My '17 Clubman ALL4 S has about 200 miles on it. I love the car, but regret not going with a manual transmission. As irrational as it sounds, I am considering trading (or selling, speaking of which, let me know if you're interested '17 >15% below MSRP) for a Clubman with a manual transmission.

With the JCW now available, I am thinking that I should consider a JCW, rather than a standard S.

All that in mind, anyone have a JCW Clubman? Or test drive one? I am interested in any insights on the relative character/performance/daily drivability of each.

 

Besides the transmission, the jcw is not much more engine than the S. Tuning the S engine will give you more power than stock jcw.

 

I've heard that- but the added expense and hassle of drivetrain modifications aren't really interesting to me. The fixed suspension, brembros and more robust stock drivetrain are what interest me most.

Does anyone know if the US car gets the JCW-specific seats w/ integrated head rests?

 

The JCW Clubby is a nice piece of kit -- but it's a lot of bucks for brakes you probably don't need and a ride that will loosen your teeth. Unless you really do want the tighter, harsher true MINI feel, which, admittedly, the Clubman S has moved away from.

I am enjoying the 8 speed auto with paddle shifters. The Dinan really enhances the joy of zipping around town and gives plenty of extra oomph on the freeway. Sport Mode is an entirely different experience with the Dinan at +4PSI boost.

I find the 17" wheels without the run flats to be much more pleasant than the larger rims -- even 18's impact ride quality. 19's would look pretty on a Clubby, especially JCW wheels, but the sacrifice for daily driving ride quality must be considered.

I would say that the dynamic damper control on my Clubby S adds plenty of sport tightness to the handling. I use it a lot in Sport Mode.

And I am partial to the posh lounge leather interior -- the sport seats in the lounge format are nice.

I got the JCW steering wheel so I can look at the little John Cooper Works badge when driving and the red stitching and feel all sporty and cool and stuff.

But the JCW is a JCW -- nothin' wrong with that.

 

What are the details for the more robust stock drivetrain in the JCW? As far as adding power, it takes mere seconds to install the piggybacks out there. Have you test driven the manual? Just want to make sure it is worth the premium.

 

I have a JCW Clubman and just did my first 1200 miles on it. The JCW cloth seats with the integrated headrest is standard, the leather/dinamica JCW seats are available, albeit a little pricey, but very nice. I like em.

I consider the JCW engine upgrades to be significant especially with the increased torque thanks to the 4-wheel drive. Besides, you can always tune it also for more power.

I have the manual and the engine is responsive. I really only drive in Sport mode. Interestingly, the BMW published 0-60 time of 6 seconds is the same for the manual and the auto for the JCW.

I have the Sports Suspension with the stock 18"wheels and runflats. I do not find it overly harsh. Suspension is really a personal preference and I don't think the run flats help much. I can say from experience the SS on the JCW Clubman is not as as harsh as the stock suspension on the R52 and R56, likely due to the longer and wider wheelbase.

The JCW Clubman available packages differ from the Clubman. It includes several of the upgrades as stock. I specced out a nice Clubman S All-4 and the JCW came in a couple thousand more. The upgraded suspension, engine, and brakes were worth the premium to me.

 

I've test driven the manual- it's good fun. I miss the engagement. Our other car is a '16 X5M; as much fun as that is, I miss the connection/feedback provided by a smaller more analogue experience.

Besides the obvious differences; revised suspension, brakes, exhaust (with driver controllable flap), sport seats with fixed headrest and JCW body kit... the JCW also comes with auxiliary cooling and different part #s for pistons, injectors, primary and secondary catalytic converters, manual transmission and rear axle drive. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that these parts are more robust than their series counterparts given the application and, in typical BMW metric management, that the JCW is likely underrepresented on paper.

While not really interesting to me, given that the JCW 'motor/trim' is shared across the Mini lineup, I imagine that it's only a matter of time before DINAN et al, produce a piggyback specific to the JCW application that takes advantage of the better cooling, fueling and breathing of the JCW.

 

Thanks for this. I agree that standard features on the JCW make the premium over a well equipped ALL4S quite reasonable. Curious why you didn't go for the 19"?

I find it a bit interesting that that 19" can't be had with the DDC. I'd like DDC, but those 19" look good (I'd run 18" in winter).

