Hi all,

I had the chance today to drive the just released factory JCW car. (the "stage II").

Simply put....I'm am thoroughly impressed by it. Here are some of my thoughts about it on my short drive with it:

Exterior: Had the JCW aero kit, was red and black...just like the car in the press photos. Looks great. The new JCW wheels look pretty good for factory wheels I'd say, but I'd still end up wanting aftermarket ones I think. The front brakes are bigger than the normal Cooper S and look great with the red calipers.

Interior: Nothing new here, except for the 160 mph speedo. Oh and the red lettered shift ****. There were some questions a while back as to whether or not it lights up...and the answer is no. The thick JCW alcantara steering wheel is a real joy as well. Feels wonderful.

Performance: This is what really stands out, of course. I just can't get over the power and torque of this car. I thought that my Cooper S always felt pretty quick for what it was. Not anymore. I got back in my car afterward and thought to myself "Nooooooooooooooo! ". The difference in power is quite big.

The drop off in power around 5.5k that we all know in the Cooper S, seems gone. It just keeps pulling. Like the normal S, there is no lag at all in the turbo spool. Floor it and it MOVES. It feels like the engine is much bigger than it is. Whereas the normal S feels like a 1.6L with a turbo....to me at least.

The clutch is apparently beefed up, and it has a slightly stronger feel and engagement compared to my car...felt nice. Now the one thing that I was expecting to hate was the new "eLSD", the electronic limited slip diff. Which is basically a glorified traction control system that mimics the actions of a true mechanical LSD. However, I was pleasantly surprised by it. It felt wonderful...it worked seamlessly. I'd almost go as far to say that it felt better than my factory LSD. Granted, I didn't have the luxury of feeling it on a racetrack, but I did push it pretty hard through a few tight turns. It never once felt like it was hunting back and forth to distribute the power to a wheel. It was impressive. Power delivery did not seem interrupted either.

The other thing that stood out for me was the sound. My Invidia exhaust was much louder and deeper than this JCW exhaust, but the tone that the JCW gives out above 4000 rpm was HEAVENLY. Sounded very aggressive and sporty, yet very refined and "pure". Does anyone know if the exhaust is valved? Because at idle and from 1-4k it sounds pretty much like stock, but above it just really comes to life. Another thing that a lot of people are going to be happy about....the burble is BACK!!!! For any of us that had R53's, we grew to fall in love with our burble. I'm happy to report that the JCW definitely has burble. I think people are going to be very satisfied with this exhaust. The intake sound is pretty nice too, not as loud as an open intake like my DDM or the Alta, but you can definitely hear a little turbo spool.

Handling: I must say, coming from my Cooper S with sport suspension+Mach V springs...the JCW felt horrible. Felt very floaty, lots of body roll, and just a general unsettled feeling. Reminded me of how the R56 felt before I put the stiff Mach V's on it. Just based on my short drive, I'd say that my Mach V Cooper S would easily outhandle the JCW on a roadcourse. The suspension would be the first thing I'd change on this car. Put some Cross c/o's on it, and this car would be unstoppable! Or on a budget, a set of springs would do it a lot of good, just like it did on my car. Like I said though, coming from the stiff springs I have may have made the car feel worse than it was. It would have been a better comparison to drive a stock Cooper S, then the JCW.

The brakes on the car are FANTASTIC. They bite and they bite hard. Apparently they are going to be sold as an option from MINI...depending on price, I'd strongly consider getting a set for my car. They felt impressive.

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Those are the things that stand out in my mind about my drive. Wish I would have snapped some pictures, but I didn't. Also, if anyone has any more burning questions about it, ask I'll try to answer!

For those that have one of these on order...i'm so jealous! You will LOVE it im sure!

 

Thumper I'm delighted to hear your thoughts and have to say am equally delighted and relieved that you loved it! Am going to be putting the JCW suspension on mine so the handling concerns should be sorted. Picking her up tomorrow evening. It still doesn't feel real.

 

You will LOVE it!!!! Congrats man!

 

Thanks! My first brand new car aswell. I think we may drive to California tomorrow night

 

Awesome! My dealer's getting a JCW in in a few days as a show/test car. I'll head down for a test drive and then put together my final config! Woohoo!

 

Thumper, did the JCW have the sport suspension or just the factory setup? Great write up can't wait for mine. Cheers Gman

 

Wow, sounds like a fun little drive! Good for you, and nice write up!

Sounds like all you need to do is put a better suspension in there and maybe aftermarket wheels and tires and you'd have quite a little beast

I think I'll have to stay away from a test drive though ... might be far too tempting (lol).

 

I was confused as to what it had. It did not have the "aftermarket" JCW suspension, just the one from the factory I believe.

I thought they were the same, but infact they are different. From what I understand its still different from the Cooper S suspension, but I'm not sure. I can go look at it again in a little bit. (I work there...)

 

It's pick up time!

 

So excited for you!

Oh and I went and checked on the suspension on the one that I drove...
It did not have the JCW suspension, so it was the same suspension as the Cooper S. Thus explaining why it sucked!

Hopefully the JCW suspension fixes that for you though!

 

Here's a few pics Thump!

 

Mark,now the fun begins...I can remember the first time we spoke,many congrats,enjoy the ride it should be stupid fun....When are you getting the seats done?.....

 

Thanks a lot for all your help through the process Mark it was greatly appreciated both by me and the other half. Seats are scheduled for next month I think. So much to think about and we're doing a road trip to the Keys in 8 weeks so it's a matter of deciding what can wait till we get back and what can't!

 

Oh bye the way,for anyone in So. Cal...Spoke to the GM,Shep Nelson at Alexander Mini..He just got a factory JCW roll out car CR/Black with the JCW aero kit and some factory JCW goodies.He didn't even know it was coming so it's available and on the showroom floor.He called me to see if I wanted it ,but it's a little early for an upgrade and I just got my car to where I like it...Great oppurtunity for somebody who wants a car now...Motor on

 

Mark,I am going to drive the car on Saturday at Alexander,should be interesting...take a look at my gallery,I added the challenge stripes with the JCW logo on them..might be an interesting addition down the line..really happy for you and your lovely,my best wishes and enjoy the ride...again the fun begins now,Cheers

 

Mozza. That is one beautiful MCS. Probably the best I've seen from the factory.

 

Does the license plate not impede airflow to the intercooler?

PS Stunning car! Astro black is the best colour!

 

Nice! Those wheels are awesome. The tires are runflats, right?

 

Yep.

 

Great looking car

 

I just ordered mine. Can't wait.

 

Very nice !!

Good to see you got the correct color as well, we all know AB/AB is quicker then any other (lol).

 

Hi there!

Stunning car!

And glad to hear such positive feedback after reading some not so good opinions...

Do you know the brakes reference nunber by any chance?

 

So hot! Great color

 

drove my dealers JCW Demo today.

5 stars out of 5. It had the stock suspension and I could tell the difference than mine with the JCW suspension. But still, the 09 JCW will not disappoint!