I can't be too upset at a little more torque.
It's certainly more than many car makers have done with a model refresh.
Photography Courtesy Mini
Mini revamped its entire lineup for 2025, and it just announced a new Mini John Cooper Works 2 Door and Convertible as part of it.
Under the hood, there’s a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder engine like before, and it’s still rated for 228 horsepower. However, what does a car billed with “go-kart handling” need more of? Torque, apparently. To the tune of 45 lb.-ft. more, going from 235 lb.-ft. to 280.
Of course, the biggest changes come primarily to its esthetics, reflecting the design language that the rest of the Mini lineup now uses.
One thing the JCW lacks is a third pedal and a stick, which certainly added to its predecessor feeling like a giant kart. Only an eight-speed DCT is offered for the 2025 model.
The new Go-Kart Mode gives the new 9.4-inch display information such as torque, power and current G-force.
Mini still competes in motorsport at a high level. In SRO’s TC America series, Mini took home 11 first-place trophies, a driver’s and manufacturer’s championship in the TCA class and a runner-up in the driver’s championship for the TC class.
In the Nürburgring 24-hour race, a prototype based on the new Mini JCW won its class, beating a Volkswagen Beetle RSR, Volkswagen Golf, Dacia Logan and an Audi TT.
[New John Cooper Works to make first appearance at Nürburgring 24]
Compared to the regular Mini Cooper S, the JCW comes not only with trim-specific design accents and more power, but also with performance goodies such as paddle shifters, an additional gear for the transmission plus exclusive 17- and bigger 18-inch wheel offerings.
The Mini John Cooper Works 2 Door starts at $38,200, about $10,000 more than the base Cooper 2 Door and $4000 more than the S. Production starts in November, with deliveries expected in January 2025.
I can't be too upset at a little more torque.
It's certainly more than many car makers have done with a model refresh.
I test drove a new Cooper S. It is leaning a little more towards BMW land but still felt like a Mini. I liked the interior touches and especially the homage in the lower dash to the mark1 toggle layout.
The biggest problem for me was a higher seating position and no sunroof delete option. Loosing 2" of headroom is a big deal.
The second biggest problem was four separate screen presses to change the temperature by 1 degree.
go-kart handling
I have driven modern 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Mini Hatch (Raced a cooper S), I have been racing karts for 20 + years in all different makes and 2 cycle, 4 cycle, and s hifter engines. I have never driven a mini that handles like a kart. They are nimble for being a car, but it always drives me wild when someone uses that tagline when they are selling it.
I'd love to drive one of these. we have a 2024 Clubman JCW (my review). The Clubman and Countryman JCW's get this same engine, but with a bigger turbo making 302hp. The lag is very significant, I'd love to drive this and see how the response is in comparison.
I still wish they have a traditional cluster (even one gauge) in front of the steering wheel instead of the Tesla mono-screen-does-everything.
Also, these seem like a much better used option as the resale value drops like a rock. Maybe a 2-3 year old low-mileage one would be the way to go.
I had a worked R53 and loved it... one of the most fun cars I've ever driven.
I drove a 2011 R56 for a couple of years, until it got cost-prohibitive to keep it running. The most fun thing about it was getting the most out of it, and a large part of that was using the very good 6-spd and well-placed pedals. Also, I hated trying to program the radio.
While I'm sure the new MINIs are great cars, the lack of a manual is a deal breaker. If I feel the need to drive an auto I have my truck. I'll keep my R53 despite the nuisance and repair costs.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
Adrian, turn up the volume when you're speaking. I can't hear you with the volume on the computer turned up to full and then the truck exhaust is way too loud. Other than a glimpse of the MINI, I was expecting a link to a review.
This looks less than user friendly.
Every time I used to go to their online configurator, I ended with a fully-loaded and very custom ~$42,000 JCW.
I liked the way you used to be able to select an incredible amount of optional features for the interior and exterior. It looks like that has largely gone away.
What remains will still be a ~$42,000 price tag for a JCW with no manual. The torque bump is nice, but I thought the current/previous model(s) had enough.
I hope it sells well, but it's not for me. Few vehicles make me smile like a MINI/Mini.
Displaying 1-10 of 12 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
