New Mini John Cooper Works is Anything But a Concept

Who knows what the BMW Group thinks it achieves by labeling 99 percent production-ready cars as studies, but it is what it is and we're seeing it again at the 2014 Detroit motor show with the new Mini John Cooper Works Concept.

A study only in the name, the John Cooper Works (JCW) edition builds on the latest generation Mini Hatch we saw at the Los Angeles and Tokyo motor shows in November of 2013 and it previews the production car set for release within the next year.

Mini isn’t talking about the powertrain in the JCW, but it is believed that it will use a tuned version of the new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine found in the Cooper S, where it delivers 189HP (192PS) – so expect the JCW to have well over 200 ponies.

As the top dog in the hatchback's range, the JCW looks the part with an aggressive aero-makeover that includes different bumpers with air-ducts, a rear diffuser, side skirts, roof spoiler, trim accents, plus different 18-inch wheels.

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Scoop: New 2015 MINI Five-Door Hatch F55 Exposed Undressed!

Here's our best look yet at the upcoming five-door version (codenamed F55) of the new generation Mini hatchback series, spied completely uncovered while being transferred on a trailer by a poster over at the Dutch Newminiclub forums.

It's hard to tell from these night shots, but previously spied prototypes of the car appear to sport shorter front doors and a slightly longer wheelbase than the traditional three-door version (F56) of the BMW Group's third generation "New Mini", which premiered at the  Tokyo and Los Angeles motor shows in November last year.

The Mini-loving crew over at Motoringfile says the five-door F56 should be at least 50mm (2+ inches) longer than the three-door F56, with the newly found space aiding (mainly) rear passenger legroom and to a lesser degree, the cargo area. Mini may offer both a two-seat and a traditional three-seat bench layout for the rear compartment.

Under the hood, the F55 will be offered with the same engine lineup as the F56, centered on the new 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged units.

The F56 three-door model will be the first of the new Mini hatch series to launch in the market this spring and will be followed by the F56 five-door version towards the end of the year or early 2015, and the Cabriolet (F57) next year.

Photos courtesy of Newminiclub

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XCar Says Mini Roadster Is "Brilliant Fun to Drive"

The Mini Roadster hasn’t enjoyed the sales success BMW envisioned when it launched it in 2011, and neither has its hardtop sibling, the Mini Coupe. In fact, BMW is said to discontinue the two models because of poor sales.

Before that happens, the folks from XCar took a Mini Roadster John Cooper Works for a spin and found it to be “brilliant fun to drive”. Lower and longer than the Mini Hatch Mk2 it’s based on, the Roadster has slightly sharper handling characteristics – also due to its lower center of gravity.

Powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine delivering 208 hp (211PS), the JCW variant sprints from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 147 mph.

All in all, while the Roadster is a competent, fun to drive car, the reviewer doubts that sports car enthusiasts will prefer it over a hot hatch. It’s a conclusion sales figures don’t seem to contradict.

By Dan Mihalascu

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