The MINI Cooper S With JCW Trim – The Faux JCW With Real Shift Paddles

[DimON]

Behold, the forbidden fruit of the F66 MINI Cooper S with the optional JCW Trim. At least for those in the US. For the rest of the world the JCW Trim represents the top of the line F66 Cooper S. But what really makes this car special and should we ever expect it in the US?

MINI made an interesting decision last year in offering the Cooper S with something called the JCW Trim. Interesting in that it takes the entire look of the forthcoming JCW (a car we technically haven’t seen revealed yet) and applied it to any MINI Cooper no matter the engine. On one hand it’s a wonderfully egalitarian way to allow anyone to get the look of a JCW without paying the price. On the other it’s a brand damaging option that waters down the full JCW model by offering the look and feel to anyone.

MINI USA took the latter position and decided to not offer the JCW Trim at all in the US. It makes sense on the face of it however there’s a big problem. MINI global made the unfortunate decision to only offer shift paddles on cars with the JCW Trim thus US do not get shift paddles. For customers in the US, not only is the manual dead but any way to manually shift a MINI Cooper is now gone.

As you can likely tell, the F66 Cooper S with the JCW Trim offers what a lot of enthusiasts are looking for. The more aggressive look of the JCW body kit, a full JCW interior and (gasp) shift paddles.

Will the MINI Cooper S JCW Trim Come to the US?

Technically it’s already being sold in the US. The F65 five door MINI Cooper and Cooper S are available with the JCW Trim (along with shift paddles) in North America. And based on our conversations with MINI USA representatives, it appears clear that they have gotten the feedback and will likely be offering shift paddles on the F66 MINI Cooper and Cooper S at some point in the future. Whether that’s via the JCW Trim or a blanket standard option is unclear. But we’re hoping for the latter as one of the beauties of the MINI Cooper is that even the most base model should feel as fun as possible.

The post The MINI Cooper S With JCW Trim – The Faux JCW With Real Shift Paddles appeared first on MotoringFile.

View the full article