jcw concept

The 2016 JCW was recently spotted by a reader undergoing hot weather testing in the US. Through his time hands-on with the car we were able to gather a few new details on the car. The test mule (which you’ll surely see photos of around the web soon) is almost identical to the NAIAS concept car we saw this past January. However there are a few key differences and interesting additions worth pointing out.

– Gone are the fog lights and in place extra cooling. The right side is blank but the left side clearly leads to an additional radiator required by the 230hp four cylinder.
– The test mule didn’t have the rear defuser. Could this be something MINI is saving for the full reveal or saving for another more extreme model?
– Gone are the subtle plastic fender flaps that gave the concept a slightly more aggressive look. We’re hoping they reappear in production form.
– The car is clearly lower with a seemingly wider track
– The brakes look to be iterations of the previous JCW four piston design and not the brakes from the R56 GP
– The production car has the prototypes flared side sills

Those are the new details. Now here’s a recap of what we know.

The Power

The 2015 JCW is currently undergoing hot-weather testing in Death Valley California. More specifically MINI is testing the new 2.0L JCW power plant and how well the new front aero cools it. The 2.0L (internally known as the B48B20O0) will be the same engine that BMW will install in the 225i AT – aka the higher-end front wheel drive BMW due in 2015. Eventually derivatives will find they’re way almost all BMW products.

Has we’ve been reporting for seven months now, we expect around 230 hp and torque over 255 ft lbs. With weight around 2,800 lbs this would give the 2015 JCW the best power to weight ratio of any MINI ever – by healthy margin.

jcwconcept

The Look

What you see above is what you’ll get. Minus some stickers and the extra coat of paint on the wheels. Look for 17″ wheels standard with 18s optional. The areo-kit will be a tweaked version of the JCW aero-kit due on the JCW Exterior Pack option expected late this fall.

Speaking of that wider track we expect the JCW to come with a more aggressive sport suspension lowering the car further than the Cooper S.

The Timeline

MINI is planning to debut the 2015 JCW on the internet in December of 2014. This means we should see a production debut at the 2015 Detroit Autoshow in early January of 2015. Production should start in March of 2015 with the first cars hitting dealers in April throughout Europe and May in the US.