2025 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Hardtop and Convertible First Look: JCW FTW?
Coming to an autocross or track day near you are the latest JCW Minis.
As one of the few brands still making hatchbacks, Mini is bringing over its highest-performance Cooper to the U.S. to join the all-new 2025 Cooper lineup. The John Cooper Works (JCW) hardtop and convertible will arrive on our shores packing great handling in an updated package that still calls back to the original British Motor Corporation version—only with far more power than those engineers ever thought possible back in 1959.
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A True Motorsports Pedigree?
Yeah, that phrase gets tossed around by the OEMs like candy during Halloween, but for Mini it's not much of a stretch. During the 2024 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Mini and the John Cooper Works Pro team took a JCW prototype out to race and won its SP-3T class and paced the field with a 10:06 lap time. Closer to the U.S., Mini and the JCW Team have also won a TC America manufacturers and driver’s championship with PJ Groenke behind the wheel, but using the 2024 Mini Cooper F56, in the TCA class with eight wins. Some of that know-how had to trickle down to the JCW team's F66 Cooper hardtop and F67 convertible JCW models.
The Civilian Car
What are Mini buyers going to get with their F66- or F67-generation Cooper JCW purchases? Well, first they will feel the power of the 228-hp, 280-lb-ft urbocharged 2.0-liter I-4, which is similar to the one used for the Nürburgring win. That torque is also significantly up from the F56's 235 lb-ft despite having the same displacement, and enough to scoot the new Hardtop JCW to 60 mph in only 5.9 seconds, and the heavier Convertible JCW to the same speed in 6.2 seconds, according to Mini. Top speed is 155 mph in the hardtop and 152 in the top-dropper. That relatively quick zero-to-60-mph time is in part thanks to the JCW models' new (and standard) dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), which allows for manual shifting with a pair of paddles behind the JCW steering wheel when you want full control.
The Fighting Bulldog Body
The JCWs are dressed up with Chili Red brake calipers with “John Cooper Works” logos behind either a set of 17-inch wheels or optional 18-inchers with a sporty design. Another motorsports-inspired piece is the rear spoiler coming off the hatch on the hardtop. It’s also a bit of a call back to the F56 JCW GP’s upper spoiler section, too. While the convertible doesn’t get the hatch spoiler for obvious reasons, it does get the same black rear diffuser and centrally positioned single-tip tailpipe, a definite change from the F56 and previous JCWs. Both cars will have up to 11 colors to choose from and all are punctuated by contrasting roof for the hardtop and mirror caps for both bodies in Chili Red or Jet Black. The ‘vert also gets a unique roof fabric with a grey Union Jack pattern (a solid black fabric is the standard option) and a unique body color in Copper Grey.
Inside the Go-Kart (Mode)
The interior a JCW treatment, too, with a classic red-on-black color scheme that JCW is known for. The JCW Sport seats offer support while driving hard and are upholstered in black synthetic leather and knitted fabric shoulders with contrasting red stitching bringing the ensemble together. As with all Mini models, the dashboard features knitted black fabric but the passenger-side forms into a contrasting red checked flag pattern. Besides the shifter paddles, the JCW steering wheel features a synthetic leather wrap, large thumb pads, red accent stitching, and the “John Cooper Works” emblem at the six o’clock position just below a red and black textile “spoke.”
The 9.4-inch round OLED infotainment screen also recreates the central gauge panel of the classics, but with many modern tricks up its sleeve, including a Harman Kardon sound system as standard. In Go-Kart mode, the display can show off performance data such as real-time engine torque and power or g-forces you’re experience while driving. Below that is a wireless charging pad for smartphones. While the central display might be slightly off-putting, you are able to monitor speed, navigation, and more important displays on the HUD just above the steering wheel.
While spirited driving is the focus of the Cooper JCWs, they don’t lose out on the driver assistance features from the standard Mini Cooper. This includes parking assistant plus, augmented reality navigation, lane departure monitoring, lane keeping, and adaptive cruise control.
Not That Expensive for the Experience
The 2025 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works offer you a great deal of fun and functionality for not much price, too. The hardtop will set you back $39,195, a $6,000 bump over the standard S trim hardtop but only a $1,900 premium over the S with the top-of-the-line Iconic packaging. The droptop JCW stickers for $44,695, a steeper $6,500 more than the starting point of the S trim but we’ll have to see where it stacks when its Iconic package pricing is announced. Expect to see either version on your dealer’s lot by early January 2025 as production will begin in November 2024.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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