Newbie here.... Already completed enough research to know 2dr HT 05/06 or at least nothing past Gen II. Question is... S or S JCW or JCW. can an S be brought up to the higher std cars (hp and handling) for less than the extra they cost? Is the premium worth it for the JCW GP's ? Plan is to use the car at 15k miles a year for 2 yrs or less, then drive much less and possibly do some autocross / track days. Want the JCW but wondering if i am better off with S or Non GP version of the JCW. TIA!

 

For gen 2's, my opinion - Yes the S can be brought up to better than JCW stock specs for cheaper than the price difference. A stage 1 tune would probably get you around the same ballpark of power for around $700, and stock JCW shares the same suspension as the S. As a DD a non GP would be more comfortable (relatively speaking) and have more creature comforts available. Gen 2 JCW does have the aerokit and stronger internals for the motor which would help handle more power. not sure how much better relative to S though. The design and exclusivity of the JCW was worth it to me over the S.

 

Thanks! quickly finding out that some that claim to be JCW are not.. so you have the special edition GP's and the like VS the other JCW's that have different rims, big brakes and badging for identifiers with little to no aero or special colors... is there a quantifiable difference between these?

 

Only between the GP and the JCW are there big differences - brakes, engine, suspension tuning, ext/int trim. When it comes to the JCW gen 2 I think from 2009-2011 they didn't come with the aero kit standard, but in 2012+ they did. Base car is the same