Review: F66 MINI Cooper S JCW Trim Is The Best Cooper Sold – If You Can Get It

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The new combustion-powered MINI Cooper range can be a bit confusing, but one Cooper S stands above all variants, delivering a superior driving experience while offering a more cohesive look. The only problem is that you can’t actually get one in North America.

The (F66) MINI Cooper S with JCW Trim is the car we’re referring to, and we just spent a week and 600 miles behind the wheel. It’s also a car that you cannot buy if you live in North America. Why? We’ll get to that in a minute. But first, let’s make sense of the new F66 MINI Cooper range and where the JCW Trim fits within it.

Making Sense of the MINI Cooper Range of Models, Packages and Styles

The MINI Cooper range currently consists of two models: the base model, now known as the C (161 hp and 184 lb-ft), and the S (201 hp and 221 lb-ft). Both models are available with different option packages and Styles (called Trims in some markets). It’s the Styles we want to focus on, as they combine key options with styling elements, allowing two Coopers with identical option packages to appear very different. For the North American market, there are two Styles: Classic and Favoured. Classic is what you’d expect, with matte black trim and a simple black interior. Favoured is much more expressive, featuring light gold trim and bold interior combinations. However, it’s important to note that neither comes with shift paddles, and with no manual offered by MINI at all, they seem to be aimed more at casual MINI drivers.

Then there’s the JCW Trim (known as Sport in the UK). Unavailable in North America, it gives you 98% of the look of the real F66 JCW (which is coming soon), adaptive suspension, shift paddles, slightly better brakes, and a full JCW interior. To make matters more confusing, it is available in North America on the F65 five-door hatch for $1,200 but not the iconic three-door hatch that you see here.

So how do we have one? MINI USA is testing the waters and offered us a chance to drive a Cooper S with the JCW Trim to give us a preview of the forthcoming full JCW and to gather our feedback on the car. Perhaps most importantly, they want to see feedback from MotoringFile readers on whether the car should be included in MINI USA’s lineup.

F66 MINI Cooper S JCW Trim – What’s Improved

MINI has improved the F66 Cooper S in small but measurable ways in terms of driving dynamics. Everything from the steering and suspension to the track width has subtly but unequivocally improved over its predecessor.

Like on all Cooper S’s, MINI has recalibrated the EPS system to create a more linear feel and feedback while making the steering rack quicker from lock to lock. There’s a more natural progression of resistance in corners, allowing for more information to come through the wheel. It’s not at R53 levels, but this is easily the best steering MINI has had since the R56.

As with other F66s we’ve driven, we found the suspension is more compliant, and the wider track gives the car sharper turn-in response. It’s a huge improvement over broken and uneven pavement and is nothing short of a revelation compared to previous generations.

The Cooper S with JCW Trim builds on these improvements, adding several crucial elements. The first thing we noticed was the brakes, with more aggressive pads and larger rotors hidden behind the 18” JCW wheels. Then there’s the software, which gives the Cooper S with JCW Trim slightly quicker throttle response in both normal and Gokart modes. Finally, the shift paddles allow the driver to engage directly with the car and drivetrain. This level of manual control significantly enhances the driver’s engagement.

One thing MINI hasn’t changed with the JCW Trim is the drivetrain. However, it’s still not far off from JCW performance in the F56. MINI has revised the B48 engine under the hood to produce 201 hp, up 12 hp from the 189 in the F56. Even more impressive is the increase in torque to 221 lb-ft, up 15 lb-ft from the F56. The most noticeable difference in real-world driving is the torque, which provides a bit more grunt on takeoff and a bigger break in traction during a 1-2 upshift. The extra power is most apparent in the mid-range.

	F56 Cooper JCW (’15-’24)	F66 Cooper S w/JCW Trim	F66 Cooper JCW
Power	228 hp	201 hp	228 hp
Torque	235 lb-ft / 1450 rpm	221 lb-ft /14500 rpm	280 lb-ft / 1,500 rpm
Top Speed	153 manual / 151 mph auto	150 mph	152 mph
Transmission	6 Speed Manual / 7 Speed DCT	7 Speed DCT	7 Speed DCT
Track	1485 mm / 58 in	1499 mm / 59 in	1499 mm / 59 in
Length (mm/in)	3863 mm / 152.5 in	3879 mm / 152.7 in	3879 mm / 152.7 in
Height (mm/in)	1414 mm / 55.66 in	1431 mm / 56.38 in	1431 mm / 56.38 in
Wheelbase (mm/in)	2495 mm / 98.23 in	2495 mm / 98.23	2495 mm / 98.23
Curb weight (kg/lbs)	1338 kg / 2,951 lbs	1405 kg / 3,097 lbs	1405 kg / 3,097 lbs
Tires (Standard)	215/45 R17 91 Y XL*	215/45 R17 91 Y XL*	215/45 R17 91 Y XL*
Wheels (Standard)	7Jx17 LM*	7Jx17 LM*	7Jx17 LM*

