The day earlier than, I’d been behind the wheel of a BMW M3 Touring — broad, quick, and somewhat misplaced in Tokyo’s slender streets. The following morning felt utterly totally different. I swapped brute energy for one thing smaller and way more suited to town: two MINIs and a plan to flee towards Hakone, the place the roads open up and Mount Fuji often peeks by the clouds.
Leaving Ginza after dawn, Tokyo was already in movement — calm however fixed. Driving right here retains you alert; there’s not a lot room for error or further width. In that sense, a MINI feels utterly at house. Japan’s had a mushy spot for small automobiles for many years, and MINI matches proper into that mindset — fast, compact, and simple to put even when the streets shut in. You continue to see basic Minis tucked away in aspect alleys, sitting subsequent to their modern-day variations like household photographs. Japan has all the time understood that, which might be why MINI has such a loyal following right here.
Beginning With The John Cooper Works Convertible
I began the journey within the MINI John Cooper Works Convertible. Roof down, heater on, clear skies — about nearly as good because it will get for late autumn in Tokyo. The two.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder makes 231 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque, which doesn’t sound wild on paper, but it surely’s a lot for one thing this small.
The JCW feels tight, even at low velocity — stiff suspension and pretty participating steering. Within the metropolis, the sportier suspension can really feel a bit an excessive amount of for a every day driver. On lower than best pavement and uneven surfaces, it’s bouncy and a bit unforgiving. However as soon as I acquired previous Yokohama and the roads opened up, it began to make sense.
Site visitors on the way in which to Hakone was mild, just some gradual stretches close to the tolls. As soon as the highway started to climb, the temperature dropped, and the noise of town light behind. The bushes thickened, the corners tightened, and for a quick couple of minutes, Mount Fuji appeared by a spot within the clouds earlier than disappearing once more.
That’s the place the JCW actually shined. The identical stiffness that made it jittery on the town was a extra participating driving expertise on the mountain. It’s not the automobile you’d choose for a protracted commute, however for this sort of highway, it’s good.
Swap it into Go-Kart Mode, and the entire automobile adjustments its conduct. The throttle sharpens, the steering tightens, and all of the sudden it feels prefer it’s connecting along with your palms. The Hakone Turnpike is the proper match — broad lanes, sweeping hills, and corners that movement simply sufficient to maintain you within the second. The JCW is alive on the market. It’s enjoyable and responsive, the sort of automobile that desires to be pushed to provide you again loads of smiles.
Swapping Into A Cooper S 3-Door
For the return journey, I swapped into the MINI Cooper S 3-door. Similar fundamental engine, tuned right down to 204 horsepower, however a completely totally different angle. Softer trip, lighter steering, calmer driving conduct — it instantly appears like a automobile you possibly can drive on daily basis.
The place the JCW retains you on edge, the Cooper S enables you to calm down. By way of the lengthy freeway stretches and again into Tokyo site visitors, it simply labored — comfy, composed, nonetheless playful once you wanted it to be. It’s the candy spot within the vary: a correct every day that hasn’t forgotten what makes a MINI enjoyable.
I’ve all the time most well-liked compact automobiles in busy cities. They only make sense. You see it in every single place in Tokyo — for many individuals, the MINI isn’t a second automobile; it’s the one one. It matches the rhythm of the place. Within the U.S., we deal with automobiles like this as toys or weekend escapes, however right here, they’re a part of on a regular basis life. After just a few days driving by Japan, I perceive why. A small automobile doesn’t restrict you — it frees you up.
Evening Drive at Tatsumi
That evening, I took the MINI JCW out once more. Tokyo appears to be like utterly totally different after midnight — quieter, emptier, nearly cinematic with out making an attempt to be. I ended up on the Tatsumi Parking Space, one of many metropolis’s most iconic automobile spots. Some JDM legends lined the lot, together with just a few fashionable sports activities automobiles and tuned imports. And naturally, we had been there, like many, for the scenic photographs of the Tokyo Skyline.
From there, we went for a late-night drive by town. The streets had been practically empty, the lights nonetheless vivid, and for as soon as, Tokyo felt unhurried. The JCW’s exhaust echoed off the tunnels, the skyline reflecting within the windshield. It was a cool expertise that reminded us why all of us love enjoyable automobiles, particularly once they have an engine.
