“MINI Factory Aerokit” is Dead
Historically we haven’t minced words when it comes to the factory “MINI aero-kit”. We’ve never been fond of the look. And apparently we weren’t alone. Even if MINI didn’t see the negative comments on it over the years on MF they have now seen the numbers. Yes sales have been much less than anticipated and MINI has made a change. Starting with March production the “MINI Aero-kit” (as it was confusingly known) will be replaced at the factory by the JCW Aero-kit.
What does this mean for those looking to buy a MINI? For starters the JCW Aero-kit should get less expensive. Currently the “MINI aerokit” can be had for $1250 via the factory. The JCW aerokit lists for $1961 before painting and installation.
It also means a better looking MINI. But I guess that’s obvious right?
There’s no word on how (if it all) this will change the JCW model as we know it.
<p>The JCW Aerokit will be Super Popular!</p>
<p>I don’t see the R56 JCW aero getting ‘more popular’ just because it becomes a bit cheaper. It’s still going to be a costly added expense. Just think about how many R53s you see on the road with the factory aero kit, I have only ever seen 2 or 3.</p>
<p>What colour is that? Doesn’t look like pure silver, maybe the new Cooper only velvet silver?</p>
<p>RIP MINI Aero Kit
Long Live JCW Aero Kit!</p>
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<p>Just think about how many R53s you see on the road with the factory aero kit, I have only ever seen 2 or 3</p>
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<p>It was only available for a year of the production run and not very publicized outside of places like MotoringFile. With this being marketed under the JCW brand I expect a better take rate.</p>
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<p>What colour is that? Doesn’t look like pure silver, maybe the new Cooper only velvet silver?</p>
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<p>It’s Velvet Silver.</p>
<p>I’m probably the only MINI owner who finds the JCW kit fugly and the Aero kit (at least the front and rear bumper covers) good looking. The skirts and arches are weird, but I didn’t bother getting those..</p>
<p><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/3948261489_672396c980_z.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/3948261489_672396c980_z.jpg</a></p>
<p>You are not the only MINI owner who thinks the JCW Aero-kit is ugly. It looks tacked on- the design is not integrated with the rest of the car.</p>
<p>Thank goodness! I know in Canada they didn’t even offer the JCW kit on JCW’s! The ugly kit was the only factory option and you had to special order the JCW kit from your dealer for about 3-4K. The MINI reps always talked about crash regulations or something along those lines from keeping it from Canadians.</p>
<p>the huge plus for having a factory aero kit vs. a dealer installed kit is that it will make it easier for people to finance it as part of their purchase, and if you are leasing the car you can now include the entire MSRP of the kit in the residual calculation.</p>
<p>While MINIFS will finance accessories, they still base the total amount that they’ll finance on the car’s MSRP which does not include the accessories. For example, if you buy a $25000 car and ad $2500 in accessories and finance the whole thing, your loan is considered 110% LTV. If those $2500 accessories become factory options, then your loan is now 100% LTV.</p>
<p>On a lease, you can now residualize the entire cost the aero kit which makes it much more affordable. Previously, they only let you residualize $400-$500 worth, so you paid $2000+ over the term of the lease.</p>
<p>The factory aero kit was plain ugly. Looked like snap on parts. The JCW kit is much more handsome and molded to the car. Good move.</p>
<p>Finally!!! That thing was plain disgusting!!!</p>
<p>I’m glad it’s gone too but… But I’m not really a big fan of the JCW kit either.</p>
<p>Ah, but the question is will the JCW trims now come properly painted as it is in all the promo photographs, and JCW equipped cars we see at motor shows, etc.</p>
<p>What I mean is the side skirts are painted with black trim that flows into the black wheel arches, and the rear fascia gets the lower diffuser area painted black.</p>
<p>Whether you like this kit or not, the uneven deployment caused by it not being painted the way it was intended has detracted from its appeal.</p>
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<p>What I mean is the side skirts are painted with black trim that flows into the black wheel arches, and the rear fascia gets the lower diffuser area painted black.</p>
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<p>Agreed. I remember talking to a MINI designer who shall not be named and telling him that they were doing this. He was surprised and a bit upset.</p>
<p>But I doubt they’ll make a change as it’s easier to just paint the entire thing.</p>
<p>I just now realized that the Cooper in this post has a different looking JCW front fascia. There are some horizontal lines present that I’ve never seen before on this kit. Is this part of some changes to this kit?</p>
<p>This kit was actually dead on arrival. I’m not a mean-spirited person, but I really hope someone lost their job over that. If nothing else, to nudge them away from a career in design. Cuz they don’t have one.</p>
