Comments on: MF Review: Factory JCW Coupe

By: James

James — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:18:51 +0000

To say that Mini is leaving the JCW with the standard suspension “ready for each owner to tailor it to their own needs” is to be too kind. The fact is, most JCW buyers are going to opt for either the sport or JCW suspension. Mini is just capitalizing on the low-hanging fruit on the options sheet.

By: MotoringFile » Archive » JCW Re-imagined: Our Take on the JCW

MotoringFile » Archive » JCW Re-imagined: Our Take on the JCW — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:26:39 +0000

[...] untouched and ready for each owner to tailor it to their own needs. Of course the problem (as we said in the review) is that MINI hasn’t done the JCW brand or the car any favors with this visual restraint. [...]

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:55:22 +0000

Just a note that Road and Track (Feb 09)page 59 did an update on the MINI factory JCW and ame up with the following specs (using the STOCK suspension, non-JCW) 0-60 MPH 6.0 seconds 0-100 MPH 14.8 seconds 1/4 Mile ET: 14.4 seconds @98.9 MPH Braking 60-0: 121 ft Braking 80-0: 210 ft Lat Accel (200 ft skidpad):.91g Speed thru 700 ft slalom: 71.3 MPH They called the slalom performance “amazing”.

By: Greg M

Greg M — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:07:21 +0000

I bought my 09 JCW for what it has, and after owning it for nearly 4 months; for what I can add to it, if I want it to be more than I got. It has lived up to what I was looking for. I was 16 when the Pontiac GTO came out, and I could not afford it. In my 09 JCW, I got what I consider to be the current day equivalent of the GTO I couldn’t get over 40 years ago. If you want a BMW M3 or M5, go buy it. If you want MINI’s version of a fun, fast, frugal vehicle; get it. And, if you want a vehicle that can approach an M3 with fairly affordable modifications, you can do that too. Should the JCW come with some obvious unique features (more than a few badges or exhaust tips) that distinguishes it from other MINI’s, I think it should. At a minimum, it should come with the Aero Kit. It perhaps should have it’s own unique stripes. I greatly enjoy adding MY own modifications that make it mine. That is one of my great pleasures of being a MINI owner, as I think it is for other owners. And, I am one of the thousands who do the little things they want to their car to make it unique. I think the JCW is great, and the MINI is fun. I have added features to the exterior, interior, and suspension, with a few more planned. The review is one of the best I have read to date.

By: greg

greg — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:16:26 +0000

///M Coupe??? Veeeeeery nice!!

By: MotoringFile » Archive » MF Review: JCW Stage I vs Stage II

MotoringFile » Archive » MF Review: JCW Stage I vs Stage II — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:00:59 +0000

[...] but also upgraded mechanicals. We won’t go into details here (you can read that in our full review) but needless to say it’s [...]

By: Rodney King

Rodney King — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:38:27 +0000

“Why can’t we just all spot along?”

By: JonPD

JonPD — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:18:05 +0000

Nice choice Izzy, the ///M Coupe is a very good car.

By: Izzy

Izzy — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:56:59 +0000

Thanks for the review. I had a chance to drive a JCW for 4 days and came to the same conclusion that the car is great but not that great for the price and not GP great.

So I ended up getting a ///M Coupe to replace my R53 Cooper S

By: greg

greg — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:25:08 +0000

Oh bollocks.

By: mike

mike — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:06:02 +0000

BLAST greg! You such an old sod!

Quit being so shirty and such a bloody wanker. It seems as you've gone quite barney.

If you're so gutted by this maybe you should take a kip before looking left, right and centre for something that's more your cup of tea.

I think my evaluation of the situation is quite spot on and you should stop having such a blinkered view. You always seem to throw a spanner in the works.

Maybe you just need to have a shag.

Pip pip and cheerio and all that.

By: greg

greg — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:33:16 +0000

Aaaaeeeiiieee! Quit saying “spot on” you British wannabees!

By: JonPD

JonPD — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:19:19 +0000

Can also say that my GP doesn’t look like its in store for a new stablemate anytime soon. Since Mini doesn’t really seem to want to product a really stout performance car likely will hold out for the Mini D and will keep any eye open on the i-development. Still think the new car is 85% spot on seems like they left it in a place that is not clear exactly what they were shooting for. To each their own however.

By: MarkD

MarkD — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:09:25 +0000

I am happy with the balance of my R56 Cooper S with JCW Suspension and Tuning Kit. I agree with the Review completely. The JCW Suspensions ride quality is so close to stock, which is what I had before, it is not even worth considering as a drawback. The JCW Suspesion lowers the car a little and gives the car a more aggressive look than a stock R56. That is what an M suspension does. The M cars always look clean but only slightly lower than their non M counterpart. What a shame they missed the mark with this one glaring omission. I would not trade my JCW Cooper S for a Factory JCW unless it had the Suspension.

By: greg

greg — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:42:18 +0000

M Prez... you and your pals should sell your Minis and get mensastral cycles.

I'd venture to say most peoples spelling errors are due to the fact that they bust out a quick post while in the middle of work or drinking.

I only have so much time to concentrate as I am busy here as fry manager. I actually am a good speller. I do have a ninth grade education you know.

By: JonPD

JonPD — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:25:14 +0000

Mike I think your comment was the best so far in the comments here, though I still believe that the car should have come with the Aero and suspension as default additions. I still personally tend to believe that the car should have come with the JCW suspension, but your comment shows that Mini surely knows their perspective owner base better than I do :).

By: Gabe

Gabe — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:05:35 +0000

Totally agree Mike. At the very least the Sport Suspension should have been standard on this car. BTW your set-up sounds great!

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:32:15 +0000

Gabe,

Excellent review. I bought my 09 JCW (black with silver hood stripes) complete with the JCW aero kit, driving lights and the sport suspension. So, it looks really good - but it was spendy. I agree that they ALL should come with the JCW aero kit as standard. I understand the comments about car needing the JCW suspension to optimise handling performance, but I also realize that for people that use the car as a daily commuter (like me) the ride quality is also important. I didn't want to take a risk that it was going to be TOO hard or TOO low. I might make upgrades at some point but for my taste I think the compromises are just about right with the sport suspension. I still touch the front spoiler an awful lot. It has the exhaust sound, the quick steering, the minimal body roll. A great drive. The MINI is a FWD car with a short wheelbase, and it has certain limitations due to it's design configuration. If you are not running the JCW at racing speeds on a track those "imperfections" (Porsche 911 owners will certainly agree)become "qualities" that give the car a unique character. The JCW makes me smile every day.

By: theMan

theMan — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:05:31 +0000

After owning the car for 3 months I have no regrets from paying the premium, even without the aero package and an M quality suspension :). The power is incredible and the suspension is really not that bad. I have tracked the car and I had no problem getting it to go where I wanted it to go. I can only imagine how this car will handle when I drop in a coilover suspension. And honestly I don’t mind not standing out, looking pretty isn’t going to cut seconds. Though I am going to add an R-Type sticker which should shave about 3 or 4 seconds, and will definitely up the fear factor. Also, If it was truly an M car I would be getting 21 mpg rather than 35. Stop complaining and drive, no car will ever be perfect, but this one comes pretty darn close, of course that is only my humble opinion. Let me know how my grammar and spelling is…….or is it are ;)

By: SFRedMCc

SFRedMCc — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:03:46 +0000

I really do like the red and black color combination. I may even paint my roof black sometime in the future when I’m ready for a change.