I can't be too upset at a little more torque.
It's certainly more than many car makers have done with a model refresh.
Photography Courtesy Mini
Mini revamped its entire lineup for 2025, and it just announced a new Mini John Cooper Works 2 Door and Convertible as part of it.
Under the hood, there’s a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder engine like before, and it’s still rated for 228 horsepower. However, what does a car billed with “go-kart handling” need more of? Torque, apparently. To the tune of 45 lb.-ft. more, going from 235 lb.-ft. to 280.
Of course, the biggest changes come primarily to its esthetics, reflecting the design language that the rest of the Mini lineup now uses.
One thing the JCW lacks is a third pedal and a stick, which certainly added to its predecessor feeling like a giant kart. Only an eight-speed DCT is offered for the 2025 model.
The new Go-Kart Mode gives the new 9.4-inch display information such as torque, power and current G-force.
Mini still competes in motorsport at a high level. In SRO’s TC America series, Mini took home 11 first-place trophies, a driver’s and manufacturer’s championship in the TCA class and a runner-up in the driver’s championship for the TC class.
In the Nürburgring 24-hour race, a prototype based on the new Mini JCW won its class, beating a Volkswagen Beetle RSR, Volkswagen Golf, Dacia Logan and an Audi TT.
[New John Cooper Works to make first appearance at Nürburgring 24]
Compared to the regular Mini Cooper S, the JCW comes not only with trim-specific design accents and more power, but also with performance goodies such as paddle shifters, an additional gear for the transmission plus exclusive 17- and bigger 18-inch wheel offerings.
The Mini John Cooper Works 2 Door starts at $38,200, about $10,000 more than the base Cooper 2 Door and $4000 more than the S. Production starts in November, with deliveries expected in January 2025.
I can't be too upset at a little more torque.
It's certainly more than many car makers have done with a model refresh.
I test drove a new Cooper S. It is leaning a little more towards BMW land but still felt like a Mini. I liked the interior touches and especially the homage in the lower dash to the mark1 toggle layout.
The biggest problem for me was a higher seating position and no sunroof delete option. Loosing 2" of headroom is a big deal.
The second biggest problem was four separate screen presses to change the temperature by 1 degree.
go-kart handling
I have driven modern 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Mini Hatch (Raced a cooper S), I have been racing karts for 20 + years in all different makes and 2 cycle, 4 cycle, and s hifter engines. I have never driven a mini that handles like a kart. They are nimble for being a car, but it always drives me wild when someone uses that tagline when they are selling it.
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