Chalk up another positive review for the MINI. This time it’s the JCW MCS and the Toronto Star. It may be worth mentioning that the dollars that the author speaks of are Canadian and not US so don’t be thrown by the $50,000 price mentioned. Here’s a short excerpt:
>Okay, there’s probably a fair amount of profit margin in a fully loaded JCW Cooper S (opt for the convertible and you can breach the $50,000 Canadian barrier). That’s hardly sensible when you consider just how capable the basic Cooper S is and the vastly improved value it offers in comparison. At this price point, you could also be driving a much bigger, more powerful, rear-drive car like a Nissan 350Z.
>But after some time spent behind the wheel, it’s hard to begrudge Mini, or Mike Cooper, their earnings. The Works S is a complete, if tiny, package — a true performance machine that will, on most roads, eat those bigger, more powerful cars alive, while simultaneously retaining the styling and personality that make the basic Mini so attractive to begin with.
The author mentions some creaks and rattles. I’ve personally had none in six months with my new 2005 MINI and from my experience have heard little of these problems in 2005 and 2006 MINIs. I wonder if this was simply one of those press cars that has been thoroughly trashed by the always willing automotive press?
You can read the entire article here:
[ This Mini justs wants to have fun ] Toronto Star
And yes… that could be the worst title ever for a MINI related article.
Actually, the claim that there’s a lot of profit in a 50k MINI is absurd. There’s very slightly over 2k profit in one. MINI deliberately keeps the margins tight to prevent discounting.
Slight error in the review. The MSC JCW has 40 more BHP than the MCS and not almost 50 that the article refers to. I assume he was referring to the 163 the MCS used to have before the 05 revision.
nah that’d be the canadian BHP known to be undervalued by 20% on the US one, much like the dollar its the same in the real world, just a different number on paper.
as far as rattles and squeeks, my MY05 was perfect until it went in for the JCW upgrades. after that i had a very annoying squeeky rattle up in the dash that went back 3 times before it was eventually stopped.
Now i still have a squeeky drivers side window when it goes up and down.
I havent heard this widespread and my dealer tells me there is nothing they can do to change it.
so i just dont wind my window down
I wish I had your luck, Gabe. I’ve currently got rattles:
driver’s side a-pillar
passenger-side b-pillar
passenger-side c-pillar
driver’s side rear seat
driver’s side door
dash (occasionally)
sunroof (when it’s really cold)
I’m seriously considering trading mine in for an ’06. This car may not be a lemon, but it is certainly tainted. These rattles accompany the bad supercharge valve, some unspecified “computer problem” that delayed delivery* by several days, a new muffler (bad weld somewhere) and a creak in the suspension that’s not been completely resolved.
Mine continues to surprise most folks on and off the track. An EVO is a no-brainer, but the JCW Mini is a sleeper.
<strong>FULL DISCLOSURE ON MINI PROBLEMS</strong>
The full story in the Toronto Star included the following article on the MINI on the same page.
[New Redesigned MINI](<a href="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1134645017626&call_pageid=970599119419" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1134645017626&call_pageid=970599119419</a>)
Some serious performance issues, rattles and quality…
-lawnmower performance
-random stalling
-software upgrades
-rattles galore
-a British mess
-dealer visits
-but despite the above, having a lot of fun anyways
Phil Edmonston of Lemon Aid Car Guide has concerns regarding British quality car manufacturing which goes to their general work ethic culture in Britain. (He uses an article from the Cristian Science Monitor that points this out).
In Canada, MINI now sells MINI Next as an extended warranty to PRE-Owned MINI buyers.
