Hot Mini John Cooper Works unwrinkled

Following on from the changes applied to the standard Mini hatch and cabriolet in January, the German-owned British marque has introduced a number of cosmetic changes to the hot John Cooper Works.

A step up from the Cooper S but positioned below the fire-breathing GP, the JCW receives the new hexagonal grille with a model specific red central bar and black finish, new LED headlights, enlarged air intakes on the flanks of the lower air intake, a redesigned diffuser and JCW specific scuttles on the front panels and rear bumper.

Mini John Cooper Works rear.

Equipped with a stainless steel sport exhaust system and riding on 17-inch JCW light-alloy wheels as standard with 18-inches optional, the JCW gets a retuned version of Mini’s Adaptive suspension as an option, which adjusts the dampers depending on the road surface between 50 and 100 milliseconds.

Sitting 10 mm closer to the ground than standard, stopping power comes courtesy of a red-painted Brembo four-piston caliper setup at the front and single at the rear with the aluminium discs measuring 360 mm all around.

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Like its sibling, the JCW has also been given a refresh inside with the standard fitting of the 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment console on the revised centre facia. Also starring are a selection of ambient lighting colours grouped under two modes; Lounge and Sport, and an optional heated steering wheel.

Also from the options list is the Driver Assistance Package that brings Active Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning, while rear Park Distance Control is now a standard fixture. Piano key black inserts and carbon black Dinamica/leather sport seats round the interior off.

Mini John Cooper Works interior.

An area where the JCW continues unchanged is underneath the bonnet where the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine again produces 170kW/320Nm. Matched to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed sport Steptronic gearbox, the JCW will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds or 6.1 seconds with the auto ‘box before topping out at 250 km/h.

For now, the JCW is unconfirmed for South Africa, but expect it to become available soon with the Steptronic ‘box only and priced a fraction more than the R667 296 asking price of the current pre-facelift version.