So, myself and the JCW stop by the wifes work, she has a Clubman (dog hauler) and one of her very well off customers pulls up in her drop top S. She then proceeds to say we should line our cars up in order, the S being first in line to which I laughed: "no, no, no, JCW is first hands down!"

She gave me sort of a smug look through her gigantic designer sunglasses and said: "I have an S, do you know what the "S" stands for for?"

I said: "Yeah, SLOW."

I love my car.

 

I "think" the S used to signify the "Supercharged" Cooper. Now it's a carry over for names sake......I think.......I'm just stabbing in the dark.....

 

That customer isn't too bright.

 

Well I doubt the S really stands for anything, other than to distinguish itself from the base model... but given the plethora of S models now, I'd think the S would/should stand for "Sport" model.

GotMINI

 

Actually, I don't think the S stands for anything....or at best there are several opinions as to what it means. Suffice it to say the Mini Cooper S was the up-rated and tuned version of the Mini, and thanks to Mini's prowess in racing, the Mini Cooper S is a legendary name...it carries a certain mystique...and that carries over to the MINI. S does not stand for "supercharged" although I have seen period literature that says "super."

I do lament MINI's obsession with the performance aspects of the new MINI...I think this is totally bogus. MINIs have just as rightful a heritage as a superbly capable commuter car as it does in it's higher hp versions. It is about fun, engaged motoring. If the "go-fast" crowd want to get into all that fine....but a MINI is still a Mini and in this world, raw speed is not the primary factor. That said....MINI has done all it can to fuel the fire, so what the heck, go for it!!! I'll still proudly motor in my (quite capable) Cooper....which is also a tuned version come to think of it!!!

 

Historically, the "S" does not stand for anything; it was to differentiate John cooper's tuning options on the original Mini. Many people have surmised it stood for Super or Sport because it seemed to require an initial for something. Speaking of "S", Harry Truman added an "S" as a middle initial, because people thought it strange that a politician had only a first and last name. His new middle initial didn't stand for anything either.

 

Having read several books on Mini, all are right, the S is just an S, not super, not sport, etc. As we know, it is a tuned version of a standard Cooper, and a JCW is just a tuned version of an S.

I do not know if I would have said slow to her, as the S is a nice car and she obviously has a lot of pride in her car. She is just uninformed. No need for Mini on Mini hatred. I would have tried to politely explain to her that you have a upgraded version of the S, and that while they are similar there are performances differences, including ECU tuning.

In addition, many tuned S's will handedly blow away many 09 JCWs on the road or track. For example, I would rather have a R56S with JCW stage one package, JCW brakes and suspension, vs. base 09 JCW that comes with S brakes, suspension, and air intake. That said, all things equal, the 09+ fully loaded JCW will outrun a fully loaded S (including JCW packages) from the factory, but not by much. This is well documented by various outlets.

Make no mistakes though, if someone wants a Mini faster than an 09 JCW, it could easily be done and has been. There are countless 300+ HP kits for the S available from a number of European outlets that will make the 09 JCW look like it is standing still. So while it is good to have pride in your ride, someone will always have a faster version and we should appreciate the uniqueness of each Mini without putting down another.

 

ImCBParker ~
almost sounds like you are doing the same thing he did??
good thing we are really nuts about our mini's

 

yeah that's funny.

 

Obviously, that was not the intent. I would not want to deal with the headaches associated with having a 300+ HP Mini. The point is, most Mini owners love their car, and who is anyone to knock another because of what they feel is a better car? There is always a better car, always.

If I had the luxury of time to order a fully loaded 09 JCW (previous car totaled by another driver) I would have, but I am happy with my fully loaded MCS with all the JCW trimmings, and then some.

 

Not so fast. The brakes are far from the S brakes and while the intake box looks the same, the piping is not. I doubt that you would see any gains on the '09 JCW by swapping in the stage 1 air box. The factory intake on my '07 S I traded definitely didn't sound like the '09 JCW (turbo whine and blow off are actually audible on the JCW).

People keep ranting about the JCW not being a value. Have they priced forged internals, the ECU tune, a stronger tranaxle, stronger axles, the exhaust, the brakes (the dealer intalled JCW brakes $1,999), the turbo upgrade, DTC ($500), E-LSD (standard LSD $500), Anthracite headliner ($250), piano black panels ($250), JCW door sills ($47), and the badging.

