As night follows day, so ICE follow EV. Here are the gas-powered Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) cars, revealed digitally before your very eyes now, before being officially available early next year.
And, as anyone who has been fastidiously charting the language around these little cars, yes, Mini once again makes mention of ‘go-kart’ handling. Only once, but still.
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Powering that handling is Mini’s trusty 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, fueled by gasoline, that is able to convert fossil fuels into 228hp, 309Nm of torque, and a fair bit of forward momentum—like 0-100kph in 6.1sec and a 249kph top speed for the JCW hatch, and 6.4sec and 244kph in the JCW Convertible.
Both get a dual-clutch automatic transmission, and while Mini assures us of its go-kart handling, we’re not given specifics about the chassis and suspension. Only that the former has been treated to some race-inspired adjustments, and the latter is “dialed up.”
Anyone who’s been closely monitoring the chassis history around these Minis will know that normally this means stiffer, lower, firmer, go-kart-han...no, we can’t continue. Sorry.
Being the little Mini that can, means it gets 17in black alloys (or 18in as an option), a standard-fit Chili Red body color (or seven other options), black detailing, a sculpted rear diffuser, red calipers, and for the first time, a centrally mounted exhaust.
Naturally it’s sportier inside, too, with things like knitted red stitching, black (synthetic) leather, stainless-steel pedals, a JCW steering wheel, and an OLED central display. The JCW Mini also gets all the standard driving modes, and additional JCW mode—giving you JCW-y things like power, torque, engine temperature, and G-force readouts.
There are 12 ultrasonic sensors and four surround-view cameras allowing the JCW to feed back traffic conditions, apply distance control for highway driving, and provide assistance when parking.
Want to park one in your driveway? Prices for the Mini JCW hatch start from £31,200 (P2.3 million before taxes), while the JCW Convertible kicks off at £35,200 (P2.6 million nefpre taxes).
Want to silently park one in your driveway? Head this way for info on the (more powerful) electric JCWs.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
