What Do You Think of the F56 John Cooper Works?
More than a month ago we had the chance to drive one of the first 2015 John Cooper Works Hardtop in the US. Since then, friends of MotoringFile have had a chance to spend some quality time with the car. We also heard here and there that a number of people have taken delivery of the new JCW. And most recently, European automative journalists released their reviews following a MINI Europe Press Event dedicated to the most powerful MINI of the FXX generation. What we don’t know is what MotoringFile readers that have tested or bought the car think of it. So please chime in. We want to know it all, the good, the bad and the ugly!
<p><em>Grabs popcorn</em></p>
<p>I haven’t driven it yet, but MINI Canada has already hinted at some track time…</p>
<p>We shall see…</p>
<p>I drove one for 30 minutes about a month ago. It was an automatic. I’ve had five new MINIs, my latest being a 2009 JCW. All are sticks, and I’m not a huge fan of automatics. That being said, the auto in the new JCW was great. The car drove really good, and was very quick. Didn’t check if it had the stock sport suspension or the adjustable one, but the ride was great. I wasn’t sold on the interior from the pictures, but in person it is very high quality. I wasn’t a big fan of the exterior, but it’s growing on me. With the JCW Pro front splitter and rear diffuser, the body kit looks really good. I ordered a rebel green stick because I think they’ve done a great job with this new JCW.</p>
<p>I’m also on the fence for a Rebel Green. What other colors did you hesitate between? Also what’s your roof color combo?</p>
<p>I’m going with Rebel Green and Red. Waivered between red and white top and mirrors, and decided on red. Thought it might be too X-masish, but saw on in person at the car show and think it really looked good. Going with the Dinamica/Leather seats, piano black and red line interior. Finally, I’ve added the 18″ alloy John Cooper Works Cup Spoke two-tone wheels. I like most of the available colors but never have had green. My previous models were blue, dark grey, and two astro blacks. I think the thunder grey, pepper white, and black all look great with the red roof. Finally, want to add the JCW Pro splitter, rear diffuser, and hopefully, the coilover suspension, although I haven’t been able to find much on the suspension. I put the GP2 suspension and a rear sway bar on my current JCW, and really think those two things were the best upgrades I’ve done to my car.</p>
<p>When my long-term free loaner arrives from MINI, I will let you know in a full review.</p>
<p>Test drove the JCW a couple of weeks ago and it was great. Handled very well and took the bumpy roads of Cleveland better than my current 2013 S… The flappy paddle gear box was better than I expected but I’m still annoyed we don’t have manuals yet. Have been ready to order for a while now but still no real news from my dealer…</p>
<p>If you really want one now, you might want to order asap. From talking to various dealers, JCW allocations are being filled really fast and they aren’t many of them.</p>
<p>My dealer has had my deposit since last September. They are telling me since I want a manual trans they can’t order one for me yet…</p>
<p>MINI just started production on the manual transmission JCWs. The dealers were all notified so anyone looking to order one should be able to do so. If you can’t let us know and we’ll put you in touch with MINIUSA directly.</p>
<p>Thank you, I’ve been in touch with my dealer who keeps telling me the same thing over and over. I’ll be the first to know… Will check with them again, I’m beyond frustrated….</p>
<p>Let us know how we can help. We can put you in direct contact with MINIUSA who can work with your dealer.</p>
<p>Gabe, my dealer is telling me there is nothing he can do and that he has not heard anything on his end. Said he would have received a “bulletin” if I was able to place my order. They have had my deposit since Sept of 14… That was to secure one of the first in Cleveland… Who should I contact?</p>
<p>IT may be that you aren’t getting the correct info. I had a similar situation long ago… Told all the right things… When I escalated to corporate, found I’d been getting BSed… My truck had been misplaced on a rail siding in Michigan. Sometimes it’s good to take what the stealerships say with a grain of salt….</p>
<p>If your dealer isn’t Airport MINI, give them a shout instead. They bent over backwards for me when I ordered my F56S back in April. Can’t speak highly enough of their service.</p>
<p>I’m using Classic Mini in Cleveland. My order slot is in July (it’s a manual), so I have to wait until then to place the order and won’t receive my JCW till late August/early September. Pepper White with red roof/mirrors, standard 17″ wheels, Premium, Media, and the Chrono package which is now available for ordering. It’s going to cost me an extra $300 to wait to order until July since the Loaded package (Premium + Media) has been discontinued.</p>
