The torque steer is pretty bad in the 1.6 when they have the LSD fitted, in the 2L ones it seems way worse. Tbh though, all the hotter hatches torque steer like mad, my Focus ST (250hp) used to scare the crap out of me
I drove around in a company Citroen DS3 Performance (?) ten years or so back. It was quick car back then (210bhp) but the steering -with the loud pedal pressed hard- was awful. Thats one of the reasons I bought a JCW with AWD
The DS3 performance would likely have had the same engine as the Mini, Mini moved off onto the BMW engine in 2012 but the PSA one just kept getting pushed further and further
Yeah my Mini JCW has it, they call it the N18B. Currently has 230bhp - but the AWD is rated to easily accommodate 300, so we will see in the spring. Maybe...
If you can live with the rawness and the rough edges, IMO the R53 is much more true to the spirit of the original Mini than the R56, both in terms of looks and the driving experience. The instant throttle response of the supercharged car compared to the turbo is like night and day and even though it probably isn’t quicker, it feels like it is because of its slightly frantic nature. Mine is quite heavily tuned though (17% pulley, big intercooler, induction kit, big injectors, ported and polished head, Miltek exhaust), it takes off like a scalded cat, the in-gear acceleration is amazing and it whines so much it sounds like a touring car, so strictly speaking I’m not comparing like with like. Best £2,500 I’ve ever spent!
I’ve just put a new battery in mine and taken it for a quick blast in the falling ‘snow’ which is more like slush, hopefully the new battery will fix the problem and I don’t have any other charging issues