Brian – what year is your car? Have you taken it to the dealer about all of this? My ’02 had a symphony of rattles that were mostly taken care of by the dealer over the years.
it also depends on if you have put any suspension mods on the car. after abit of driving on some stiffer suspension…things are going to start rattling lol. as long as its not a crazy loud rattle or somethin..ive learned to tune them out
My 2005 MCS JCW stalls when it’s cold outside. Right when you start it up, it stumbles and dies when throttle is applied. Sometimes, it won’t start. I’m able to drive it out to the street, where it dies again. In the summer, it didn’t once hiccup, but now that it’s cold, it stumbles and stalls for the first 3-4 min. My drive-by-wire throttle died, but that was fixed in no time. Those are the only issues I’ve had. No rattles whatsoever. I highly recommend one. Maybe two!
I love my 05 MCS JCW. It puts a smile on my face, and is well worth the money spent. An instant classic IMHO.
Nozz
<blockquote>Phil Edmonston of Lemon Aid Car Guide has concerns regarding British quality car manufacturing which goes to their general work ethic culture in Britain. (He uses an article from the Cristian Science Monitor that points this out).</blockquote>
It could be worse. We could be lazier than the French.
My ’05 has been virtually flawless. I’ve had it since August of ’04 and have 15,600 miles on her. No problems basically.
Only problem I’m noticing in the last few days is due to the cold here in Chicago (was 5 degrees F this morning). The driver’s window isn’t “re-sealing” perfectly as it normally does. I have to open and close the window after getting in the car to get it to seal. Otherwise, issue free.
My ’02 MCS was a mess but I finally got it all fixed, albeit it a lengthly process with dealer and factory rep, my ’04 MCS has been trouble free but a dash rattle has shown up in the last few weeks. My daughter’s ’03 MC has been basically trouble free, after the dealer replaced the clutch and flywheel assembly, free, but can’t get out of it’s own way when it comes to accelerating.
Owen, I think you misunderstand the author’s idea of “profit.” You seem to be discussing dealer profit (per your reference to margins) while the author is discussing MINI’s profit (at least the way I read the article).
JK
I am from Toronto and have talked to Laurence Yap the writer of that article many times. Every time I see him i ask him what great cars he’s been driving lately. He always responds the most fun he has ever had in a car was the JCW MINI he got to drive for a week.
This coming from a guy who has driven ferraris and lambos.
My ’05 has been rattle free compared to the old ’02 I had. It really is like night and day and I’m not soft on the new one either. It’s taking all the abuse in stride. So glad I upgraded, plus the LSD was much needed.
<blockquote>Brian – what year is your car? Have you taken it to the dealer about all of this? My ‘02 had a symphony of rattles that were mostly taken care of by the dealer over the years.</blockquote>
It’s an ’05, built in April. I talked to my MA today (Rhonda @ Dreyer & Reinbold) and kicked around the idea of “trading up” to an ’06. I’ll figure out the finances of such a move once I get a couple of assessments on value, but I don’t foresee that being a fiscally wise move.
My first service is in about 650 miles, so I’ll have all of the rattles addressed (er, hopefully) then. If that’s all ok, I’ll probably be content staying with this car.
9200 miles on my 05′ JCW and no problems. The 22″ Alta rear sway bar squeeks loudly on bumps/turns but that’s the price of better handling(so I’m told).
Greg – whoever told you that was trying to blow you off. Loud squeeks are not the price of better handling. The H&R bars come with teflon coated bushings so they won’t squeek. With other brands that don’t use teflon coated bushings you can grease them….sorta a pain…but there is no reason that you have to live with that noise if it bothers you.
Yap uses a photo of himself driving a Mini as his stock photo for all his reviews in Canadian Driver..
Check out the expression on his face – think he likes Minis??
<a href="http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/ly/06continental_flying_spur.htm" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/ly/06continental_flying_spur.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/ly/06continental_flying_spur.htm" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/ly/06continental_flying_spur.htm</a>
Somebody make Ians link work, please.
<a href="http://www.canadiandriver.com/images/yap.jpg" rel="nofollow">yap</a>
hope this works
yeah … he loves it… is he really pushing it tho… 🙂
boy..is he really getting to the limit there 🙂 🙂 🙂 ?