<p>Give Airport MINI a call and tell them about your situation; see if they can do better.</p>
<p>I placed my order six weeks ago for a 2015 JCW manual. A couple weeks later my dealer told me the very limited number of 2015 JCW hardtops with manual transmission were already taken and mine would be a 2016. A couple things I wanted on my car were in the list of discontinued items for 2016 so I made it clear to my dealer I was not happy. They were able to secure one of the very last 2015 production slots from another dealer. I now have a confirmed production number for a 2015 JCW Hardtop with manual transmission. No production date yet. Mine will be Pepper White. I’ve had my Pepper White 2004 MCS for almost 12 years and didn’t really seriously consider another color. I’m a big fan of Pepper White. Rebel Green didn’t look as good to me in person as in the pictures and I wouldn’t pay $1000 for an optional non-metallic color unless I was really crazy about it. With the JCW interior being mostly black, I wanted to keep the exterior light.</p>
<p>I just got word that my production date is June 17.</p>
<p>I put my order sheet and deposit down in March and still do not have a build date. I have a feeling mine will be a 2016, so one of my options goes up in price, the loaded package goes away and becomes more expensive to get the two packages that contained, and they will no longer offer the rear fog light that I ordered. All I can say is that the dealership better work with me on pricing with all these changes. Also not happy to hear that people are ordering in May and getting a build slot before us.</p>
<p>The MINIUSA configurator is updated for 2016 models and the rear fog lights are still available – at least on the configurator. Other changes for 2016 appear to be reflected in the configurator as promised.</p>
<p>I got to test drive one in Portland, Oregon. An automatic. My last MINI was a 2008 JCW with the JCW suspension, aero kit, strut brace, etc. I’m gonna be real picky here since I <em>loved</em> my 2008. I’m not a fan of the new interior styling… too gimmicky for my taste (start to tone down the ever growing center dial and for God’s sake eliminate the tacky black/white/red racing checks around it. It’s a race car, not a cartoon! Power felt comparable to my 2008 if ever so slightly better (expected a bit more). Torque steer is greatly improved on the new model, though I’d gotten pretty used to working around it in the 2008. Not as thrilled with the suspension and tend to favor the people talking about lowering it a bit and modding the suspension (coilover?). Brakes are great… an improvement noticeable without scaring the test drive supervisor too badly. As much as I’m not thrilled that the car is bigger, it <em>really</em> helps with backseat passenger room and from what I hear, the handling in general.</p>
<p>SUMMARY: Still a great car. Many steps forward but a few back from the R56. Tone down the kitsch a bit, keep the JCW on the serious end of playful. Still planning on buying on so I can continue to b*tch about it on a daily basis ;)</p>
<p>Words that come to mind</p>
<ul>
<li><p>silly</p></li>
<li><p>goofy</p></li>
<li><p>caricature of itself</p></li>
<li><p>was once a nice looking car, now morphed into something quite unbecoming</p></li>
</ul>
<p>note to self: excellent points</p>
<p>To dismiss today’s MINIs for being “goofy”, is to completely miss the point. No Mini, or MINI, has ever been a thing of beauty. In 1959, the Ferrari designer Aurelio Lampredi, when lent a pre-production Mini by John Cooper to try out at the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix, soon returned utterly smitten by the car’s driveability and space and made the comment, “If it wasn’t so ugly, I’d shoot myself.”</p>
<p>umm.. The Mini (The real car, the real Mini) is a car of</p>
<ul>
<li><p>great looks</p></li>
<li><p>handsome</p></li>
<li><p>classic</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The BMW version (I refuse to spell it M- I – N I) when it came back had some of those qualities. As new generations of the BMW version have some out the car has gotten very</p>
<ul>
<li><p>peculiar</p></li>
<li><p>odd (not in a good way)</p></li>
<li><p>very unbecoming</p></li>
</ul>
<p>note to self: another excellent post.</p>
<p>There has always been this kind of fundamentalists</p>
<p>So true.</p>
<p>He does have a point that the MINI does really lean on style accents in ways the original never did. I actually agree with him here.</p>
<p>Personally, I’m a function over form guy. All the style stuff that does nothing to improve function (fake scoop, anyone?) really grates on me. Also, the original Mini was about minimalist function, not tacked on style cues.</p>
<p>Nick, and everyone else, if you don’t want end up having a soul-sucking and pointless conversation we recommend ignoring this commenter.
