Just curious,

Were you blown away with the new performance?
Is it a night and day difference?
Does it pull like a freight train like some people say?
Is the exhaust sound that much different?

Thanks for sharing,
Greg

 

Yes, its insanely fast. I was surprised at the difference. I'm wondering why I didn't do it sooner.

 

Completely worth the upgrade. There will be people who will say very negative things about the JCW, stating you can get the same result for a lot cheaper with aftermarket. That's just not true. The car is very quick. You get the standard JCW aero kit which looks great, upgraded JCW brembo brakes that are amazing, bigger turbo, upgraded exhaust which is the perfect sounding exhaust. From an engine and mechanics standpoint not much else needs to be done. MINI has done a great job. The suspension could be upgraded without being an option though. It's softer than my 2003 but still good. My upgraded rear sway helps with that a little.

 

Pull like a freight train? LOL, maybe a toy one. I had an 03 Cobra before my first MINI, and it dyno'd at 486rwhp/487rwtq, and IT pulled like a freight train.

Still though, it does feel peppier than a stock S, but an S with an Alta AP will still pull harder...trust me, I drive an Alta Tuned S and my JCW weekly. BUT, if I get an AP for the JCW it'll be that much more powerful.

Is it worth the extra money though? YES YES YES....the details, the brakes are awesome, the body kit, etc....IMO it makes it the best MINI you can buy...and you get the prestige of knowing it's not just "another MINI". ;-) Would I do it again? YES in a heartbeat. Do I have complaints? A few...like no JCW Suspension for my R59...but alas, I'll live, haha.

If you want a car that runs better than the S, and still covered by the warranty, and knowing that you'll get that much more of an improvement from any mod you end up doing after the fact....yes, the JCW is your car. If you want a powerhouse....get something with a V8, LOL.

 

Thanks everyone, I feel like I made the right choice now

 

In July I traded my '04 MCS for an '09 JCW. What converted me was meeting with about 30 other MINI owners in June when we met for the grand opening of the new local dealership. I spoke to a couple of JCW owners and they told me how there was a big difference between the S and the JCW. I didn't really believe them till later that day when we were on the road and I was behind a JCW. He took off so fast, I was blown away. I tried that with my MCS and even with a 17% Alta pulley didn't come close. When I test drove my JCW I was amazed at the difference. I could never go back to just an MCS.

 

Thanks geco, that makes me feel really good'

 

Could not agree more. I went from a 2003 MCS to this 2012 JCW and I could not go back. In 5 or 6 years I am sure I will replace this with another JCW.

 

I went from an 05 MCS to an 09 JCW. My next MINI will have to be a JCW or bust. I could never go back. You won't regret it.

 

1. The Brembo breaks are awesome
2. I had a 2011 MCS with the N18 - it was pretty quick - but not as quick as the stock JCW
3. My JCW is a rocket ship with the tune from the Accessport -order the Accessport now - best $900 you will ever spend
4. Buy the 22MM solid sway bar - and install it on the soft setting - no more under steer - and far less torque steer - I put the Alta sway bar on - sweet!
5. Ditch the run flats immediately

 

Why did I buy a MCS in the 1st place?

 

I see a lot of comparisons of people going from an R53 to an R56. A lot of the added power and torque comes from the change from supercharger to turbo. I've only owed 2 R56's so I can't comment on the R53's but with my access port and suspension mods I am very happy with my "justa" R56S. I'd put it up against any stock JCW out there.

 

I think everyone here would still be happy with an S. No ones trying to bash non-JCW's. That said, put a tune on the JCW and it's only that much better, too, with more robust internals to boot. My sis-in-law/co-worker/car-pool-buddy has a 2012 R56S and it's a fine car. There is a noticeable difference when driving both, however; and the N18 engine is a nice improvement and closed the gap between the two a little bit.

 

When I was in the market for my MINI I couldn't decide between the R53 or the R56.

First MINI I test drive was a 2011 MCS. Loved it!

