225kW might be a bit much for the school run.
British brand MINI has pulled the wraps off the hottest variants of the Clubman and Countryman family of cars, the John Cooper Works models. The JCWs have been extensively reworked for the 2020 model year, with MINI claiming that the two long-Minis are “by some measure… the most powerful models in the brand’s sixty-year history.”
It’s not just hot air though, with the headlining update her pertaining to the powerplant. The 2.0-litre four-pot motor has been extensively revised, retuned and massaged to produce a pretty amazing 225kW and 450Nm, with the former figure available from 5,000rpm to 6,250rpm and the latter kicking in at just 1,750rpm. Thanks to the early delivery of torque, the JCW Clubman can do the century sprint in just 4.9-seconds, while the slightly more lardy JCW Countryman takes 5.1-seconds to hit 3-digit speeds. Both cars max out at 250km/h, though.
But while outright speed is all well and good, Mini hasn’t neglected to enhance the driving experience as a whole. As a result, “remarkable sound development” was applied to the exhaust system, which is now not only more sonorous, but is Euro 6d-TEMP compliant thanks to the addition of a particulate filter.
With great power comes great cooling systems, and the JCW duo pack a pair of external radiators, a larger-volume expansion tank, an independent cooling module mounting, an electric ventilator with improved output, a third-level condenser, and even an external transmission oil cooler to keep everything running optimally. That transmission oil cooler feeds into an 8-speed Steptronic automatic that’s fitted as standard, with that sending power into an ALL4 4-paw system.
To maximise the usability of all that punch, the JCW twins feature a raft of chassis & suspension upgrades, with special attention paid to the rear-axle kinematics to improve grip. There’s also an adaptive chassis now, replacing the standard passive setup, while the brakes have been upgraded to feature 360mm discs and 4-pot callipers in the front, and 330mm discs in the back.
But despite all the under-the-skin changes that make the JCW Clubman and Countryman that much more fun, there’s precious little on the outside that gives away their added punch. Only the most detail-oriented person would notice that there are new Union Jack LED taillights on the Clubman, with the 18-inch black JCW wheels, LED headlights with matrix beam, and so on all carrying on from the outgoing model.
MINI Australia has yet to clarify when we can expect these cars locally, but we’d bet our bottom dollar that they’re coming given our propensity to buy hot versions of anything. When that happens, CarShowroom will bring you those updates, so stay tuned.
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