I’ve been wanting a Mini for quite awhile and now is the time to put the order in. I’m hoping the forum can give me some much needed advice as I navigate this purchase. What are the pros and cons of a MCS vs a JCW? I recently drove the MCS back to back against the JCW. I really liked the power of the JCW but the ride was way to rough. The MCS was nice and had some get up and go to it. The salesperson said I could add the JCW tune package to the MCS and from what I see on the configurator, I can order DDC on either car but don’t know much about it.

About my driving needs/style - mostly weekend car with an occasional road trip. I don’t want to take it to a track. I like spirited driving on curvy mountain roads

Anyone out here have a MCS with the tune or JCW with DDC that can provide a review?

 

Welcome to the World of MINI! They are very special cars, however configured, IMHO.

There are easy and cost-effective ways to get a bit more boost, and thus, more power, from a B48 engine in an S. JB, Dinan, NM Engineering, Race Chip, all offer plug and play modules that increase turbo boost and increase available power within safe limits.

A big consideration also is trim/appearance. The JCW look and equipment appeals to many, as does the firmer JCW ride and driving dynamic.

I almost pulled the trigger on the new 300 hp Clubman JCW, but, in the end, went with the S All4 again and have no regrets. I just plugged my Dinan Sport module in and the car has come alive. The Clubman has become our go-to, daily driver.

My first MINI was a 3rd Gen Clubman S All4, which was such an enjoyable car that when the lease ended, we ordered another one. We've never done that back-to-back before. I think that says something about what happens when MINI gets into your life.

Run flat tires contribute to the hard ride. Many eliminate the run flats and find they enjoy the handling and road manners more with conventional rubber.

Dynamic dampers are an on/off proposition. When ordering, pay close attention to the suspension configuration options. The Sport suspension is firmer,with or without dampers.

The MINIUSA online configuration tool is a good start but is not always accurate these days. After you play with permutations on line, visit a dealer who knows the ins and outs and is willing to spend time with you going through all of the option codes and various configuration choices. Options can get pricey, but are often worth the indulgence, in my experience. I loaded my MINIs and am glad.

For now, automatics are the only options, with manual gearboxes supposed to be returning in spring of 2020 -- at least that's the latest word. The automatics are great transmissions, especially with paddle shifting, in my experience.

MINI is evolving -- it is trying to occupy a premium niche that's difficult to define. The cars are definitely more "BMWish" than they used to be. Not a bad thing, but some people sense the evolution as a negative trend. I enjoy the improving refinement. Our 2020 MINI is a better car than our 2017 was, and our 2017 was a great, issue-free car.

And finally, there are deals and incentives to be had on these cars, but not super-steep discounting. And a custom ordered car should be negotiated aggressively if that matters to you -- don't let a dealer tell you "no discounts on special orders."

Best of luck. Be sure to post your final build decision. This community is always interested in helping another motorer join the fold.

 

I just bought an MCS with DDC and the JCW tuning package. I’m new to these cars so I’m sure someone with more experience can offer more advice.

I would go with whichever you can get a better deal on unless you really want a JCW. I’m assuming if you are building a car to spec there won’t be much of a deal on either car? I would keep in mind adding a bunch of options to the JCW won’t necessarily increase the resale value when the time comes. Also, adding a bunch of JCW parts to an MCS will not increase resale value much either.

Will they offer you the JCW tuning package for a good price? You could always order it online and have the dealer install. JCW brakes will be slightly more expensive to service over the life of the car.

Back to the fun part as it relates to your question. Since the car is not a daily and is a weekend canyon/road trip car you have to decide what’s more important comfort or handling. The DDC is great in the comfort department but I find it to be lacking when it comes to canyon driving. It sounds like you’ve opted for comfort which makes sense if road trips will be the cars primary purpose. I would just try to test drive both cars on a proper windy road if possible before buying.

I find the one thing my MCS is not lacking is power. Comfort is also great! I will be looking to swap out my DDC suspension altogether but my guess would be just adding camber plates and an LSD would alleviate much of my handling woes with the DDC suspension.

 

My last two Mini were both configured with the DDC and the JCW tune. I would highly recommend that set up.

Before I ordered my 2019, I wanted to do a back to back test with my 2015 (JCW tuned DDC equipped car) and a new 2018 JCW the dealership had on their lot. I thought I may go with the JCW for our next Mini if the car performed better than my 2015. Salesman accompanied me in the 2018 JCW.

We ran a route with turns and straight aways that allowed me to push the car and check it's performance. I wasn't all that impressed having spent a lot of time in my 2015 MCS. The JCW didn't feel any quicker or more responsive. In fact it felt slower and less responsive than my 2015. Bear in mine we were driving on city streets some back roads and a 4 lane with traffic. Not an autox course or a track. where you can run the cars on the bleeding edge.