Note to self: this guy must have a boring life. He probably needs a hug.</p>
<p>I was wondering when Mr Negative’ would surface from his lair with his expected comments that he’s the worlds greatest authority in his own mind. Car beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. That’s why there are so many dozens of models & makes out there….something for everyone…even Mr Negative……</p>
<p>Dark JCW interior: Satellite gray door panels?
Hello all! I’m looking for some input. I have a July order slot for my manual JCW, but have not finalized the spec for the order yet. Exterior will be Pepper White with red roof and mirrors; interior will be with the standard JCW cloth seats. I’m pondering “specing” the Satellite gray door panels and color line to lighten up the interior a bit. Any feedback/thoughts would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>I’ve had my JCW for just over a month now, bought it April 21st 2 days after the dealer got it in. It’s pepper white, red roof, carbon white interior panels, fully optioned minus back up camera and heads up display and I love it. The reason to pick this one up was because they offered $1000 off make it your mini so it almost paid for the automatic tranny that I really didn’t want, but it is a great transmission. I have over 2000 miles on the little guy, and have been very pleased with the instant throttle response and handling of the sports suspension. Traded in my 2014 Cooper S and 1989 Austin mini for it and am very glad I did. Plus the dealership is keeping my classic mini as a showroom car there. The MPG has been wonderful. 4 hour trip to the beach netted 42.6 mpg on highway in green mode! Averaging 30 mpg to and from work and driving lively on the back county roads of North Carolina. Love the sport dinaca seats as well, snug, but not too snug.</p>
<p>I drove it for a few laps on a very short circuit in Romania and I liked it. The track was very slippery and I was impressed the grip the jcw had on that surface. It had adaptive dampers and I think I would have preferred the sport fixed suspension but overall I liked it. Didn’t drive the 228i coupe BMW though which I think can make one have second thoughts about the jcw as the figures are a bit more impressive than the mini for about the same money.</p>
<p>The original question was “What do we think of the F56 JCW?” which my previous comments didn’t answer directly, so here’s my take:
First off, the F56 JCW the best MINI ever – at least from the driver’s seat and I like it enough that I have one on order. It does, however, inherit all the bad as well as the good of the Gen 3 MINI.</p>
<p>Positives: Quality of materials in the interior gets better with each generation. The JCW seats, particularly the Dinamica option, are excellent (if you fit between the bolsters). The 2L engine is a gem in either S or JCW tune.</p>
<p>On the down side the JCW suffers from all the faults of the Gen 3 MINIs (some being MINI’s best efforts to address various regulations in all its markets): it’s bigger and bulkier, the railroad tie across the grille, tail lights that would be more at home on a bus, too many unnecessary arcade game-like gimmicks inside. The interior of the JCW is predominantly black. Some other seat and door panel color choices would be welcomed. There are more choices in the other models.</p>
<p>My thought on the JCW, as good as it is, is MINI didn’t go far enough. It’s not a big enough step up from the S. For the $6500 difference between the S Hardtop and the JCW, you get a 20% bump in hp, 14% increase in torque, upgraded brakes, better seats, sport suspension and the JCW aero kit. The 2L turbo engine has a lot more to give than the 228 hp MINI has given it. With a specific output of 114 hp/litre, it’s almost exactly the same as the Gen 2 Cooper S 1.6L turbo. The Gen 2 JCW engine puts out 130 hp/litre. Other cars currently on the market get a lot more out of a 4-cyl 2L turbo. The Golf R has 292 hp. The M-B CLA45 AMG has 355 hp. Even the Focus ST has 252 hp. The S should have 228 hp and the JCW should have 250-275 hp. Maybe that’s coming down the road (GP3?). Now that the Sport Suspension is no longer available on the S, the JCW suspension is a step up from anything available on the S, but that is achieved by stepping backward on the S. The JCW suspension should be an upgrade from what is (or was previously) available on the S. The current version of Dynamic Damper Control isn’t the solution and isn’t worth $500, either. Dynamic Damper Control should have three settings for the JCW, Normal – configured to be softer than the sport suspension, Sport – equivalent to the current sport suspension, and Sport Plus – firmer than the current Sport suspension. I’d pay $500, or even $1000 for that as an option.</p>
<p>While I’m complaining about what the JCW isn’t and should be, I wish they’d figured out a way to keep the front fog lights like those on the S. I’m also not fond of any of MINI’s factory wheel options either. Once someone develops an aftermarket wheel that clears the JCW brakes, they’ll probably get some of my money.</p>
