed restrictions are often used as part of the German 'Gentleman's Agreement' for example, so be cautious when using maximum speed figures. The 2012 version of the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo has a maximum speed of 150mph.

Top Speed of the 2012 Cooper equals the Alfa-Romeo 159 3.2 V6 Q4 (149 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what has a similar top end performance to the 2012 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 1.6 Turbo then there's the slightly slower the Alfa-Romeo 159 3.2 V6 Q4 (149 mph) or how about the impressive Alfa-Romeo GT 3.2 V6 Lusso (149 mph).

— AutoSnout

Figures & Specs Summary:

Related Links:

• 2012 Cooper Rivals List.
• 2012 Cooper: Full Review and Comparisons.
• A Brief History of Mini
• Compare the 2012 Mini Cooper