2015 John Mini Cooper Work Hardtop, First Impression
With its quirky styling and nimble handling, the Cooper S aims to inject
a dose of excitement into your daily commute. A 189-hp, 2.0-liter turbo
four-cylinder with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic provides enough
scoot to live up to the car’s sporting intentions. A five-door model is now
offered so that the Cooper S can make a case for itself as a family car; a JCW
version of the three-door should launch soon with a brawnier engine, tuned
suspension, and a host of racy styling tweaks.
At last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Mini showed a “concept” version of
the next-generation high-performance John Cooper Works Hardtop that looked all
but ready for production with the exception of a strange paint job. It was a
tease that left us wanting to know more about the unannounced engine and
performance specs.
Now we have loads more details on the next JCW Hardtop. The new hopped-up
Hardtop stayed true to the concept version with the exception of the textured
paint effects and a few miscellaneous details. Based on the redesigned Mini
Hardtop, the 2015 John Cooper Works Hardtop packs the most powerful engine Mini
has ever slapped between the fenders of a production model, boosting output 39
more horsepower over the base engine.
Exterior
The JCW’s exterior changes are fully functional, trading fog lights for
air intakes that feed the auxiliary coolers and new braking package. Out back,
rear flaps and diffusers channel air to help with aerodynamics and a
JCW-specific rear spoiler looks nearly identical to that of the concept.
Rollers are unique to the JCW package with 17-inch light alloy wheels
standard and available 17-inch “John Cooper Works Track Spoke” wheels sporting
a different design available in silver or black finishes. One more wheel ups
the diameter to 18 inches and is coated with a two-tone finish.
Interior
One of the most pronounced additions to the JCW’s interior package is the
unique seat design with integral head restraints. The seats look as if they
were plucked right from the cockpit of a track car with aggressive bolstering
and are clad in Carbon Black Dinamica microfiber material; they’re available in
a similar configuration with black leather.
Other additions include a JCW-specific leather steering wheel and door
entry sills, stainless-steel pedals and black-faced gauges.
Under the
Hood
The 228-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder represents a 10 percent increase
in output, and the 236 pounds-feet of torque is up 14 percent compared to the
Mini Cooper S Hardtop. The JCW Hardtop uses a turbocharger specifically
developed for the new performance variant as well as JCW-specific internal
parts including the engine’s pistons. All that power exhales through a standard
sport exhaust. Mini claims the JCW can reach 60 mph in 5.9 seconds with the
six-speed automatic and 6.1 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission.
Bringing the JCW down from speed is a new braking system developed with
high-performance braking manufacturer Brembo. The suspension receives
JCW-specific tuning, and there’s a standard suspension available as a no-cost
option, as well as an optional dynamic damper control suspension with
adjustable firmness dampers.
Safety
Available safety features include collision and pedestrian warning with
initial braking function, high-beam assist and a backup camera.
