The MINI Countryman JCW Has a Secret Taken Directly From The BMW M2

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For years MINI’s performance sub brand JCW has gone solo in designing and engineering its cars and the performance parts that power them. While they appear to follow in the footsteps of the BMW M division, there has rarely been anything performance related shared between the two. With the all new U25 Countryman JCW, that changes in an important way.

The MINI Countryman JCW has two different brakes offerings. The standard set are similar in size to the F60 Countryman and F54 Clubman’s brakes in size and spec. Given our experience with both those cars we can attest to the performance on the street and track of this setup. However if you order the 20″ wheels on the Countryman you get a big upgrade in stopping power with discs and rotors noticeably different than before. And that’s where BMW M comes in.

The F87 BMW M2

The U25 MINI Countryman optional brakes come directly from the F87 BMW M2 Competition. More specifically the front brakes including the rotors, pads and parts of the caliper design all from the previous generation M2.

There are a couple of small differences worth nothing. The Countryman carries over its four-pot rotor design (albeit larger than before) rather than adopting the six-pot set-up from the M2. Additionally because the front wheel drive bias and the weight distribution of the Countryman, there’s no real need for the larger rear brakes from the M2.

What does it mean to have brakes from the M2? Everything is bigger and more track ready. The rotors themselves are vented and 380 mm, up from the non-vented 360 mm discs on the LCI versions of the F60 JCW, F54 JCW and the most recent JCW GP. The calipers are four pot like before but offer a larger swept area for more stopping power.

The entire set-up should allow for not just for better stopping performance but more feel and a greater resistance to fade thanks to better heat dissipation. This is especially critical at the track where constant hard braking can elevate temperatures and reduce stopping power.

The BMW M2 sourced brakes will be exclusively bundled with the 20″ John Cooper Works Flag Spoke option. Prices and availability will vary depending on market but they should be readily available at the launch of the Countryman JCW.

The Other BMW M Connection

While sharing of a BMW M braking system is a first for MINI, there has been some less overt parts sharing in the past. The biggest is what’s under the hood of the Countryman JCW.

The 312 hp version of the B48 that powers Countryman JCW was developed by BMW and is not in any way a true BMW M engine. However there was collaboration in the design of this version of the B48 with the M Division in areas like thermal management and overall tuning due to it being offered in several BMW M Performance models like the X1 and X2 M35i. MINI has leveraged this design and engineering in its version of the B48 in F60 Countryman JCW, F54 Clubman JCW and the new U25 Countryman JCW.

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