Test drove a 2005 MCS that was hammered out at some shady used car dealer. If that had been my first test drive of a MINI I would have stopped looking at MINI's

I then Drove a 2006 MCS JCW. It was nice. I checked the engine bay and it had the JCW logo on the air box and all the other correct areas. It has the JCW exhaust tips as well. Had 50k miles on it and was very clean. I ran the VIN and of course the MINI dealer could not confirm what JCW parts had been added to the car. I noticed it didn't have the red calipers and big brake rotors. It ran much stronger than the 2005 I test drove and if it was black I would probably have made an offer. Loved the supercharger whine, but it still was not as fast as the 2011 MCS

I then test drove a 2009 MCS with 30k and it was faster than the JCW R53 but a slower than the 2011 MCS.

I knew I would want to tune my MCS so I actually found a 2010 MCS and with the alta AP it gets up and goes pretty quick. The stock 2011+ MCS models are quicker than the 2007-2010 models.

I would love to have a JCW with a tune!!!

 

i would get the jcw kit for the S. i had a r53 JCW and up graded to the r56MCS with jcw tuning kit. the r56 had more power down low and up high but didn't feel way faster, just a bit more all round.
my friend has a 2009 JCW and we have driven each others cars before and his dosen't really feel any faster than my S JCW. from the lights, whoever gets a better launch wins and in gear his very slowly walks mine, takes about 2 gears to get a car in front.
now i have an rmw tune and i beat him very easily in gear and from the lights. i know if he gets the same tune on his he will beat me by a lot though.

 

I think the one thing that a lot of people here are missing who compare their tuned MCS to a JCW is that there is more to the JCW than just the engine performance. Although it will not show up in a drag race (not sure why so many people are focused on just straight line acceleration in a MINI anyway), the JCW brakes are a huge upgrade, especially if you want to do any track driving. Sure, you could probably get an MCS tuned, upgrade the brakes and put on an exhaust and be on the same level or maybe even slightly ahead of a stock JCW for the same price.

But, and this is just my opinion, the JCW bodykit makes the car look so much better, the black headliner & darker gauge faces gives the interior a sportier feel, and having upgraded internals and a lower compression ratio is better to support higher boost levels if tuning. All that plus the fact that there are just a lot less JCWs out there and it's more unique is worth it to me. I had a 2009 JCW and my 2013 JCW will be here in a couple weeks, so I voted with my wallet... twice.. that it's worth it.

Both times I drove the MCS, the N14 in 2009 and the N18 this year, and while they are awesome cars which I would have in no way regretted getting, if the extra cost isn't a huge factor for you financially, the JCW is a great way to go. Heck I even think the standard MINI is a blast to drive as a momentum car if I were on a tighter budget. They're fantastic cars out of the box and the options to customize and personalize them, along with the owner community are just fantastic.

 

i totally agree with you. I was saying though that if you have a S you could crack open the JCW catalog and do your car up with all the JCW parts and you wouldn't be that far off a new JCW, instead of selling your S and getting a new JCW. but im not sure of the costs of both and which would end up being better in the long run on the wallet though.

 

Here is my thoughts:

 

It is still far different then a JCW due to the tune and also the turbo is different.Once you add the $9000 it would cost you to upgrade your parts to JCW, he could buy a car similar to his with a factory JCW option he would only have an extra $6000 into it and the overall car is better, body kit, turbo, intake, brakes, etc. I see what you are saying, but if you just want to keep your car and get more power, look to get it tuned when that is possible and have it tuned. This will save you a ton of $ and it will make your MCS scream.

 

By reading the comments, I'm not sure if everybody understands this: an S with JCW parts is NOT the same thing as a factory JCW. All of the add-on JCW parts are all external. Engine internals don't get changed.

When MINI did the factory JCW starting in 2009, it got stronger pistons, a bigger turbo, a stronger head and uprated gearbox and clutch. The boost level went from 13psi for the S to 19psi for the JCW. MINI uprated the internal parts because, I assume, they used up some of the safety factor on the S engine. Going from 172hp to 208hp would probably have caused them to miss their longevity goals with the factory JCW. The JCW add-on parts will get you to comparable power numbers, but you might be sacrificing a bit of durability. And, if any issues were to pop up, the warranty will have probably expired long before.