Video Tests – XCAR Gets Behind the Wheel of the New MINI JCW
The UK media got their first taste of the new JCW this week and the reviews are starting to trickle in. In this review we have XCAR (quickly becoming one of our favorite Youtube based automotive channels) has gotten behind the wheel of the new 2015 JCW and found a lot to like.
Note – while we had some initial experiences in the new JCW, we’ll be testing the car much more thoroughly in July.
<p>Ok, I’m impressed with the numbers. However the F56 is still fugly… a rolling arcade of distraction. Minis lost their design direction which is a shame. Always having a soft spot for the recently killed Roadster I decided to do something about it. I found a really nice just broken in JCW Roadster with plenty of options included. And with the news that the concept car replacement for the Roadster has been killed as well I’m really happy I pulled the trigger…</p>
<p>Great looking car Hugh.</p>
<p>So the JCW has come up to GTI levels.</p>
<p>Congrats on the new ride Hugh. I really liked and wanted a roadster too, but we like to travel with our dogs so we really couldn’t justify it. And because of that, I have an F56 JCW on order.</p>
<p>I completely disagree with your fugly comment, but to each their own. There are bits of it that I do not like, but as I have said before, I want to drive the car, not look at it.</p>
<p>As someone who loves design as well as performance I can’t agree with that statement.</p>
<p>Not really sure what you are disagreeing with here. I simply formed an opinion, not really a statement.</p>
<p>I am not saying that design is not important to me, I am saying that to me the car is not fugly. If you think so, you are entitled to that. As I said, to each their own.</p>
<p>There are parts of the F56 design I don’t like, but are those small items enough to stop me from buying a car that promises to be a hell of a lot of fun, no. If I chose not to buy a car because of a few simple things appearance-wise that I do not like, I would not own a car. One of the things I love about minis is the design, and the evolution of it. Not all of the evolution of it, but a lot of it.</p>
<p>Yes badly worded on my part. When I look at the cars I have owned over last 25 years or so there are certainly details in all that were not to my liking. There are some cars that are not beautiful, like my 00 M-Coupe, that somehow still have enough character and performance to seal the deal. In case of the F56 I find the proportions due to the longer nose so offputting that I can’t call that character. To me it’s simply impossible to overlook.</p>
<p>I have always needed to make trade offs on small things with the cars I have owned over the years. The front overhand and big tail lights I can deal with. Even the black strip on the front is not so bad when on a dark colored car. Unfortunately, the reasoning for that larger overhang is here to stay so not much can be done about that.</p>
<p>I had placed my order on the JCW somewhat blindly, but because it was a manual I could always back out. I did get to drive one of the automatics a few weeks ago and came away knowing that I made the right choice. It is a really fun car to drive, and that made those nagging issues disappear for me.</p>
<p>Personally I’m loving everything about the JCW and the F56 in general. Not a fan of the F55. That’s just me though.
I was hoping the new cockpit chrono package would have been an available option upon release of the JCW.</p>
<p>I thought it was. It was on the list when I ordered mine, but I did not want it. While two of the gauges I see as nice and useful, the stopwatch should have been something else in my opinion.</p>
<p>Just put my order in for a 2016 JCW Rebel Green / Red with a stick. I like my 2009 JCW a lot, but I drove the new F56 JCW w/ auto transmission, and IMHO it is really nice and a step up from what I have. Didn’t love the looks initially, but have grown to like them, especially the quality of the interior materials. I’ve put so much work into my 2009, that I’m just going to keep it, too.</p>
<p>I don’t have a JCW, but my ’15 F56S with the Sports Auto has been a blast to drive. And before I bought this car, I was a diehard manual tranny fan.</p>
<p>I almost pulled the trigger on the automatic. It was extremely fun to drive. Much better than the last MINI I drove with an automatic. Of course that was an old CVT years ago, but that ruined me on automatics.</p>