<p>When MINI builds a JCW (or GP3) with these improvements, I’ll trade my 2015 JCW for it, unless I get tired of waiting and buy a Ford Focus RS or Golf R (when the manual transmission becomes available) first. Until then, I’m sure I’ll be happy with my new JCW, despite my rants.</p>
<p>You want to know “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Forget the good and bad and underscore ugly. It is without doubt unattractive to put it politely. Each successive iteration since the R53 have become uglier and uglier.</p>
<p>The Fan boys will not like to read that</p>
<p>I care not.</p>
<p>The post is about driving impressions, not the exterior design.</p>
<p>You ask for the good, bad , and ugly about the car. Who cares about handling if it looks like hell.</p>
<p>Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as I’m sure you are aware. Having said that,obviously there still seem to be ALOT of MINI lovers out there because I see the new F56’s on the roads here in the Bay Area everyday.I own one myself and haven’t looked back…MOTOR ON!</p>
<p>I appreciate the comments from those who have bought or tested the car. Yes, I, like many (including Alex) am not sold on the exterior, but I want to know how the damn thing drives. I may be more willing to pull the trigger on the refresh. And I view this as a preview to what may be possible in the other models. I think this bodes well for the JCW Clubman. Thanks to those who posted helpful comments.</p>
<p>I drove the car recently. My current car is a ’15 JCW coupe with JCW suspension, and a mechanical LSD. Non runflats. Manual.</p>
<p>The F56 I drove was an auto plus sport suspension. Overall the car felt great but it’s more “refined” than I would want. If I were to get one I would need the Pro suspension and find a way to make the exhaust louder. Throw out the sound generating speaker too.</p>
<p>It pulled nice, I like the interior and the exterior looks fine to me. It did feel like the steering had more feel maybe? but honestly the engine is way too docile. Quick but too polite in soundtrack. I really wanted that four cylinder grunt.</p>
<p>I could see myself owning one. I will wait to see what comes with the GP3. I’m hoping they go super aggressive this time around. I’ll likely buy that if my sick desire for a 997.1/2 doesn’t get to me first.</p>
<p>Good take. Yes the steering actually does have more feel to it this time around. The JCW Pro exhaust would give yo the volume you’re likely looking for.</p>
<p>Already vented about not having a build number yet, so I guess I should also answer the question itself.</p>
<p>Drove it about a month ago. I really dislike driving an automatic, but I have to say the transmission in the new JCW is really impressive. Shifts were instantaneous.</p>
<p>It accelerates quickly, stops quickly with those big breaks, sounds fantastic, handles great with the sport suspension while also softening the bumpy NH roads more than my current 2011 S with 16 inch wheels and non-RF’s does. I am getting older so I cannot handle the overly harsh ride anymore, but you can still feel the steering and what is going on.</p>
<p>Inside, the new interior is excellent. The seats were amazing to sit in and very supportive and kept you in place. Some of the JCW specific accents are a little gaudy, but it is a Mini, so to be expected.I also noticed that the steering wheel felt different from my R56 and was easier to hold lightly or white knuckle.</p>
<p>The outside is where my only negative comments would come, but I will leave those out as they are the same that most people have. Unlike some people I do not feel the need to make irrefutable (to them because they think they are always right) statements instead of opinions on things that are subjective. With that said, I have found that those little appearance issues can largely be offset by color selection making them less noticeable, particularly in the front of the car. As I have said before, what is on the back of the car is for other people to see as I drive past with a big grin on my face.</p>
<p>Here is to hoping that my order gets in soon seeing as I put my money down for the thing at the beginning of March.</p>
<p>This is off topic, but…
I’m planning on going to my dealer on 6/16 and putting together a build for a JCW. I’m assuming (based on the comments I’ve read here) that it will be a 2016.</p>
<p>Can anyone give me an idea of when I may actually see this for delivery? I’m east coast, if that’s a big factor.</p>
<p>Depends on many factors, most of which is your dealer allocation. Only them will be able to tell you. In general a custom-ordered MINI arrives in about 6 to 8 weeks on the East Coast, but given the “unique” nature of the JCW, I wouldn’t count on it. Maybe 12 weeks, maybe more, maybe less.</p>
<p>Just saw this in “Auto Express”. The new JCW beaten by a Ford Fiesta…..hmmm…</p>
<p>2nd place: MINI John Cooper Works</p>
<p>Image 10 of 29</p>
