Well, I'm new to Mini scene, not the car scene. I've had a 2006 STI in the past and currently own a 2009 Subaru STI, somewhat modified

I'm looking to get into a MCS Countryman All4 (once you go AWD, you won't go back ). Reason I'm trying to get this Mini is because of it's handling characteristics, capabilities of being able to be a lightweight, and the power potential for a daily driver (for the size of the engine). So this will be my daily driver and my STI will be my weekend warrior vehicle. As of right now my STI is actually lighter (3140 lbs) than the manual trans Countryman... and much more work is planned to make it lighter and faster (tuned at a calm 310 WHP/ 350 WTQ), so it just won't be practical as a DD with my future build plans.

I plan on getting the steptronic, but I'm unsure of the capabilities of it as far as performance goes. I'm not looking for hardcore racing response. But I'd like to be able to push it a little hard, at times, for fun. Any input there?

Any input as far as options, or what I should or shouldn't get? Right now all I really want to get are as followed:
- Pure red exterior
- White roof/ mirrors
-Steptronic
- Maint package
- JCW aero kit
- Comfort Access System
- Auto Dimming Mirror
Only other thing I'm kind of considering is the Leather seats with the Pure Red Cloth and the Pure Red door panel.

I've heard some rumors about a JCW version coming out later this year or sometime early next year, anyone have any word on that? Also, would that model come with the steptronic?

Adam

 

Not to familiar with the countryman but I know the all factory JCW MINIs come only with a 6 speed manual. So i doubt the countryman JCW will come with have any variation of a "flappy paddle gear box" if that answers your question

 

That does help, thanks.

I kind of figured, that; like the Impreza WRX STI only comes with a 6 speed too, no auto. STI is like the JCW of the Subaru.

Depending on what I can find out about the engine differences between the S model and the JCW model will help too. If there aren't a ton of differences other than a factory tune and say, different exhaust/intake parts, I can always just upgrade that myself. If the pistons, rods, crank, valves and all that are different.... then yeah... maybe I'll just have to rethink the power route.

Haha, kind of going and going here.. thinking via tying. Nice thing is I'll be able to do most of the work myself, but I'm not trying to make this car a race a machine, just a bit quicker than a standard JCW model. I am aiming to try and keep the Automatic trans though. I have the STI to be fast on the track

 

You should be able to duplicate or beat anything JCW has to offer, performance wise. The biggest difference will be in the warranty. JCW carries the complete factory warranty, while aftermarket upgrades will likely buy you some trouble with the dealer should warranty work be needed.
Sounds like you are no "newb" when it comes to mods, so let your conscience (and wallet) be your guide.
(And no, JCW does not go into engine internals. Exterior bolt-ons only).

 

Ah, very well, thanks for clearing that up a bit.

So is it safe to assume the factory tune is just better on the JCW models as well the exhaust parts are most likely more free flowing than the other models, hence the higher power output?

If that's the case, than I'd rather just get Cooper S CM All4 model and do the rest myself and not worry about the JCW coming out.

Now this is just a bonus question for myself, having hard time finding this, because I'm not really sure where to look for it. What is the stock engine capable of power wise? I've seen a few things where the stock engine on JCW have gotten up to 250 WHP/300 WTQ, is it also safe to assume the internals are the same from the S to the JCW engines?

Thanks for all the input and help so far, I really appreciate it!

 

First, answering your question, the factory gen 2 JCW's do it by a slightly beefier turbo, offset by dropping the compression ratio slightly. Most believe the engine internals are the same beyond the compression ratio, particularly as it relates to forged or non forged parts. In Europe the exhaust manifold is upgraded, but in the US the S's come with the tweaked manifold. The intake tube to the turbo is also a hard plastic. On the exhaust side, it has a bigger resonator in the center, and deletes the second cat. Unclear what is going on inside the cans, but it is definitely a more robust sounding exhaust too. Finally, the ECU is tweaked to match, including allowing higher absolute pressure overall. May be missing a few details, but that's close.

The big caution is that 2011's have locked down ECU's for all the S's. That is now fully fleshed out on some prior R56 board posts. To reprogram them requires full removal of the ECU from the car and obvious tampering opening the case and connecting pins. As in, kiss the warranty goodbye in big neon lights. The top notch Alta tuning device does not work on 2011's so far, other than the JCW which hasn't yet converted to the now fully variable (intake and exhaust) valve timing motors (but presumably will) in the 2011 S's. Since all CM's are 2011 by definition and since I don't sell any tuning products, I can speculate that it may ultimately be a no-go to tune a 2011 S at the ECU level in a transparent off the shelf way. In my own calculus, I am thus weighing buying up to a current year JCW, or a 2010 or older R57 S (convertible) vs. a CM S or All4 (I know, petty different--wife's car), but figuring the new gen S motors may not be tunable any more in a practical way at the ECU level. That would leave only intake, exhaust and maybe turbo change outs, barring esoteric invasive ECU hacker stuff. If so, the only performance step up would be a factory JCW CM to come. And if I were MINI/BMW, I would be trying to segment the market exactly that way, and cut off all heavy duty mods, especially via the ECU, except those I sold as the manufacturer. Business debates aside, factor in the unknown current upgrade path for 2011 S ECU's as part of your ultimate decision.

 

Thanks for that information, definitely helped a lot.

Didn't realize the tuning community isn't as big as other vehicles, considering how long Mini has been around. I would have thought tuners and aftermarket performance vendors would have been all over this car. Or at least like ECU-Tek or Cobb Tuning; or any other major tuning brands. Hopefully something will pop up, it will be nice to be able to throw this car on a dyno and pull some solid numbers out of with some nice aftermarket mods.

At least for now I know not to expect too much as far as aftermarket performance goes. Maybe I'll wait it out for a few months and see where everything lands.

Again, thanks for all the input so far, you all have been great. Definitely one the best forums I've been a part of as of yet.

 

(note by the way a few edits to my earlier post after you copied it; corrected where I said FSI (direct injection); I meant variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust; that was the biggest change to the 2011 S's (but not JCW's); S's and JCW's have been direct injection for all gen 2's.)

If you are from the STi world, actually take a look at the Alta Access Port. You will immediately recognize the Cobb overlap. Thus they are active there. There are a variety of suppliers on both intake and exhaust sides, but at the core ECU level, the various prior ones seem to have fallen away in favor of the Alta product, and the leading independent tuner from posts I see seems to have gone that way too, now doing custom tunes on top of their platform. I have never drilled into tweaked motor internals (rods, cams, piston change outs, etc.) if you want to go that deep, though do see some occasional references. More so on the older R53 though.