As the top trim levels of the Mini Cooper hardtop, the Cooper convertible, the Cooper Clubman, and the Cooper Countryman, Mini?s sporty John Cooper Works models are the Minis with the mostest. They get the most luxury features, the boldest styling, the most aggressive wheels and tires, and the most powerful mill Mini makes: a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that has been goosed to 228 horsepower and between 238 and 258 lb-ft of torque. Thing is, each one costs a bloody fortune, at least compared to their Cooper S counterparts?adding between $5600 and $7450 to their prices. Toss in some popular options and the JCW?s prices can rise well into the $40K range. Ain?t nothing mini about that.
For the last several years, Mini has made some performance accessories available on the Mini hardtops and convertibles to help bridge the power and price gap between the S and JCW models. These John Cooper Works tuning kits include software upgrades and all-new exhaust systems to help boost power and make sexy sounds while they?re at it. Now, for the first time, Mini has developed John Cooper Works tuning kits for the larger Clubman and Countryman models?the S versions, specifically. As with the JCW kits for the hardtop and convertible Coopers, the JCW kits for the Clubman S and Countryman S include new low-back-pressure exhaust systems as well as engine software tweaks that unlock additional power. Mini says the new kit raises horsepower from 189 to 208 ponies at 6000 rpm while boosting...