John Cooper Works Clubman W/ Navigation! 6 Speed! Low Miles! Pano Sun Roof!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

First Mini John Cooper Works prototype spied

The highlight of Mini's 2014 Detroit Auto Show stand was the arrival of the John Cooper Works Concept, a sportier version of the three-door hatch that presages the next JCW model on the new platform. Now, we have our first images of the production car undergoing winter testing way up north in Sweden.
Really, the Mini camouflage can't hide what this car is. Between the JCW-branded brake calipers and extra intakes in the front fascia, it's fairly easy to see that this is the sportier version of the car our own Jeremy Korzeniewski wrote about last week. We're expecting the JCW variant to pack a fair bit more firepower than the three-cylinder Cooper he tested, of course. Rumors have circulated that the hottest Mini model could jump to 230 horsepower, up from the current, non-GP car's 208.
There are a number of style features missing here, and while it's entirely possible we'll see things like the JCW Concept's diffuser and side gills arrive when this car is shown in production form (or even further along in testing), their absence in these spy photos is telling. We certainly think this car will become the production JCW Hardtop, but there may be another explanation. The lack of certain aesthetic features means this could be a test of the JCW Engine Kit, which in past Minis slotted in between the standard Mini Cooper S and the factory Works car. We'll admit, it's a long-shot, but there is precedent for it - the JCW Tuning Kit arrived a year before the factory model in the last-generation car. The same reasoning could be used to explain the presence of the JCW-branded brakes, which have been another well-known Mini accessory over the years.

Mini JCW E PROtotype is a full-fat electric John Cooper Works

Mini has been revealing or teasing or launching variants of its all-new lineup since last September. It's not too much yet, but there's a lot of Mini going on. Here's the latest, the camouflaged Mini Cooper JCW E Prototype that will make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for a run up the hill, introduced to us six weeks after Mini showed us a camouflaged internal-combustion Cooper JCW. And, if you'll remember, Mini showed an electric version of the new Cooper SE JCW last December. This JCW is going to rock more juice down electric avenue, though, the automaker saying there's an "advanced electric powertrain ... with cutting-edge technology" hiding under the skin. The expectation is that the JCW E will use the same 54.2-kWh battery as in other Minis, but its front-mounted motor will make more than the 215 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque applied to the Cooper SE and Cooper SE JCW. Brand execs told Autocar that engineers worked to maintain a "go-kart feeling," imparting similar sensations to the gas-powered JCW, the electric version's greater weight getting necessitating larger wheels and wider tires to improve grip. A stiffer suspension and larger brakes should also be involved. And although the new architecture can support a dual-motor powertrain, there seems little chance of that happening.     Same as the gas-powered Mini, the red and white camo is an homage to the red and white color schemes used in the 1960s for Minis in motorsports. The "37" logo commemorates the #37 Mini Cooper winning the 1964 Rallye Monte Carlo. Across the windshield, "Bulldog Racing" touts the team that won its class in this year's Nurburgring 24-Hour race with a new camo'ed Mini.  After the Mini JCW E's Prototype's run up the hill next weekend, the automaker says the global reveal comes in autumn this year.

2017 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4 | Pint-size performer with a premium price

Last September, Mini revealed the Clubman John Cooper Works (JCW). It applied the same general JCW formula used on the regular three-doors to the longest Mini by giving it even sportier suspension and the potent 228-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. But from there, Mini gave the Clubman JCW even more torque than other JCW models, and the most of any Mini model, with a total of 258 pound-feet. It also fitted standard all-wheel drive. On paper, it sounds like the ultimate performance Mini, and it doesn't hurt that it's about the most practical model. So how did it hold up in practice? First of all, this Mini has a serious weight problem. You might be tired of alarmist auto journalists whining about the increasing size of vehicles, but it's a major issue with this Mini. It actually weighs more than a V6 Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro weighs 3,435 pounds, and the Mini weighs 3,450. That's for the manual transmission version, too. Our automatic-equipped test car weighed more than that. As a result, it feels noticeably slower than the competition, despite making 228 horsepower and the aforementioned torque. There's an area in which the Clubman JCW could easily lose some weight, and that's in the all-wheel-drive system. It's a Haldex-style system that only kicks in when the front wheels start to slip, so it's only beneficial for traction in bad weather, not for improving the driving experience by, say, reducing the car's understeer. That's fine for more mainstream Minis, but the JCW line is all about performance and speed, so if the all-wheel-drive system doesn't improve the driving experience, it should simply be dropped to make the car lighter. Despite the Mini's prodigious portliness, there are good points. The engine is very smooth, and power comes on almost instantly. In more aggressive driving modes, the exhaust pops and burbles almost every time you lift off the gas pedal. T he eight-speed automatic paired with this engine was equally up to the task. Shifts were fast and smooth. And it even worked well leaving it in automatic mode. It held gears smartly, and it would downshift while braking to ensure you had the right gear when taking off again. The Clubman JCW also has the brand's trademark corner-carving skills. Body roll is nearly absent in the normal driving mode, and what little was evident is removed when switching to Sport mode. The car responds immediately to each steering input, and it has tenacious grip through corners.