2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman on 2040-cars

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2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works First Drive | Personality at a price

An abundance of power isn’t typically associated with products named Mini Cooper. Even the John Cooper Works (JCW) editions have most recently been making do with 228 horsepower from their turbocharged four-cylinder engines. ThatÂ’s plenty to feel quick and sprightly, but drag races still havenÂ’t been kind to high-performance Minis. Things are different with the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works. It has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes a rowdy 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s good for a 0-60 mph run of just 4.6 seconds, which is sufficiently spicy for our tastes. This being the Clubman, itÂ’s more of a pocket rocket that doesnÂ’t quite fit in your pocket. Its four doors and quirky barn door hatch opening gives it far more utility than the much smaller two- and four-door Hardtops. Still, the Clubman is a small car, based off a BMW platform that underpins a variety of BMW Group front-drive-based cars and SUVs. From a size and shape perspective, itÂ’s most like the BMW X2. The quick X2 M35i and JCW Clubman even share an engine. As weÂ’ve come to expect from John Cooper Works Minis, this new one is full of performance extras. The new engine has a stronger crankshaft, new pistons, connecting rods and a lower compression ratio (10.2 to 9.5) to better suit the increased boost pressure. A larger turbocharger is also fitted with a blow-off valve that Mini says contributes to its better response. The much more powerful engine is paired with a new JCW-specific exhaust that is livable when driving conservatively, but raucous and in your face once you dip into the throttle a little deeper. As standard, the JCW Clubman is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that brings launch control with it. No manual is available, and thatÂ’s a shame. Mini has kept the stick shift around for longer than many car companies, and its absence from the enthusiast-focused JCW Clubman is a big disappointment. ThereÂ’s a mechanical limited-slip differential up front integrated with the automatic transmission, allowing torque to be shifted from one wheel to the other should one begin to slip. On top of that, the JCW Clubman also comes standard with all-wheel drive. Like all-wheel drive Minis before it, if the front wheels are short on traction, power is instantly transferred rearward, but power is sent to the front as often as possible for efficiencyÂ’s sake.

JCW Tuning Kit comes to Mini Countryman and Clubman

Mini devoted one line in the middle of its SEMA press release to the limited-edition Ice Blue Cooper S Hardtop on show at SEMA. We'll give it a few more lines: the Ice Blue hue hasn't been available since 2013, and Mini's being coy about how long the color will hang around. Available on two-door Cooper models, the Ice Blue package adds optional features beyond color, like custom wheel caps and Mini Connected, and adds a few thousand dollars to the MSRP depending on which Cooper you start with. Ready for the big Mini news? The John Cooper Works Tuning Kit will soon be available for Cooper S and Cooper S ALL4 Countryman and Clubman; before now, the kit could only be had for the Cooper S hardtop and convertible. The kit juices horsepower up to 208 hp from 189 hp, and throws in another 14 pound-feet of torque to top out at 221 lb-ft. The stainless-steel exhaust reduces exhaust gas back pressure, and can be controlled via Bluetooth for Sport or Sport+ auditory response. Sport, we're told, is safe for any road, while Sport+ makes a track-only kind of cacophony. The back-end growl gets piped through either chrome or carbon fiber tailpipes. The JCW Tuning Kit goes on sale in January 2018 for $1,950, and can be installed at any Mini dealer. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mini Ice Blue Cooper S Hardtop View 10 Photos Related Gallery Mini John Cooper Works Tuning Kit Aftermarket SEMA Show MINI Coupe Performance mini clubman mini cooper s jcw

Mini Minor to be co-developed with Toyota

It was back in 2011 when Mini first showcased the prospect of an even smaller hatchback with the Rocketman concept at the Geneva Motor Show. In the nearly four years since, parent company BMW has hemmed and hawed on the possibility of putting it into production, but the latest word from Europe has it that the project is a go. According to Automobile magazine, Mini is realigning its product portfolio into five pillars: the essential hardtop we've already seen (available in two/three- and four/five-doors), the convertible, the upcoming new Clubman wagon (coming this summer with full-size auxiliary suicide doors on both sides), the next-gen Countryman crossover in 2016 and two new model lines. One will be the production version of the Superleggera roadster concept, earmarked for 2018. The other will be the Minor, a smaller city car reviving a long-gone model name and presaged by the aforementioned Rocketman concept. But for that last one, Mini won't go it alone. To develop the mini Mini, BMW will reportedly turn to its partnership with Toyota. The relationship is already set to yield a new Supra and Z4 and share fuel cell and other technologies. But this would broaden the partnership to include a small hatchback. However rather than use the existing (or next-gen) Aygo, which is already built under joint venture with PSA Peugeot Citroen (with which BMW previously had a joint engine venture), word has it that the BMW and Toyota will develop a new platform for the project – one that will be used by both partners. The new product plan doesn't leave much room for the Mini Coupe and Roadster (which have already been discontinued), for the Paceman three-door crossover (which will suffer the same fate) or for the projected seven-seater minivan. But the addition of the new Superleggera roadster and super-mini Mini aren't likely to leave us wanting for either. Related Video: