Mini Coupe News

It means every Mini model including hatch, Clubman, Coupe, Cabriolet, Roadster, Paceman, Countryman and GP now includes a John Cooper Works, or JCW, variant.All are powered by a new generation 1.6 litre four-cylinder direct injection engine featuring twin-scroll turbo technology, variable valve control and a host of technical features.Highlights include reinforced cylinder head and pistons, sodium filled exhaust valves and lightweight crankshaft which help the excellent revving capability With a maximum output of 155kW and 260 Nm of torque (280 Nm with overboost), which increases to 160kW and 280Nm (300Nm with overboost) in the all-wheel-drive JCW Countryman and  JCW Paceman.The exhaust note is trumpeted through a JCW sports exhaust system, which produces a deliberately tuned raw note under acceleration, along with a symphony of burbles and crackles on over-run.In two-wheel drive variants, the drive is transferred to the front wheels via a  six-speed manual transmission. In the case of the JCW Paceman and JCW Countryman, power is channelled via the electromagnetic centre differential of the all-wheel-drive system between the front and rear axles to all four wheels.An optional six-speed automatic transmission is available for all JCW variants except the JCW GP limited edition model. JCW sports suspension, which comes as either standard or a no-cost-option depending on the model, has dynamically tuned dampers and anti-roll bars.  Stopping power is enhanced by a high performance sports-brake system.A Sports button in the centre console allows the driver to tweak the engine's responses and soundtrack, as well as the power assistance provided by the steering. In models fitted with automatic transmissions, pressing the Sport button also quickens shift times.

"It's going to be an icon in five years,'' he says. Segler is in charge of an explosion of the Mini brand that will eventually see the number of models double to reach 10. As well as the Coupe and its Roadster twin, there's something called the Paceman, which is a go-fast version of the Countryman SUV.BMW plans to expand the number of front-wheel-drive cars it makes to one million a year by 2020.Controversially, it will begin making small front-wheel-drive BMWs on the Mini platform as well, to help amortise the costs and broaden its range. However, a lot of the extra volume has to come from more Minis.The plan is already under way, with pound stg. 500 million ($785m) committed to its British factories to expand and modernise. In the meantime, some Minis are being made under contract in Austria.One measure of intent comes from the unusually short development time for the Coupe, just 17 months. Although for Syring, it must have seemed a lot longer.

The little Mini will have a starring role at this week’s Frankfurt motor show and will arrive here very early next year, with pricing announced in a few months. The Australian line-up will start with the 135kW MINI Cooper S Coupé and the sports performance of the 155 kW/211 hp MINI John Cooper Works Coupé – both of which will be available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard but a six-speed automatic as an option. A 90kw MINI Cooper Coupé and a 105kW diesel MINI Cooper SD Coupé will be available overseas, but not in the initial range here.“We can’t comment on price at this stage,” Mini spokesperson Lucy McLellan says. We’ll have some idea closer to the Australian launch. It will be arriving at the very beginning of next year so we’ll know more about price towards the end of this year."Acting Australian head of Mini, Matt Schmidt, acknowledges there will be a small premium over similar models in the current range.“As far as pricing goes, locally we will see a small uplift over the current Hatch, Clubman and Cabrio,” he says.That suggests the Cooper S Coupe is likely to be no higher than $45,000, and the John Cooper Works about $10,000 more.  While you don’t often think of two-seater coupes as being ‘practical’ cars, McLellan says the Mini Coupe will fill a practical need for buyers.“Lots of Mini owners never put anybody in the rear seat of the car, so this will appeal to those who want more load space but still want the qualities of a smaller Mini,” she says. The Mini Coupe’s boot space is fantastic and it’s probably the most practical mini yet.”McLellan also says the addition of the Mini Coupe is helping to extend the brand. “We’ve moved from just having an iconic car to having an entire brand,” she says.

The upcoming Mini Coupe and Roadster are getting a thorough workout at the Nurburgring in readiness for showrooms, including the go-faster John Cooper Works model.Carparazzi caught the car with plenty of evidence of a typically-JCW performance upgrade, including a retractable rear spoiler, a centre-mounted twin-pipe exhaust and bigger wheels than other Roadster prototypes.