Just some quick observations about living with my new 09 Pepper white MINI JCW.
First some background. My first MINI was a pretty well loaded 04 CR/PW, S with three packages, HK, JCW kit etc. I drove that car for about 15k miles and only sold it because somebody offered me exactly what I paid for the car one year later. Great car, tremendously fun to drive, really missed it.

Second MINI was a carbon copy of the first with the exception of no Works kit. I’d decided that I was really lucky to have escaped tickets with the first car and I didn’t want the added power of the first Works package (it just begged to be driven hard). That car was somehow not as nice as the first one with a couple of persistent rattles in the dash really annoying me. I sold it after one year at a reasonable price.
I drove a couple of different cars in the next three years. My favorite being the BMW X5 that I leased. Six cylinder stick, really nice car. I’m certain that I would not have driven a MINI in my quest for a new car if the woman behind the parts counter at Inskip MINI hadn’t really been so enthusiastic about the R56. Just to humor myself I drove one. Guess what? I loved it!

Now I have my new PW/PW Redwood, JCW MINI! I took delivery this past Thursday and I sure am happy I got talked into a test drive. The new car seems to be a much nicer blend of sport and refinement than the old. I am certain that you drivers that switched to the r56 from the R53 understand what I am saying. It was the sharp suspension and the road noise that I found most wearing in the old cars. It finally drove me away.

Engine; smooth powerful, fun, nice sounds, good mileage (at least for the first 200 miles while I am still trying to take it easy), the most surprising difference in the old and new Works engines is the availability of all that torque way down low. The r56 is much easier to just cruise around with. It doesn’t seem to demand that I hit redline just to have fun. Not that I didn’t like the R53 Works engine, as a matter of fact it was a blast, just that the new engine seems nicer to live with while still providing a real thrill when called on.

Chassis; Big changes here, more refined, quieter, smoother, just all in all much nicer! I really began to hate driving the last R53. It was just too loud and rough. I don’t track the car, I don’t autocross the car, I live in a rough road, New England area where suspension matters a lot. I love the fact that the car is just a bit smoother. It is way mare capable that I am anyway. The car transfers much less noise into the interior too. Awesome chassis, way to go MINI

Interior: New materials are nice, just a little more room for my 6’3” body, adjustable wheel is better, still MINI funky, a little different but very nice. I like it. Best thing so far is no rattles! My last MINI, an 05 rattled on the day I brought it home!

Driving: With just 200 miles on the car it is a little premature to comment on too much but a few things are apparent. It is smooth but poised. It is very happy just driving in traffic yet it will pounce with pleasure at the first hint of throttle. I think the suspension is nearly perfect. The interior is comfortable and in fact a nice place to be. I don’t understand why, but it seems as though the car has less torque steer than the demo S I drove for a couple of hours when I was deciding on the car. Maybe the tires are a different brand? I remember the difference that tire brand had on the R53. It was huge! The Pirelli tires always seemed to follow every crack in the road. Anyway, whether in sport, or not, this car is pretty well behaved in the steering department. The engine as I said makes great sounds and it is sipping fuel so far with a computer calculated 29.8 mpg with lots of idling as I try to get accustomed to all of the new features while reading the owners manual and mostly driving in lots of Newport traffic.

Well I’m off to take a slightly longer ride today and see how it does for a few hours drive with some back roads and highway mixed in.Pics later when we get back.

P/w p/w Rosewood, Convenience, Cold weather, Premium, Sport suspension, Alarm, Chrome line interior, Center armrest, Rear fogs, PDC, Front fogs, Xenon, MINI Hi Fi, Nav, HD, Sat, White turn signal lights.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

congrats and enjoy the new car!!!!

 

Glad you are enjoying it, let see some pics soon! Funny my 06 MCS JCW CE seems so much more refined than my 02MCS and I drove an R56 it certainly didn't have any noticable road noise difference, but tires play a huge role in that dept.

 

CONGRATULATIONS on the new JCW!!! Have Fun...

 

Nothing better than a great write-up from an informed source. Thanx for sharing. Can't wait for a few days when I pick mine up.

 

If you don't already know, the factory JCW cars come with ESD instead of the standard mechanical LSD available on the regular MCS which was reportedly used to further decrease if not eliminate the torque steer found on the regular MCS. Glad to see there really is a noticeable difference.

 

Congrats!

 

I'm aware of the electronic control for wheel spin. What I am referring to is the torque steer that happens with strong acceleration in a lower gear that does not engage any kind of dsc/dtc. Just a sudden sharp pull of the wheel in your hands when you hit it in first or second. Not hard enough to break wheels free just accelerate hard. Felt it repeatedly in the 08 S. Have yet to feel anything like it in the JCW. Perhaps a different brand of tire? Or maybe the tire pressure was off in the 08? Just something I noticed about the car. Even my wife felt it and remarked that it felt different when she drove it. I even wondered if it was a function of the new steering rack design. No idea really, it just was apparent. I have yet to really hammer the 09 so i can't comment on the function of the "ESD". Are you aware that you need to turn dsc / dtc off to engage the "ESD" function? That will have to wait until the car is good and broken in.
Cheers,
bba

 

BBA, our cars must have come in on the same boat and truck as I picked mine up from Inskip yesterday. Enjoy!

 

Greystone,
Yours is the black one? I'm certain you'll love it! Nice.
bba

 

Do you happen to have the Sport Suspension option? If so, is that the way to go? I was at my local (100+ miles away) dealership today hoping to test drive a JCW with no luck, but I am in the process of configuring a 2009 JCW and I'm debating on the Sport Suspension. This will be my third MINI since 2003, so I guess you can call me MINIac. My dealership quoted me a better than average deal (in my opinion) on a trade-in, so I think I will take them up on it.

MsBrit

 

In the end I ended up ordering the car with the sport suspension option. I'm not sure why I did, but I think it is fine. My understanding is that the only change is in the roll bar diameter. I'm happy anyway!
cheers,
BB