2025 F66 MINI Cooper JCW Release Dates & Performance Details

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The new combustion powered MINI Cooper JCW is coming soon and we have All the Details You Need.

The combustion powered F66 MINI Cooper has been a hit with us in our early testing. But what we’ve really been waiting for is the ultimate Cooper – the JCW. That wait is almost over with the debut and production just months away. And even more exciting is what MINI has done to up the performance without changing its character.

F66 MINI Cooper JCW Power & Performance

Let’s start with the power and the most disappointing aspect of the F66 MINI Cooper JCW. The new JCW will have a power output identical to its predecessor the F56 JCW. But according to our sources there is a sizable increase in torque with the new F66 JCW putting out 280 ft lbs at only 1,500 rpm. That’s 45 ft lbs (16%) increase over the previous generation and only 15 ft lbs behind the new Countryman JCW. This along with the wider track and quicker DCT transmission will give the new JCW a noticeable performance advantage despite having the same power figure.

How much faster will the F66 JCW be over the F56 JCW? To get some answers, let’s take a look at what happened at this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hours ad some lap times . The 2024 F56 JCW had a fastest lap of 10:44.118 around the full circuit (which includes the GP track). Not a bad time until we saw the F66 JCW’s astonishing pace of 10:06.773. How could that be given the cars had the same horsepower rating? It’s primarily down to that massive increase in torque. This plus the wider track and quicker transmission appear to give the new JCW a noticeable performance advantage despite having the same power figure.

	F56 Cooper JCW (’15-’24)	F66 Cooper JCW
Power	231 hp	231 hp
Torque	235 lb-ft / 1450 rpm	280 lb-ft / 1,500 rpm
Top Speed	153 manual / 151 mph DCT	152 mph
Transmission	6 Speed Manual / 7 Speed DCT	7 Speed DCT
Track	1485 mm / 58 in	1499 mm / 59 in
Length (mm/in)	3863 mm / 152.5 in	3879 mm / 152.7 in
Height (mm/in)	1414 mm / 55.66 in	1431 mm / 56.38 in
Wheelbase (mm/in)	2495 mm / 98.23 in	2495 mm / 98.23
Curb weight (kg/lbs)	1338 kg / 2,951 lbs	1405 kg / 3,097 lbs
Tires (Standard)	215/45 R17 91 Y XL*	215/45 R17 91 Y XL*
Wheels (Standard)	7Jx17 LM*	7Jx17 LM*

*18″ wheels and tires were optional on the F56 and will be on the F66

But things aren’t all improvements. Unfortunately along with this performance improvement the new F66 JCW has an increase in weight at 3,097 lbs. Unfortunately it’s hard to pin down a like for like weight at this time but based on what we know, we believe that’s the weight figure including fluids, fuel and 90% and a driver. If so that would compare with the 2,951 lbs we’ve seen listed with the previous generation F56 JCW auto. In other words it appears the new F66 MINI Cooper JCW is 146 lbs heavier than the previous generation.

Dual Clutch Transmission Only

The production F66 JCW that won its class at the Nurburgring 24 was dual clutch and as you can see in the spy photo of the prototype above, there are clearly shift paddles and no manual. While this will undoubtedly improve shift times it also takes away a crucial connection to the car and the joy so many of us get from a manual transmission.

The transmission in the F66 JCW race car is the same revised 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that we’ll see in the production JCW which is a slightly revised a version of the transmission in the F66 Cooper S. We’re told to expect faster shift times than the F66 Cooper S and previous generation JCW and more responsive manual control via the standard steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. 

The F66 MINI Cooper JCW: Debut, Production and Launch Timing

A highly modified version of the F66 actually debuted earlier this June at the 24 Hours of Nurbrugring where it took first place in its class. That same car later made it up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. However we have yet to officially see any glimpses of the production version. That will change soon as MINI is planning to publicly debut the F66 MINI Cooper JCW (alongside the J01 JCW) October 24th.

Production for the F66 JCW will commence this November at the Oxford Plant in the UK with sales beginning shortly thereafter in the UK and the EU. North American launching timing will likely be around the 1st of the year.

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