 

I've had my JCW since the weekend of Christmas and I LOVE THIS CAR! Currently it's in the shop for a passenger restraint issue (seat sensor) and I've been driving an S loaner for a week. I miss everything about my car. It's night and day difference between the two models. The S brakes feel spongy, it's an automatic vs my stick, it also doesn't have touchscreen and doesn't ride as crisp. As far as my JCW, the Brembo's are awesome and stop the car on a dime, the suspension makes it feel like a hatch and it's not that harsh compared to the previous gen clubby. The torque is awesome as is the sound of the exhaust. I'm currently running 18" NM RSe12 Lights shod with Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4's. I ordered the 19" Course Spokes with the car. Trust me, you won't go wrong trading up.

 

Looks great. Love the color combo! Thanks for the feedback. I assume you ordered- how long was the wait?

Working with my local dealer, expect the 140 miles of depreciation to be painful, but I am pretty sure the JCW is for me. When I trade #s I'll share here in case anyone is curious and/or looking for a near-new S at steep discount.

 

Had to stop somewhere!

The 19's are nice but personally preferred the black 18's with my color combo. Also wanted a little more sidewall.

 

If you do get one, keep in mind the bi-modal exhaust is NOT standard - you need to upgrade to the JCW Pro kit to get that. The JCW exhaust does feature bigger pipes and tips over the Cooper S though.

 

The Pro exhaust won't be available until the Spring and dealers have no idea what the cost will be. I plan to get one if the price isn't too rediculous. The JCW factory exhaust has an electronically controlled flap on the passenger pipe that is closed on a cold start. It then opens between 20-30 seconds. Makes the start up louder.

 

I ordered it in Oct when MINIUSA gave most of the dealer's an allotment of 1 car. It arrived at port in NJ the day after Thanksgiving and the car sat for 4 weeks due to a wheel issue. The VDC had to wait for a replacement rim from Germany since there weren't any 19" in the states.

 

[QUOTE=riSurf;4274788]Looks great. Love the color combo! Thanks for the feedback. I assume you ordered- how long was the wait?

Working with my local dealer, expect the 140 miles of depreciation to be painful, but I am pretty sure the JCW is for me. When I trade #s I'll share here in case anyone is curious and/or looking for a near-new S at steep discount.

Thanks, it's Melting Silver/Chili. I have more pics of it on previous posts.

 

Interesting...So what's the difference between this and the Pro exhaust? On the Hardtop, the flap is the difference. The F56 JCW exhaust is just open.

 

Good question. Perhaps the user/bluetooth (rather driving mode) select-ability? Or different resonators?

 

The Pro exhaust is user operated vs the stock one you cannot control. The Pro is also a less restrictive system and the one side will bypass the muffler when the flap is operated. I know MINI had it at the SEMA show and Todd Pearson had seen it but to what detail did he see it I don't know.

http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazon.../SEMA_9242.jpg

 

That does seem worth the price, JCW seems to be a good value.

 

For around 6 grand you get the bigger turbocharger/tune, Brembos, and the body kit front and rear and scuttles. Plus you get the cool seats and the $500 sport suspension. Not a bad deal at all IMO. And don't tell me it's not much faster than the MCS. I had R56 MCS for 7 years and this R56 JCW is a lot quicker. It wants to downshift right now too.

 

Arent the turbos the same? The S is severely detuned, probably why the JCW comes with an additional radiator. The optional JCW tuning kit gives the S more torque than the JCW according to those who have measured. I didnt say its not much faster, I said its not much more engine.

 

You are correct; turbo is the same. Injectors, catalytic converters (both) and a few other items have different part numbers.

 

Doing a little more homework, the JCW like all the F-Series JCWs comes with the B48, while the Clubman S comes with B46M. Again, they share the same turbo.

B48 was seemingly built for higher boost levels (lower compression, hotter plugs, auxiliary oil cooler and higher pressure injectors). Same motor makes 252hp in the Active Tourer.

 

Funny this thread should appear, as I'am also thinking of upgrading to the JCW now that it's readily available.

I'm in no rush, but before I consider doing any upgrades to my current S ALL4, I'm going to seriously consider negotiating on a new JCW.

 

Turbos are different on the N18 JCW that I have. Pistons and clutch too (I have AT). Maybe they're the same on the F56 though.