A new MINI John Cooper Works will be coming to Australia in July.
MINI are determined to leave no niche without a vehicle, and the latest development is a new top-end model, the John Cooper Works (JCW). Prices will start from $47,400 plus onroads for the manual form or $49,950 with a six-speed automatic transmission. MINI say the new JCW is the quickest MINI ever, and the engine is the most powerful fitted to a production MINI – a 2.0L four-cylinder unit good for 170kW and 320Nm. The 0-100 time is 6.3 seconds, putting the car definitely in the hotter part of hot-hatch territory.
Happily, MINI have not forgotten what speeds up must slow down as they have included Brembo sports brakes. There’s also sports seats, a welcome move given the sorts of cornering loads we expect this car to generate.
An unusual feature for the class is a Heads Up Display that projects information into the driver’s line of sight. There’s also dynamic damper control (adaptive suspension) and an 8.8″ split-screen monitor. MINI also offer the option of pre-paying for some of your scheduled maintenance costs. Finally, did you know that Australia is now the fastest growing market in the world for MINI? This is yet another confirmation by an automaker that while relatively small Australia’s market is more important than mere numbers would suggest.
Who is John Cooper?
The Cooper Car Company was founded in by 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John. The company and went to to become a noted tuner and builder of racecars, including those of Formula 1 driver called Jack Brabham.
In the ’60s Cooper were one of the first to see the potential for the original Mini, and successfully built cars which won enough motorsports events to cement the Mini reputation as a giant-killer, and with it Cooper’s reputation as Mini specialists. In 2008 BMW, owners of MINI, acquired John Cooper Works and uses the badge on performance versions of the MINI.
MINI John Cooper Works Australian Pricing and Standard Specification Highlights
Manual: $47,400 (plus onroad costs)
Automatic: $49,950 (plus onroad costs)
- 18-inch JCW Cup two-tone light alloy wheels
- Dynamic Damper Control (adaptive suspension)
- Reversing camera
- John Cooper Works Sports Seats
- MINI Excitement package
- MINI Driving Modes
- Park Assist with front and rear Park Distance Control
- LED headlights with LED daytime running lights
- Professional Navigation
- DAB+ digital radio tuner
- Head Up Display with enhanced JCW specific content (gear indicator, rev display and shift lights)
- Extended Bluetooth with armrest and music streaming
- MINI Visual Boost functionality via Wired Package
