Take one part motorsport racing heritage and one part station wagon, mix in a dash of German engineering and blend on high. Result? The MINI John Cooper Works Clubman.
Quite a mouthful for a new model but if a performance wagon is what you're looking for the JCW Clubman should certainly qualify for the short list.
MINI enthusiasts have relied on John Cooper Works for all of their MINI tuning needs since John Cooper founded JCW in 2000. Having started the Cooper Car Company with his father more than fifty years earlier nobody knows how to tune a MINI better than John himself. Then in 2007 BMW bought JCW to compliment its purchase of the MINI brand and now MINI enthusiasts around the world are reaping the benefits with the introduction of the John Cooper Works model line.
The JCW Clubman sports a 1.6-liter four-cylinder MINI engine that has been tuned and turbocharged to make 208 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. An overboost function allows the driver to push the engine to 207 pound-feet at the push of a button. Other important stats to note include the 147 mph top speed and the zero-to-60 mph time of 6.2 seconds.
Fuel consumption comes in at 25 city, 33 highway miles per gallon - for a combined rating of 28mpg.
The JCW parts coming standard with all JCW edition Coopers include 17-inch "challenge" wheels, a sport tuned exhaust, and red Brembo front brake calipers. To compliment all of the standard performance features the JCW Clubman also offers three option packages: premium, cold weather, and convenience.
The Premium Package brings a power sunroof, automatic climate control, and cruise control while the Cold Weather Package provides heated seats, mirrors and window washer jets. The Convenience Package could also be called the "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-package," including automatic headlights, automatic window wipers, an auto dimming rear mirror, a garage door opener, and Bluetooth and iPod access.
With the space of a wagon and performance that only John Cooper Works performance parts can bring the JCW Clubman offers a unique and compelling feature set in a niche market.
New - MINI Yours
In case the standard options aren't enough for you, MINI has added something entirely new known as MINI Yours, which allows further customization. The options include: an instrument panel covered in a smooth two-tone, soft-touch leather with exposed stitching, a two-tone steering wheel, a new MINI Yours 17-inch wheel, special pattern "Soda" mirror caps with a three-dimensional effect and MINI Yours Soda pattern Lounge Leather with unique Soda pattern on the sides of the backrests and headrests, as well as a contrasting black leather stripe that runs down the middle of the seats and is offset with premium piping.
Key competitors
The closest competitors to the MINI JCW Clubman are likely found in a handful of hopped-up hatchbacks, ranging from the Ford Focus ST, to the Mazda Mazdaspeed3, to the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Subaru Impreza WRX Hatchback.