Mini John Cooper Works
Discussion
hello, I have an 06 JCW. Before this I had a standard cooper S. The difference between the cars is very noticeable. Both of my MINIs are the supercharged R53 shape. Both of these cars feature some nice upgrades, such as chilli packs etc. So purely on handling and power, the JCW is improved. The ride is great and I believe this is partly due to the fact I have 17inch wheels and not the 18's.
I can recommend going for an 05 onwards model as this is the revised R53 platform. The dash and general interior build quality is better. The headlights became 'halo' Xenons and the engine map was improved. The JCW kit comes in many forms. The standard car, -then you could add on strut braces, brakes, suspension, LSD etc. Try and find one with all of these options on. They are fairly common. Interior wasn't affected much, so one with Recaros in is a rare find.
The drive on both cars is excellent, plenty of power, great gearshift and very grippy in all conditions. The JCW pulls better, and has more torque available from lower revs. My car has an LSD and the suspension, so I'm sure this all helps too when exiting a corner at speed, but generally the engine is notably different from a standard S. Fuel consumption isn't bad either. I can comfortably be cruising at 70mph (2900-3000rpm) in 6th and then blip on more throttle to overtake, and it doesn't even struggle.
I have found that the works is averaging 32mph on an 80mile journey 4 days of the week. That works out about £60 a week for commuting and weekend fun.
I hope that helps.
I haven't tried a newer turbo'd model myself, but the R56 MINI hasn't yet stole my heart on looks. It's a bit chunky and the dash has a very plasticy center console. The sat nav is better though...
I can recommend going for an 05 onwards model as this is the revised R53 platform. The dash and general interior build quality is better. The headlights became 'halo' Xenons and the engine map was improved. The JCW kit comes in many forms. The standard car, -then you could add on strut braces, brakes, suspension, LSD etc. Try and find one with all of these options on. They are fairly common. Interior wasn't affected much, so one with Recaros in is a rare find.
The drive on both cars is excellent, plenty of power, great gearshift and very grippy in all conditions. The JCW pulls better, and has more torque available from lower revs. My car has an LSD and the suspension, so I'm sure this all helps too when exiting a corner at speed, but generally the engine is notably different from a standard S. Fuel consumption isn't bad either. I can comfortably be cruising at 70mph (2900-3000rpm) in 6th and then blip on more throttle to overtake, and it doesn't even struggle.
I have found that the works is averaging 32mph on an 80mile journey 4 days of the week. That works out about £60 a week for commuting and weekend fun.
I hope that helps.
I haven't tried a newer turbo'd model myself, but the R56 MINI hasn't yet stole my heart on looks. It's a bit chunky and the dash has a very plasticy center console. The sat nav is better though...
Mine's a 2007 R56 shape Cooper S (turbo). Not a JCW but can share my experience.
Although the R53 (Supercharged) sounds better with the whine of the supercharger the R56 seems much more practical in terms of running costs and still has a good grunt to it! I manage roughly 35mpg where a friend with an R53 manages about 25mpg and less.
Build quality wise after being in both they are pretty on par. My R56 has a tendency to creak a little in the dash area but not very often. Spec wise always get a minimum of chilli pack. I’ve got the sat nav which is superb and brings the whole interior all together.
Get yourself onto the following websites which were very helpful in seeing comparisons and potential faults etc.
www.northamericanmotoring.com
www.totalmini.com
www.minitorque.com
Any other questions I'd be happy to help.
Although the R53 (Supercharged) sounds better with the whine of the supercharger the R56 seems much more practical in terms of running costs and still has a good grunt to it! I manage roughly 35mpg where a friend with an R53 manages about 25mpg and less.
Build quality wise after being in both they are pretty on par. My R56 has a tendency to creak a little in the dash area but not very often. Spec wise always get a minimum of chilli pack. I’ve got the sat nav which is superb and brings the whole interior all together.
Get yourself onto the following websites which were very helpful in seeing comparisons and potential faults etc.
www.northamericanmotoring.com
www.totalmini.com
www.minitorque.com
Any other questions I'd be happy to help.
I went from an R56 Cooper S to an R56 JCW 2 years ago - best car-buying decision I've made!
The JCW has a much harder edge to the noise/performance than the standard car but interestingly I find the ride quality to be more compliant. It does encourage you to "press on" all the time so hopefully you live somewhere with some open/quiet roads nearby to give it the "exercise" it needs
I've had no major reliability issues - picked it up 2 years ago and the only thing it's been back for is it's first service last week. Hasn't needed any oil either. They do chew through front tyres - not a problem for me as I'm not doing many miles ATM but is something to consider if you do a lot of miles. Economy-wise it returns 23-25mpg on average (mixture of city traffic in the week and B-road fun at the weekend) but 40mpg is possible on the motorway if you keep to sensible speeds.
