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2015 MINI JCW Hardtop Officially Unveiled: Will Show Up at Detroit

Earlier today we caught the 2015 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop completely undisguised via some photos leaked by Car Advice. Seeing as the rabbit is already out of the hat, the British company decided to offer a full press release and a couple of extra photos of the car, ahead of its official debut in Detroit, next month.
2015 MINI JCW Hardtop 21 photos
Photo: MINI
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As you probably expected things to unfold, the new car is extremely similar to the Cooper S. The changes on the outside are basically limited to the front bumper, rear bumper and the wheels along with the brake calipers behind them that can hardly be included in this category.

Up front, the two air intakes on the Cooper S’s bumper received a slightly changed design while the sides of it are now sporting air intakes with black mesh. Those spaces were previously reserved for fog lights but since the JCW has more power, it also needs more cooling so they were replaced.

The LED headlamps up front have white direction indicators, the radiator grille, side scuttles and tailgate feature the classic JCW badge and the sport exhaust can clearly be distinguished as well. Other than that, nothing much changed on the outside.

Inside the cabin

Step inside the cabin and you’ll immediately notice the biggest change: the seats. On the John Cooper Works model they look as they should on every MINI: aggressive. Covered in what MINI calls Dinamica/fabric and sporting integrated headrests, it’s hard to look at them and not think of the new X5 and X6 M models.

JCW door sills welcome you while the steering wheel with multifunction buttons has some really nice perforated leather all around. Oh, and you also get paddle shifters on each side. The ambiance is completed by new pedal covers done in aluminum.

The performance

We’re not here to waste time discussing design cues. The one thing everyone wants to know about since this is a JCW car is performance. You’ll be glad to learn that the new top of the line hardtop is now sporting the most powerful engine ever fitted to a car in Oxford.

The new 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged mill makes 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque. That’s 20 HP and 40 Nm more than the car it replaces. Not only that but it also makes the JCW one of the most powerful models in the segment.

It’s proper rival is the Audi S1 that comes with a 2-liter TFSI plant making the same amount of horsepower but more torque, being rated at 370 Nm (273 lb-ft). That helps the four-ringed car get up to 100 km/h (62 mph) faster than the MINI. That and the quattro all-wheel drive system.

Speaking of which, the aforementioned sprint takes 6.1 seconds on the 6-speed automatic gearbox for the MINI and 6.3 seconds on the manual. The Audi, on the other hand, is half a second faster with the manual which is the only available option at the moment.

Other details

According to MINI, the development of the car took into account the fact that it has to be fun before anything else. This will give us the chance to see how BMW and MINI can create fun cars based on the new UKL platform that is used for all new FWD models.

Part of this is the new suspension technology and the electromechanical power steering with Servotronic that is supposed to offer more feel than its rivals. All cars will also get DSC, DTC and an electronically lockable differential as standard. Performance control will allow you to adjust the dampers, a first for MINI but only available as an optional feature.

The weight was also kept in check and the JCW tips the scale at just 1,205 kg (2,657 lbs) with the manual gearbox and is just 15 kg heavier with the automatic (2,689 lbs). What’s striking is the difference between fuel consumptions for the manual and automatic gearboxes.

The manual is rated at 9.1 l/100 km (25.8 mpg) around town while the automatic is a lot more efficient with 7.2 l/100 km (32.6 mpg). On a combined cycle, the difference drops to 1 liter, the automatic claiming just 5.7 l/100 km (41.2 mpg). That for the European testing cycle, though. Keep in mind that the EPA ratings will differ.

The new car is confirmed to make an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show in exactly one month, with sales to begin in the first quarter of 2015.
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