This brings up a question I’ve had. How much rougher riding is the JCW suspension compared to stock. Could this be the cause of the rattles?
It’s not more rough and I would actually say it feel as good if not better than the stock set-up. Now I think of it… I don’t remember the author mentioning the car was even equipped with the JCW suspension.
Is there any reason not to get the JCW suspension, other than cost?
Well it’s not as hardcore as some other options out there. But that said it’s probably the best choice for a MINI that’s mostly driven on the street (with occasional track use). Personally I think it’s one of the most underrated JCW options.
i LOVE my jcw suspension – i think it’s by far the best kit they make outside of the engine upgrade.
Thanks for the JCW suspension input. I’ll be purchasing a S shortly. I drove the JCW and S back to back and definitely felt the extra power of the JCW engine upgrades. Unfortunately the car didn’t have the suspension upgrades and the dealer isn’t planning on getting on in. I won’t be tracking this car (my M3 gets that chore) but want the best suspension I can get so long as it doesn’t significantly degrade the ride quality.
i have found that the jcw suspension has INCREASED ride quality by a long shot…
and as long as you’re at it, don’t forget the brakes…they rock too ; )
Thanks minibliss. The tech at my dealership said to grease the sway bar bushings I’d have to have grease “niples” installed and he offered no suggestions as to where or how. He did say the noise was due to lack of lubrication. Any advise on where to go?
greg – the nipples make it easy – but you can just undo the little brackets clamp over the bushings and slide the bushing to the side and grease it up. Then push them back together. You might have to disconnect your sway bar links as well to get a little more movability.
This is a happy coincidence for me…I just looked at a Checkmate JCW tonight and haven’t decided yet to take the plunge or not. I’m definitely getting a new car, because I can’t deal with the noises the sunroof is making (since replacement it sounds like a bowl of Rice Crispies), the loose suspension (steering rack replacement not done properly, I think), the steering wheel that points left (ditto), the loose seat (for over a year, yet ‘no problem found’ 8 times), and assorted other rattles.
So, the question is this…is the JCW really worth $33k? I’m giving up some of the other things I want in order to get the performance…but is the JCW REALLY $6300 better than a ‘regular’ S? It’s a factory JCW, so it has the LSD and JCW Brakes (you only get the motor upgrades with the dealer installed JCW)…but it’s a big stretch for money that will buy a lot of other cars (R32 anyone? Audi A3? Evo IX with 3 times the insurance cost? etc).
Here’s the bottom line…there’s a palpable difference between my ’04 and the ’05-’06’s (the bottom end is improved and the gearing is MUCH better). Were the updates enough to make the JCW that much better than the older JCW, or even the S? Somebody give me some guidance here, PLEASE!!!
<blockquote> but is the JCW REALLY $6300 better than a ‘regular’ S? It’s a factory JCW, so it has the LSD and JCW Brakes (you only get the motor upgrades with the dealer installed JCW)</blockquote>
Er, you can get the factory JCW, and that does include the engine work for that price, unless I’m missing something? The engine upgrades are not strictly a dealer-installed thing.
Thanks again minibliss. Osmodious. The seats in the checkmate are cool, but those wheels(yeeha)? Grab the JCW and don’t forget to upgrade the suspension.
Blalor…I did not articulate my point well. What I MEANT to say was that with the dealer installed JCW, you ONLY get the motor upgrades. The factory JCW does come with the motor upgrades, PLUS the brakes and LSD. Mea culpa.
Greg…the seats are SO sweet in the Checkmates, though I could do without the two toned steering wheel (I like a plain black wheel) and the decals (I hate decals, plus anything that says “Hey, look at me!” to the police). I also am not in love with the wheels, though I have to say that they look 150,000% better in person than they do in pictures (or online).
One other thing is a bit of a bummer…the Checkmates all appear to have all-season tires (at least they are Pirellis instead of those horrendous Goodyear RSA’s). A JCW with all-seasons just seems ludicrous to me…