We got back to the dealership and the salesman asked what I thought. I said I wasn't that impressed and asked if he would care to take a ride in my 2015 and do the same course we just finished. He said sure. Immediately, my car felt more alive (as the torque produced by the JCW tune is greater and comes in at lower RPM's than the real JCW). So we ran the same course as the JCW and during that run, the salesman commented that my 2015 felt faster than the new JCW. He asked if I had installed a power module to my car on top of the JCW tune. I had not. The only other modification I did to my car was add a set of Enkei wheels and Conti non-run flat tires (this shed 32 lbs of unsprung wheel weight.and added to the car's liveliness). FWIW, if you shed that much wheel weight you will net approx 10 more WHP).

When we got back to the dealership, he said to me and in front of the sales manager that my car felt quicker than their JCW. I told them, that if my car performed like their new JCW and their new JCW, performed like my car, I would seriously consider trading up for the added performance. That's a true story and and an accurate representation of how the two cars stacked up. I could say perhaps I was biased, but the salesman, who is trying to sell me up into a JCW confirmed my observations.

The full on JCW is going to be a better track car, but IMO, the better street car for fun and peppy performance is the MCS w/ the JCW tune. The DDC softens the ride and allows you to configure the ride stiffness or softness without affecting the throttle response. In case you care, the wheels I added to my 2015 and are now residing on my 2019 are these:

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...!&gclsrc=aw.ds

Hope this helps

BTW if you like the JCW look, you can customize an MCS to "ape" a JCW.

Some Dyno numbers JCW vs. MCS w/ JCW tune

http://www.motoringfun.com/2015/11/0...cw-tuning-kit/

Something interesting to read regarding unsprung/rotational weight on a car. This is a Tesla, but read though the article to understand the effect wheel weight adds to or removes form a car's performance:

https://insideevs.com/news/382369/eb...a-range-15-mi/

 

Something else to keep in mind is that right now, you can only get automatic transmissions (not 'til March production will you again be able to order a manual). So with that in mind, it's important to note that the JCW and Cooper S have different types of automatic transmissions, with the former having the 8-speed Aisin torque converter automatic, and the latter having the new 7-speed Getrag dual-clutch automatic. Since the DCT is so new, I'm not sure there's much info on how well it responds to power upgrades, including how much additional power it can handle (not sure if aftermarket tunes are even available yet for that engine/transmission combo).

 

I special ordered a 2019 MCS with DDC and have ditched the DDC for Koni Special Active Shocks & Struts because I found the DDC to be to stiff even in the mid setting. I will be doing a write up in the next few days about what it took to do this. My advice is to try and test drive a Mini MCS without sport suspension or DDC and see which suspension you like the best. Also wheel size will make a difference in ride quality. I have 17 inch wheels which I think are a good balance for handling and ride quality.

 

Thanks for the advice, especially about the DDC. Is the DDC suspension the same for both MCS and JCW? I assume the JCW w/DDC is going to be stiffer than the MCS w/DDC.

I drove an MCS with standard suspension and it was great, didn’t get a chance to hit windy roads but it soaked up the bumps just fine. The JCW I test drove had the standard sport suspension and I started feeling car sick from the bumps after 5 minutes. I was really bummed about the ride in the JCW because I was so sure that the JCW was going to be my purchase.

 

Thanks for the advice, especially about the DDC. Is the DDC suspension the same for both MCS and JCW? I assume the JCW w/DDC is going to be stiffer than the MCS w/DDC.

I drove an MCS with standard suspension and it was great, didn’t get a chance to hit windy roads but it soaked up the bumps just fine. The JCW I test drove had the standard sport suspension and I started feeling car sick from the bumps after 5 minutes. I was really bummed about the ride in the JCW because I was so sure that the JCW was going to be my purchase.

 

I didn’t y-think about the new transmission. I will follow up with the dealer.

 

I am not disagreeing with any of the posts above, just giving my opinions. I have a 2019 JCW with stock suspension and find the ride perfectly acceptable, not too harsh, not vomit inducing. This is on the larger wheels too. Maybe it just seems good compared to my 2013 MCS, which on runflats has a terrible ride over any bumps.

as always, if you can, test drive one if available as others above have done above

 

I have a 2017 JCW with DDC and I am very happy with the combination. I also have 17" wheels, which do help the ride as well. Probably the most significant change in both handling and ride quality was the addition of lightweight NM RSe05 wheels (17 lbs each) and non-runflat tires ... that totally changed the nature of the car.

As for the DDC, it does make the car more comfortable on the road and it you want to tighten up the handling, a bigger rear sway bar will take care of that without killing the ride. I added the NM 25mm bar and it really does make a big difference in control.

As for a JCW or an S, there are a lot of features underneath the JCW that make it a more robust vehicle (extra cooling capacity, internal engine mods, etc.). Whether that makes a difference on the road is questionable, but I really like it. I took the car on an 8,800 mile road trip last year and the car was flawless, gobbling up long stretches of pavement in comfort and handling tight mountain roads with not problem. Either way, you can't go wrong.