Squat, somewhat inelastic, a bit gauche. Its athletic gate is super grippy on the right, smooth roads, but if you find some imperfections that grip is replaced by good old fashioned torque steer.
I actually found this kind of endearing in a kind of #throwwbackthursday kind of way but I wonder if this would grate in actual ownership. The steering just off the straight isn’t too jumpy, inherited from its slower Aceman brethren, meaning it’s good for motorway work. But once you’re past that initial movement and feed in a bit of lock it can become a bit unsteady.
Ride? This is perhaps where it gets most interesting. The heavier big battery Aceman actually rides better than the model with the small battery. And this JCW Aceman isn’t actually night and day worse riding than the standard Aceman. Although that perhaps says more about that car’s harsh ride than it does about this car’s.
Both Mini JCW and Aceman JCW get a new suspension setup including more negatively cambered front wheels. It’s very aggressive. Too aggressive in the three-door for my liking.
But in the Aceman, with its longer suspension travel, actually works this setup a bit better. The three-door can be a real challenge to keep on the straight and narrow, such is its hunger for almost actively seeking ruts and bumps and consequently chomping right through them. The Aceman just seems to be less drawn to the crappy bits of roads. And then is less tied-down when entering them.
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