2025 MINI JCW Hot Hatch Spied Blowing Hot Air Through Its Tailpipe on a Cold Day

Case in point, let's give a warm welcome to the new MINI John Cooper Works (JCW). The hot hatch was spied recently while being tested in Germany, and this time around, it is in the fixed roof version, unlike our previous encounter with the model when we saw it with a rag top above the passenger compartment a couple of weeks ago.

As you can imagine, the two vehicles sport an almost identical look. This applies to the lighting units at both ends that seem to have been heavily inspired by the ones equipping the EV version. The front bumper, grille, hood, wheel arch trim, and side skirts are the same as the ones featured on the convertible, and the same goes for the side mirrors.

The fixed-roof version of the next MINI JCW has larger three-quarter windows, roof rails, and a chunky spoiler above the rear windscreen. The taillights are more visible on this prototype than on the open-top variant we covered right after Christmas. One difference is the rear bumper, which has vertical reflectors on each side of the new diffuser with its aggressive styling.

It still has a central-mounted tailpipe that blew hot air through it on that cold day the tester encountered our spy photographer's camera lens. For what it's worth, the wheels are different from the convertible's. We like this set better, and if you look through it, you will see the uprated brakes with the discs being hugged by the red brake calipers every time the driver steps on the left pedal.

But why the left and not the middle pedal? Because the upcoming MINI John Cooper Works is rumored to drop the stick shift variant. Thus, it is expected to be offered solely with an automatic transmission, likely with eight forward gears and maybe a dual clutch.

The unit will reportedly be hooked up to an updated version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with four cylinders. The mill develops 228 horsepower (231 ps/170 kW) and 236 pound-feet (320 Nm) of torque on the current iteration of the car, so it will likely be a bit punchier on the next one.

Nevertheless, every question about the supermini hot hatch will be answered in the coming months, as the official unveiling is understood to take place later this year. The first units of the new MINI JCW may start arriving at dealers across the United States of America for the 2025 model year, perhaps with a small price bump over its predecessor that starts at $35,400 before destination.