Options-wise you definitely want the Chili pack (think you get Cruise control with this as well now but if not I'd tick the "multifunction steering wheel" box) and I'd go for the full leather as well. Chrome line interior is a nice (and relatively cheap) option and gives the interior a lift.
The JCW has a much harder edge to the noise/performance than the standard car but interestingly I find the ride quality to be more compliant. It does encourage you to "press on" all the time so hopefully you live somewhere with some open/quiet roads nearby to give it the "exercise" it needs
I've had no major reliability issues - picked it up 2 years ago and the only thing it's been back for is it's first service last week. Hasn't needed any oil either. They do chew through front tyres - not a problem for me as I'm not doing many miles ATM but is something to consider if you do a lot of miles. Economy-wise it returns 23-25mpg on average (mixture of city traffic in the week and B-road fun at the weekend) but 40mpg is possible on the motorway if you keep to sensible speeds.
Options-wise you definitely want the Chili pack (think you get Cruise control with this as well now but if not I'd tick the "multifunction steering wheel" box) and I'd go for the full leather as well. Chrome line interior is a nice (and relatively cheap) option and gives the interior a lift.
I've just gone into 3rd year of ownership from new 2009 JCW turbo, chilli pack. It is going to be one hell of wrench to sell it (I want a JCW Coupe when it's launched later this year).
The JCW is a grin a minute! Love the poppin' an banging exhaust, and ...it's fast! 148 mph from a 1.6, so not much leaves you. Very difficult to drive slowly... I average 31 mpg. Just about to reach 24,000 miles.
A few niggling little faults, but all sorted at dealer. All cars have faults, so...
Oddly, I've not had the rattles or dash troubles others tell of.
I've owned lots of cars over the years, this is one of the best. I'd give it 9 out of 10.
The JCW is a grin a minute! Love the poppin' an banging exhaust, and ...it's fast! 148 mph from a 1.6, so not much leaves you. Very difficult to drive slowly... I average 31 mpg. Just about to reach 24,000 miles.
A few niggling little faults, but all sorted at dealer. All cars have faults, so...
Oddly, I've not had the rattles or dash troubles others tell of.
I've owned lots of cars over the years, this is one of the best. I'd give it 9 out of 10.
dandarez said:
I've just gone into 3rd year of ownership from new 2009 JCW turbo, chilli pack. It is going to be one hell of wrench to sell it (I want a JCW Coupe when it's launched later this year).
The JCW is a grin a minute! Love the poppin' an banging exhaust, and ...it's fast! 148 mph from a 1.6, so not much leaves you. Very difficult to drive slowly... I average 31 mpg. Just about to reach 24,000 miles.
A few niggling little faults, but all sorted at dealer. All cars have faults, so...
Oddly, I've not had the rattles or dash troubles others tell of.
I've owned lots of cars over the years, this is one of the best. I'd give it 9 out of 10.
JCW coupe later this year??.......That`s interesting as I`ve posted on another forum and received following response to my question regarding JCW changes but I guess this is a new car rather than a change (semantics?) The JCW is a grin a minute! Love the poppin' an banging exhaust, and ...it's fast! 148 mph from a 1.6, so not much leaves you. Very difficult to drive slowly... I average 31 mpg. Just about to reach 24,000 miles.
A few niggling little faults, but all sorted at dealer. All cars have faults, so...
Oddly, I've not had the rattles or dash troubles others tell of.
I've owned lots of cars over the years, this is one of the best. I'd give it 9 out of 10.
CAR are predicting an all new MINI in 2013 based upon a platform and drivetrain shared with the 2014 FWD BMW 1 Series. Power will from a 3 cylinder 1.5 litre engine, in the JCW's case it will produce 230bhp. I imagine that the JCW launch will be somewhat later than the rest of the model range so probably autumn 2014 at the earliest.
Given the extent of the developments required to share platform and drivetrains with a whole range of new BMW models (eg a Z1 and a 1 Series GT) there is a risk that some of the MINI character will be lost. Hope not but if you want to experience the best MINI to date and the possibly the best ever get a JCW
I bought my partner a brand new JCW convertible 15 months ago and so far we have done 12000 miles in it.It's a good nippy little car,you feel a bit of torque steer sometimes when pressing on and the suspension gets a little untidy but it's very good fun to drive and there is a very good sense occassion every time you drive it.I mega speccd our car with every extra it was possible to put on so it came to just under £30k with the spec but that was my decision and I don't regret it.We run it on vpower and average mpg over 12000 miles has been 34.mpg.
gra001 said:
CW coupe later this year??.......That`s interesting as I`ve posted on another forum and received following response to my question regarding JCW changes but I guess this is a new car rather than a change (semantics?)
