JCW Walkthrough with MINI USA Head of Product (Video)
During last week’s press event, we had the chance to meet with [The Fast Lane Car](http://www.tflcar.com) Chief, Roman Mica. Roman is a really nice guy and obviously a huge car enthusiast, and his Youtube videos are always fun to watch. A few hours ago, The Fast Lane Car published their review of the F56 John Cooper Works. Their key takeaways are similar to MotoringFile’s, but the most interesting bit is the detailed JCW walkthrough with Patrick McKenna, Head of Product at MINI USA.
Here is a clip from the TFLC review, but don’t hesitate to watch the full video.
<p>I noticed they had the aftermarket exhaust on the demo car….. Will this be available for consumers to buy aftermarket?? MINI keeps demoing this car with the aftermarket exhaust on but it’s not available for consumers currently…..</p>
<p>It is actually available.</p>
<p>Fantastic review. Lots if information here to keep me in the JCW hunt. That sound is very contagious. Also, my two or combinations, Chili Red and black as well as Moonwalk Grey with the Chili Red roof. I think the grey will win out. Add some JCW Pro splitters and defuser, paint or wrap the catfish nose in black. And we’re home free.</p>
<p>I have the JCW Coupe with the automatic. Frankly, it is a bit disappointing. The reasons are it actually comes with a regular suspension unless you spend money upgrading (up to another $4k). The pedal control and mapping have a nasty delay and there is no launch control. Now, you spend about $7k more than an S depending on how you equip it. I will probably spend another $4k over what I paid to correct or enhance these problems. That is a lot of money when you have already bought the top of the line model.
This new JCW seems to properly fix all those shortcomings. Like an M or AMG it comes with a proper set up and tuning, not just a few more HP. The value for what you get seems even better. The only thing I would fix is the look of that front end. It really looks like a committee project gone wrong.
Also, Roman talks about the automatic. It is not a bad option, at all. Paddle shifters are terrific and if you are not a great heel-toe track mogul it will solve the problem for you. I have spun off a track with a bad downshift. The automatic is a faster and better rev matched shift and prevents a bad downshift. You then get a car that is easier in heavy traffic like my city. It is worth considering if you want one of these and I would recommend test driving one.</p>