While the MINI Cooper is already a competent little number and the Cooper S was seen terrorizing Putrajaya, the F56 MINI gets sportier with the announcement of the John Cooper Works variant. Not that the Cooper S is under-powered, but who’s complaining?
QUICK FACTS
Name | MINI John Cooper Works |
Engine | 1,998 cc 4-cylinder petrol with MINI TwinPower Turbo |
Transmission | 6-speed manual / 6-speed automatic |
Max Power | 231 hp @ 5,200 – 6,000 rpm |
Max Torque | 320 Nm @ 1,250 – 4,800 rpm |
The MINI John Cooper Works offers more power than the Cooper S, and looks the part with the extra all-round styling addenda. The turbocharged four-cylinder in the MINI John Cooper Works produces 40 hp more power and 40 Nm more torque than the Cooper S. Available in the three-door bodystyle, the five-door version should follow at a later date.
EXTERIOR
MINI John Cooper Works sets itself apart with its unique styling kit. The single bar in the grille is finished in red as opposed to the chrome bar on the Cooper S, and the front bumper now sports a more agressive lower and side air intakes.
The kit continues with a new pair of side skirts, restyled rear bumper with center-exit twin tailpipes, and a set of 17-inch John Cooper Works light alloy wheels.
INTERIOR
Special John Cooper Works door sills greet the occupants into the sporty interior with anthracite roof liner, exclusive John Cooper Works sports seats, multifunction steering wheel, gear lever, and stainless steel pedals.
The rev-counter and speedometer behind the steering wheel get new background graphics, and there’s also the Driving Excitement package is fitted as standard.
PERFORMANCE
Under the bonnet of the MINI John Cooper Works is the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever fitted in a serial production MINI to date. The two-litre four-cylinder petrol with MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology now produces 231 hp and 320 Nm of torque, and all the power is sent to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 6.3 seconds for the manual and the auto is quicker by 0.2 seconds, but both have the same top speed of 246 km/h. Average fuel consumption is rated from 5.7 to 6.7 l/100 km.
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC) and Performance Control, and Dynamic Damper Control ensures the MINI John Cooper Works handles well to match the extra performance increase, while the brakes have also been updated accordingly with the newly developed Brembo sports brake system.
WHAT ELSE?
Being a MINI, the MINI John Cooper Works can be further customised with a huge array of optional accessories, ranging from exterior roof and mirror graphics, bigger 18-inch alloys, camera-based active cruise control, Harman Kardon hi-fi speaker system, and all the way to the lighting package with LED interior ambient lighting with continuously variable colour adjustment.
Currently the F56 MINI range in Malaysia consists of the three-cylinder Cooper and the four-cylinder Cooper S, but only the Cooper S is available in both three and five door bodystyles.
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