CAR are predicting an all new MINI in 2013 based upon a platform and drivetrain shared with the 2014 FWD BMW 1 Series. Power will from a 3 cylinder 1.5 litre engine, in the JCW's case it will produce 230bhp. I imagine that the JCW launch will be somewhat later than the rest of the model range so probably autumn 2014 at the earliest.
Given the extent of the developments required to share platform and drivetrains with a whole range of new BMW models (eg a Z1 and a 1 Series GT) there is a risk that some of the MINI character will be lost. Hope not but if you want to experience the best MINI to date and the possibly the best ever get a JCW
The Coupé and Roadster are the last models planned for release on the current platform. Rumour is that the Coupé is due Autumn this year, with the Roadster pushed out until Spring 2012 when the soft-top market is more buoyant.CAR are predicting an all new MINI in 2013 based upon a platform and drivetrain shared with the 2014 FWD BMW 1 Series. Power will from a 3 cylinder 1.5 litre engine, in the JCW's case it will produce 230bhp. I imagine that the JCW launch will be somewhat later than the rest of the model range so probably autumn 2014 at the earliest.
Given the extent of the developments required to share platform and drivetrains with a whole range of new BMW models (eg a Z1 and a 1 Series GT) there is a risk that some of the MINI character will be lost. Hope not but if you want to experience the best MINI to date and the possibly the best ever get a JCW
This would give a smooth release schedule to keep the showrooms busy:
2010 - Countryman
2011 - Coupé
2012 - Roadster
2013 - all new hatch
I'd take a gamble that there'll be some hatch special editions in 2012 to help mitigate an expected drop-off in sales as people wait for the 2013 model.
I love my 2005 JCW. No mods apart from replacing knackered bushes with poly bushes.
I prefer the whine of the supercharger to the turbo.
It's never faultered, though the thermostat mounting cracked, which was a known issue and cost £100 to replace (all in).
Harmon stereo is awesome.
I received the TLC pack when I bought mine from the dealer and it's had one brake fluid change and one oil change. Three thousend miles to go before I use the second token for an oil change.
It returns 28mpg pretty much as standard even when pushing on.
Get one and you won't regret it.
I prefer the whine of the supercharger to the turbo.
It's never faultered, though the thermostat mounting cracked, which was a known issue and cost £100 to replace (all in).
Harmon stereo is awesome.
I received the TLC pack when I bought mine from the dealer and it's had one brake fluid change and one oil change. Three thousend miles to go before I use the second token for an oil change.
It returns 28mpg pretty much as standard even when pushing on.
Get one and you won't regret it.
I've had a JCW R56 since it was launched in 2008 - its brilliant, i'll change it this year but i'll be sad when it goes.
Mines been back for a fault with the traction control, sorted under warranty - and one service - which was included in the TLC - so apart from the usual fuel / insurance its cost nothing, i'm even up to 16K on the original front tyres - maybe i'm too gentle with it!
As has been said earlier - its just hard to drive slowly.......
Mines been back for a fault with the traction control, sorted under warranty - and one service - which was included in the TLC - so apart from the usual fuel / insurance its cost nothing, i'm even up to 16K on the original front tyres - maybe i'm too gentle with it!
As has been said earlier - its just hard to drive slowly.......
esuuv said:
I've had a JCW R56 since it was launched in 2008 - its brilliant, i'll change it this year but i'll be sad when it goes.
Mines been back for a fault with the traction control, sorted under warranty - and one service - which was included in the TLC - so apart from the usual fuel / insurance its cost nothing, i'm even up to 16K on the original front tyres - maybe i'm too gentle with it!
As has been said earlier - its just hard to drive slowly.......
Get underneath and check the 'inside edge' of the FRONT tyre tread (where you can't see it) - I was shocked! I'd got to 20,000 ish. Mines been back for a fault with the traction control, sorted under warranty - and one service - which was included in the TLC - so apart from the usual fuel / insurance its cost nothing, i'm even up to 16K on the original front tyres - maybe i'm too gentle with it!
As has been said earlier - its just hard to drive slowly.......
I replaced with non runflats (Falkens, as lots Mini driver seems to like them - yep, they're very good). I'm now at 24,000+ and still on original rear runflat Dunlop 01s with still fair tread, but then the rears run even.
Will stick non runflats on rear shortly just so as all are same tyre before i sell. Really don't want to sell but just soooo want the Coupe (in JCW guise of course - it was in latest Auto Express out now).
Personally, I think the Roadster will sell more but I have been told that both cars look absolutely superb in the flesh, far better than the pictures can do justice. Can't wait!
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