Even if you use the cost of the JCW stage 1 kit as an estimate for the tuning and exhuast, you're still over $5,000 without the cost of the turbo upgrade, the driveline, and the beefed up bottom end of the engine. Sure you could go aftermarket for less, but it still won't be a JCW and good luck with your warranty.

I may be in the minority who thinks the JCW is a good deal and that's fine. I won't shed a tear if they add things to the '10 models. I love my car and that's all that's important.

 

lol id have done just the same. And I usually tell people thats what my S stands for lol... Granted they are usually car guys, with cars thatll blow my doors off..

 

ImCBParker~
I know, I was just making the comment, I guess when I hear the catch phrase "That being said" always sounds like someone just got told off I love these cars right now I have a 08 MCS I bought used because when I test drove the cars they were both very quick! and with so many options I sure didn't want to order one, and then go " if I would have only added ?" so I figured if I had one for a while I would know more about what I liked I really think they are ALL great cars no matter what year or model They are a ton of fun, and everyone seems to have very good reasons for getting one or the other models.
Oh and I for sure agree with there is always someone faster! just depends on what day they race.
I could tell that you were just trying to explain that, I am just going just going nuts waiting on mine to get on a dang blaine boat

 

are we all waiting on a boat?

 

If you have the S with the sports package, the brakes are the same. They are also the same as the R53 JCW, so they are good brakes to begin with. I prefer the JCW Brembos. I totally agree with you regarding the piping on the air filter, no argument there. My point was the CAI is the same, not piping. There are lots of reasons it would not have sounded the same (ECU tuning is different, larger turbo on 09, etc).

No one is arguing value of the package, I am not sure where that is coming from. That is simple, you either think it is or is not a value. I believe it is. Again, if I had the luxury of time when I bought mine in the fall, I too would have a fully loaded 09 JCW. The only ones (two total in state) available to me on the lot were all lacking big features I wanted.

Atomic S, good luck with yours. I am sure you will love it.

 

the whole point of my post was to be funny..."S"..."Slow," hahaha.

 

Completely understand, but if you actually did say slow to her, I am sure you could see where that might have been seen as a put down for not only her car, which hopefully she worked hard to pay for (or in this case perhaps her dad), or other S drivers. I get it, I have a sense of humor, and if we were talking about a Corolla S, it would apply, but need to knock S Mini's, or even basic coopers. Not judging at all I just think of Mini owners more as a community than other car brands. Unfortunately, we cannot help who buys these great cars.

 

My wife owns a basic clubman, she laughed at it.

 

Yes, for $2K plus installation (unless you do it yourself) you can have have the same 12.4" Brembo brakes as the factory car. I've just seen a lot of factory JCW bashing lately and it's annoying. People target parts of the car that they think are inferior or "no better than the S" and miss just how much is included.

That said, I would have a healthy respect for a S with all the JCW goodies. I was going to go this route with my old S, before I bought my '09 JCW.

So, no targeted anger or anything, just venting a bit.

 

Oh, and based solely on personal opinion and no facts whatsoever, I think the stage 1 intake was thrown in to add to the sense of value to the system. By changing the filter design and putting the JCW badge on it, they made something that people could point under their hoods and say "look I have the JCW kit". I don't think that either filter is really any better than the other. The factory car needs some under hood flair to show off as well.

Again, just my opinion with no facts to back it up.

 

While one could argue the value of total gains, but the facts will show there is a difference between flat and cone filters. However, most of the gain with the JCW package, is the total package, ECU, filter, and exhaust, with the tuning being the important aspect. I would hope they do not just get the filter and proclaim ownership of a JCW kit. Before last fall, this was the only way to have an Mini JCW, regardless of what you call it.

PS, I know there is not targeted anger, or hope so anyways. Just a healthy discussion.

 

I think I would like to have the JCW airbox with the cone filter and most importantly the badge just for that distinction from the S regardless of filter performance (and I do like cone filters over panel ones). I'm sure the engineers looked both systems over before making their decision on what to put in the factory car (they could have thrown a badge in at least).

 

S=SEXY

 

I think if you spend the money on it, you should at least get the badges. Not that you show your engine off, but still!

 

Doesn't the stage 1 kit come with a certificate like Ford's SVT vehicles? I had one with my '02 Lightning. The '03 Cobra had an engine plate with the builders signatures. That's where I think Mini dropped the ball. It's the little things that make the car really special.