MINI Unveils New, Gas-Powered John Cooper Works Models
Hot on the heels of the first-ever, battery-powered MINI John Cooper Works models, here come the new gas-burning variants including the MINI 3 Door JCW and MINI Convertible JCW.
The two will enter production in November and are scheduled to arrive in dealerships early in 2025.
- Also: Meet the First-Ever, Battery-Powered MINI John Cooper Works
- Also: New 2025 MINI Cabriolet Brings Back Cool Feature for Open-Top Drivers
Performance enthusiasts will likely be disappointed for a number of reasons. First, the manual gearbox is no longer available, as previously reported, leaving only a dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
Furthermore, the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is no more powerful than before, generating the same 228 horsepower. Sure, torque is increased from 236 to 280 lb-ft, but acceleration is not any quicker. The new MINI John Cooper Works 3 Door sprints from 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, while the cabriolet does it in 6.4 seconds.
Naturally, the suspension continues to receive specific tuning resulting in firmer, more agile handling, while the brakes have more bite than the stock ones. They’re easy to identify with their Chili Red callipers and JCW logo.
Up front, the grille gets a special treatment and is flanked by additional air inlets with vertical reflectors in red for optimum engine temperature control. The LED headlamps with horizontal, JCW-specific daytime running lights make for a distinctive appearance. Red or black hood stripes are optional along with a matching roof and mirror caps. Seriously, how could one pass up on them? A total of 11 body colours can be specified, too.
MINI designers have done a great job with the new 17- and 18-inch wheels as well as the prominent rear diffuser, which combine to give extra sporty flair to the cars. In a curious move, though, there is only one tailpipe and it’s mounted right in the middle of said diffuser.
Inside, the clean design of the interior is based on the typical JCW colour scheme of red and black, including the knitted surface on the dashboard. The sport seats are upholstered in black synthetic leather with multicoloured knitted fabric at the shoulders and red accent stitching. Don’t miss the aluminum pedals or the JCW sport steering wheel with a textile six-o-clock spoke.
As in other next-generation MINIs, infotainment comes in the form of a 9.4-inch round OLED touchscreen. However, there’s also an exclusive Harman Kardon sound system as standard. One last thing you should know about: with the Go-Kart experience mode activated, the cockpit ambiance completely changes and the display shows performance-related data such as torque, power and g-force.
Canadian pricing for these gas-powered 2025 MINI John Cooper Works models will be announced at a later date. For the record, the 2025 Cooper S 3 Door starts at an all-inclusive price of $42,900.