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2022 Mini JCW Convertible Road Test | A champion of fun

The 2022 Mini John Cooper Works Convertible just wants to have fun. It’s not the best performance bang for your buck. Beauty isnÂ’t its strong suit. And the interior isnÂ’t making up for other shortcomings — LOL if you want to make use of the trunk or put an adult in the backseat. But dammit. The JCW Convertible sure knows how to spread a smile across your face. It all starts with the little 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder under the striped hood. Mini attaches one of the shoutiest exhausts available on any car to this engine, and itÂ’s literally popping and crackling with character. Lose the roof, and youÂ’re simply that much closer to the theatrics. Nobody expects this tiny car to make such angry sounds, but no matter what mode or setting youÂ’re in, the JCW makes it known that the drive is about to be an experience. We knew all of the above from driving past JCW models, but Mini made a number of changes to the 2022 JCW lineup that applies to both the Hardtop and Convertible. WeÂ’ll start with the looks, as theyÂ’re easily the most controversial of the bunch. Mini gave the JCW a totally new front with updated LED headlights and a much larger grille with squared-off openings for greater engine cooling capacity. It all looks drastically meaner than the previous JCW. What that car's grille was still ensconced in honeycomb, the face had a playful and friendly demeanor. The new JCW face is looking at you with a bloodthirsty hunger for air and incoming bugs. We will say that photographs donÂ’t portray it in the best light, as even though it may appear tall and menacing without scale, the MiniÂ’s small overall size dampens the grilleÂ’s effects. Beyond the changes up front, Mini has fitted the JCW with a new rear diffuser and retained its signature Union Jack taillights that are oh-so-fun to see at night. It all hangs together well enough, but we canÂ’t be calling the Mini cute anymore. Instead of resembling a soft, friendly rabbit, itÂ’s much more of a rabid raccoon now. Another important change for 2022 is a newly-tuned and optional adaptive damping system. Mini says new frequency-selective damper tech allows the car to ride a hair smoother on poor roads. Meanwhile, its stiffest setting is 10% more aggressive than before, increasing agility even further on the track, Mini claims. However! Our test car was not fitted with these dampers, and instead had the standard, fixed JCW Sport suspension.

BMW's Mini plant closes for 4 weeks for the Brexit that didn't happen

LONDON — BMW's Mini plant in Britain is closing for four weeks starting Monday in a move planned over a half year ago to help the company deal with any disruption resulting from Brexit, which has since been delayed. The German carmaker, which builds just over 15 percent of Britain's 1.5 million cars, moved its annual summertime shutdown to April to "minimize the risk of any possible short-term parts-supply disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit." But Britain's departure from the EU has now been pushed back from March 29 until at least April 12 or potentially much later, scuppering the timing of major contingency plans for some carmakers. Shutdowns are organized far in advance so employee holidays can be scheduled and suppliers can adjust volumes, making them hard to move. "This is what our company and our workforce have planned for over many months, and it is fixed into our business planning," said a BMW spokesman. It represents the latest headache for Britain's once roaring car sector which had been on track for record production but since 2017 has posted sharp falls in sales, output and investment. The overwhelmingly foreign-owned industry has become increasingly incredulous as a stable and attractive investment environment descends into one of its deepest political crises, risking the free and frictionless trade the sector relies on. BMW's Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood will close for two weeks whilst Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) three car plants and engine facility and Honda's Swindon facility will also shut for a few days this month as part of Brexit contingencies. It has been a turbulent few months for the sector after Nissan canceled plans to build a new sport utility vehicle at its English Sunderland plant and Honda said it would shutter its plant in 2021 in the biggest blow to the sector for years. Toyota provided a rare boost when it announced plans to build cars for Suzuki at its English car plant. BMW, which is also closing its central English Hams Hall engine facility and Swindon press shop and sub-assembly site for four weeks, has said it could move some engine and Mini output out of Britain if there is not an orderly Brexit. Carmakers face a number of risks if there is a disorderly Brexit, including delays to the supply of ports and finished models, new customs bureaucracy, the need to recertify models and an up to 10 percent tariff on finished vehicles.

Bronco, Yukon, Hummer and a CES recap | Autoblog Podcast #610

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. They kick things off by talking about recent news, including the revival of the Hummer name as an electric pickup, revealing Ford Bronco spy shots and the unveiling of the 2021 GMC Yukon. Then Zac tells about his time in Las Vegas attending CES 2020. They talk about the cars they've been driving: a JCW-tuned Mini Clubman, the long-term Subaru Forester with its new gold wheels, a Volvo S60 PHEV that's been added to the long-term fleet, and a Camry Hybrid. Last, but not least, they help a listener decide how to spend his money on a sports car. Autoblog Podcast #610 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Hummer returning as an electric GMC pickup The latest on the Ford Bronco 2021 GMC Yukon CES 2020 recap Cars we're driving:2020 John Cooper Works Mini Clubman 2020 Subaru Forester long-termer (now with gold wheels!) 2020 Volvo S60 T8 Inscription 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.