<p>Well, there goes one choice that no longer has to be made between expensive options. The Factory Kit -in the later iteration, not shown here- painted the blatantly black plastic wheel arches at the expense of the front and rear fascias that appeared changed for the sake of change. If only the JCW kit would paint the arches too, or at least offer as additional option to the kit, then OK, the Factory Kit won’t be missed all that much.</p>
<p>This abomination of an aero kit will not be missed at all. The worst part was the truly awkward, unresolved point at which the smooth, painted side skirts meet up with the black textured fenders.</p>
<p>Seriously, what were they thinking? JC Whitney has universal fit aero kits that work better!</p>
<p>“ding dong, the aero kit is dead…..”</p>
<p>Does this mean we’ll be able to order prepainted JCW aero kits to install after the fact without having to pay shipping from the UK? Like the idea of it being a little less expensive and coming with factory quality paint that’s guaranteed to match properly…</p>
<p>“This abomination of an aero kit will not be missed at all. The worst part was the truly awkward, unresolved point at which the smooth, painted side skirts meet up with the black textured fenders.</p>
<p>Seriously, what were they thinking? JC Whitney has universal fit aero kits that work better!”</p>
<p>You didnt like the 2006 Mini GP?….I think it’s the best one of the bunch…</p>
<p>I definitely did not like the GP body kit. Sorry R53tuning – its a bit too much Buck Rodgers for me. The R53 JCW kit was nice, but it was like a two dimensional version of what was eventually the R56 MCS body kit (pre-refresh). I like the current JCW kit, but I still think it looks too heavy. The R56 refresh I like the new rear better than the original, but don’t care for the perplexing center bulge at the front. I actually don’t care about making a JCW look different than a basic MCS – I’d much rather see them add the suspension than the body kig.</p>
<p>So there you have it. Best Min body kit ever: R56 pre-refresh front + R56 refresh rear.</p>
<p>One thing about the GP body kit–I agree it wasn’t the nicest looking, but it was FUNCTIONAL. That IMHO outweighs the negatives of the looks.</p>
<p>I’m not a fan of the R53 aerokit, It looks nice, but it’s heavier than what it’s replacing. Kind of defeats the purpose, when it really doesn’t do much for airflow. Not sure of the weights of the R56 kit; again, it looks nice, but I wonder what the weight savings, if any, are?</p>
<p>For functional aerodynamics, I’m looking at group4motorsports–a bunch of old fogie retired guys who have nothing better to do than try to improve the MINIs aerodynamics.</p>
<p>I guess it comes down to what you’re after, form versus function. For the R53, the aerokit really doesn’t justify the price/weight if its function you’re after; if it’s looks, thats another matter, as it is a nice looking kit. From what I understand about the R56, the aerokit is actually functional–with the standard underpanels on all R56’s, and the JCW rear diffuser, it should be.</p>
<blockquote>One thing about the GP body kit–I agree it wasn’t the nicest looking, but it was FUNCTIONAL. That IMHO outweighs the negatives of the looks.</blockquote>
<p>You mean like those FUNCTIONAL brake ducts with the super cool silver vortex generators? The only potentially functional piece of that kit was the one you couldn’t see – the underbody fairing. But I’d wager that really did more for fuel economy than anything else.</p>
<p>It is about time the dissonant discontinuity that was the r56 “factory aero kit” was despatched! I could not believe that kit made it out the design studio’s door… Would love to hear the back story of how that aesthetic mess was approved… I always assumed accountants overruled the painted flares that kit would need to be acceptable (still not great, because the bumper’s “cooling ducts” were horridly rendered too)… Anyway, glad it’s gone and MINI should issue a TSB to colour-match the flares on any cars sold with this IMO.</p>
<p>Jay: I’m sorry but your statement regarding crash testing is incorrect – as it relates to Canadians, of course. This was indeed the case when the GP was released. Canadians were never given the opportunity to purchase this unique run due to the fact that MINI refused to have the body kit of this vehicle tested against Canadian standards. However, the R56 blend of kits is a whole other ball of wax. Most refused to offer it based on a cost principle. I have it on my JCW Clubman and yes, it cost about $4k painted and installed at the end of the day. But in my opinion it is a much more attractive alternative to that of which comes standard with the vehicle.</p>
<p>It creates distinction amongst the everyday Cooper, S, or JCW – in a nice way. It is grossly over priced but looks great.</p>
<p>Now, if they would only offer those amazing chrome tips on the factory JCW and further beef up and widen the exhaust to a healthy, open 3-3.5″ then we’d be set. Woops, sorry for opening another can…</p>
<p>that_guy, the kit was functional–it did increase downforce. Yes, the faux brake ducts were a disappointment, but the GP rear wing and front and side fascia was functional, not cosmetic.</p>
<p>Im not a big fan of how the MINI-Aero kits’ black arches just abruptly stop. Design-wise, what were they thinking?? It looks like a mix and match set. The JCW looks much better simply because it looks cleaner… The larger air dams make it even better.</p>
<p>Any new info on the JCW aero kit factory option? My dealer had no info on this as of this past Saturday regarding pricing or if its even for real. I’m ready order my car now but can’t pull the trigger with this news out there now.</p>
<p>Any Larger Photos I Can Find? Want It As My Desktop.</p>