*18? wheels and tires were optional on the F56 and will be on the F66 JCW and JCW Style

It was in the curves where the new F66 MINI Cooper S came alive. The adaptive suspension tightens up in Gokart mode, delivering both a firmer ride and better body control when pushed in corners. This enhances everything, as the MINI feels more neutral in corners, giving you greater confidence and control.

The Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) has also been made more aggressive through new software tuning. While we liked the updated DCT in the standard Cooper S, this tweaked version is designed to be more aggressive, holding gears longer while still being almost telepathic in anticipating what the driver needs. Time and time again, it downshifted into corners and upshifted (almost) exactly where we needed it to. While we love the paddles, we found that the transmission often shifted at nearly the same moments we would as we entered corners. That’s not to say we didn’t make use of them—plenty of times we grabbed the left paddle to downshift a gear or two, providing instant torque.

Speaking of that left paddle, if you hold it for a couple of seconds, the Cooper S with JCW Trim turns on “Boost Mode”. This mode maxes out all of the JCW Trim’s performance settings for 10 seconds–perfect for those moments when you need maximum power out of corners or in passing situations.

But not everything is perfect. We found the DCT to be inconsistent in upshift speed, occasionally lagging a full second after clicking the paddle from 2nd to 3rd gear. While this was unusual, it happened often enough to give us pause. The other surprising issue was how cheap the paddles themselves feel. They can bend when used aggressively, and due to their size, they force you to drive in the 9 and 3 o’clock position. We’d love to see them about 0.25” taller and more robust. Or, better yet, MINI could replace them with metal-like plastic, similar to what BMW M and Porsche offer.

Overall, the DCT is an improvement over the previous automatic transmission, with better day-to-day livability. It’s smooth when needed and quick when asked, but let’s be clear—this is no manual replacement. The Cooper S is worse off without a manual. Yet we really enjoyed the DCT and understand why, if only one transmission could be offered, this was the one that won out.

While the JCW Trim’s brake-upgrade is real, the two inlets that look like small radiators are not. They will be on the real JCW however.

Why You Can’t Buy the Three Door Cooper S with JCW Trim in North America

Unlike other global markets, MINI USA and MINI Canada felt that releasing the Cooper S with the JCW Trim would undercut the full JCW and hurt sales. In other words, it would make the full JCW feel (and certainly look) much less special. And we get it. The JCW Trim makes any MINI look like a real JCW to anyone who isn’t a certified MINI spotter, and it does so for far less money than a real JCW.

But there’s a problem with this logic. The JCW Trim rights the wrongs of the F66 by adding shift paddles and offering a better-looking interior. North America is missing out on the best F66 Cooper S available.

Conclusions

If want a new F66 Cooper S, the JCW Style is hands-down the best choice for an enthusiast driver. It adds elements to the Cooper S that not only enhance its look but also subtly improve the driving experience. It’s a surprisingly worthwhile addition to any MINI Cooper S, making it the pick of the range.

That is, if you can get it. If you live in North America, you’re out of luck—unless you want the larger five-door Cooper S or are willing to spend the extra cash on the full JCW.

But there is one thing you can do: let MINI USA know you want the JCW Trim offered in the US on the three-door F66. In fact, one reason we even got this unicorn of a test car is that MINI is testing the waters to see whether to bring the JCW Style to the US.

In our opinion, it’s a no-brainer, given how MINI has specced the Classic and Favoured Styles. Simply put, the JCW Trim adds back important elements of the driving experience that we’d expect to be standard in the Cooper S. These elements deliver driving experience that makes this the first F66 Cooper S we could see in the MotoringFile garage. Now it’s simply up to MINI USA to start importing it.

MINI Cooper S JCW Trim – Gallery

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