<p>MINI’s JCW is more powerful and upmarket than ever, plus it now boasts new levels of refinement. And while some of its predecessor’s raw charm is missing, the brand new model is fast and engaging to drive. A cramped cabin and high purchase price count against it, but the MINI still manages to effortlessly combine desirability and driving fun.</p>
<p>Interesting comment about the “Missing raw charge of its predecessor”. Have to agree!</p>
<p>820 miles into this Mini life and I’m loving the drive! Most smile generating car I’ve owned. Those are smiles coming from me on the inside and those coming to me from the outside. I parked free at the Indy 500 because the guy wanted to have a look at my Pepper White, Chili Red roofed, JCW. I’m going to say that’s a GOOD rating for the appearance. Fantastic, body hugging, seats. And can’t make myself let go of the steering wheel. Perfect grip width and thumb nooks. Control knobs and switches are easily reachable. Owners manual is a must read in order to figure a lot of them out. Turns are sharp and without body roll. The torque in the wheel of my Mazda GT is nowhere to be felt in this Mini. 17″ wheels with All-Season tires (interesting 42psi front and 39psi rear recommended pressures for these. This seems high?) Highway speed on cement surface is annoying. Thanks Obama. Asphalt is quiet. Accelerates quickly and it happens right away. Also, while cruising around 50 mph there is a lot more of that instant speed available. Getting 37.6 mpg on the third tank of gas in Mid mode 98% of the time. I forget about Green mode because of the 37.6 and I forget about the Sport mode because of the FUN already being had. Breaking is awesome and it comes with a fantastic feeling downshift in the automatic transmission. The wheel bulge necessary to accommodate the front breaks is worrisome. Think chariot scene in movie Ben Hur. Only I’m afraid the curb is going to be the winner. Until that day this new Mini is a winner with me.</p>
<p>As the former owner of 3 JCW Mini’s, all of which had extensive aftermarket mods (BBK, suspensions, minor engine mods & exhaust) I can say w/o a doubt after having driven the newest JCW that the car is not worth the $$$ expense nor does it not keep up with or deliver the driving pleasure of cars like the VW GTI MK6, 7 or the spectacular new Golf R. Granted the new gen GTIs & Golf’s are larger but they are true drivers cars. I traded my very pricy JCW for the new MK7 Golf R. At $37 for the uber VW compared to $36K for the JCW, the Mini is much cruder, imperfect, and less engaging. Either on the track or as a daily driver, the Mini is not well balanced nor is there a synergy of the components that creates the magic of the “whole being greater than the sum of it’s parts”. What you get is PARTS, some pretty good, but no automotive magic. What the early BMW MINI’s had in spades was a rough & tumble fun-factor but now sadly the latest Mini’s are simply not an engineering package that has kept pace w/ growing field of hot hatch’s and compact performance cars. BMW/Mini needs to throw away the drawings, start w/ a clean sheet of paper and get it right. If you want a cute, amusing, fun but flawed little car get a Mini but if you want a real car with all the bits working in a magical union look elsewhere.</p>
<p>Interesting perspective as the R is one of the cars that I am considering with the JCW.</p>
<p>Try though I have since the BMW mini was first introduced and after spending a great deal of money on both dedicated JCW track cars and daily drivers the newest iterations of the Mini JCW do not capture my imagination the way latest crop of hot hatch’s and smaller performance oriented cars do. At the price point of $34-40k there is a lot of car to be had for the diehard fast-and-fun car loving types. VW & Audi have set a new benchmark in the MK7 GTI, newest Golf R and for a bit more the S3. Throw in the mix tuners like APR and one can fine tune any of these VW’s & Audi’s to level of outright masterful handling and blazing performance. In a relatively short period my wife and I have divested ourselves of our BMW’s, Sabaru, JCW Mini and even a Boxster for the highly pleasurable GTI and Mk 7 Golf R. Add to the mix the fact that the GTI/Golf R/S3 shared platform makes for a brilliant daily driver and you have car choices that ramp up the fun-to-cost ratio to new heights. Lastly the interior design and ergonomics of the Mini competition (VW/Audi for sure) is hard to deny .
My fondness for Mini’s has not diminished but the competition is just too high these days.</p>
<p>Iv? owned my JCW for just over a month now, the blips on down shifts and popping from the exhaust never gets old. I’ve taken it through the canyon roads almost every weekend and have never stopped smiling.
I am one of those guys who always wants to change his car…..until now. The JCW never is so much fun. The torque is what makes this car. I have the standard sport suspension which I thought may be too stiff, I was wrong. It’s perfect for ripping around corners and not bad when cruising on a highway.
I’m extremely impressed with the JCW.</p>