MINI John Cooper Works Convertible – drop-top fun

MINI John Cooper Works Convertible 4

The F56 MINI John Cooper Works which debuted in December, 2014, is a pretty exciting car on its own. However, there are those who longed for an even more exciting version of the hot hatch. Therefore, MINI has answered those demands with the introduction of the new MINI JCW Convertible.

With the driver now able to expose himself/herself to the elements, it should make for a whole lot more thrilling ride, right? Anyways, the soft-top version of the MINI JCW retains much of the go-fast bits from the hard-top. Under the hood, the B58 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine still produces 231 hp at 5,200-6,000 rpm and 320 Nm at 1,250-4,800 rpm, sent to the front wheels.

When paired with a six-speed manual or six-speed Steptronic auto, the JCW Convertible will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 6.6 seconds (0.3 seconds slower than the hard-top) and 6.5 seconds (0.4 seconds slower than the hard-top), respectively. The top speed also receives a downgrade from the hard-top’s 246 km/h to 242 km/h in the manual variant, and 240 km/h for the auto variant.

The main visual distinction is of course the fully-electrically-powered soft-top. According to MINI the folding operation now operates at a lower decibel count, and takes just 18 second to open or close. The sliding roof function is available at any road speed, but if closing and opening the roof can only be done below 30 km/h. Oh, you can specify the roof with a Union Jack graphic as well.

Beyond that however, everything remains nearly unchanged from the hard-top JCW. The 17-inch John Cooper Works Race Spoke light alloy wheels are still here (with optional 18-inch ones), along with LED head- and tail lights, large air intakes in place of the fog lamps and new front apron. For those looking to add a bit more style, JCW hood stripes as well as exterior and interior components from the John Cooper Works Pro design line are available.

Inside, the cabin can be specified with a host of optional equipment, including a MINI heads-up display, two-zone automatic air-conditioning, a navigation system with MINI Touch Controller, any many more. Standard equipment include JCW sports seats, fully integrated rollover protection bars, MINI Connected in-car infotainment and a JCW leather steering wheel.

MINI John Cooper Works Convertible 13

As for safety and driving assistance systems, the JCW Convertible comes with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) as standard with DTC (Dynamic Traction Control), EDLC (Electronic Differential Lock Control) and Performance Control. A Dynamic Damper Control is also available for the convertible as an option.

With both models of the MINI John Cooper Works now out in the open, which one do you fancy most? The hard-top variant is already available here in Malaysia for RM288,888 (OTR without insurance), and we should expect the convertible to make its way here as well.

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • affordable hatchback at uk sale as sport car up to 300 000 at bolehland , why because we can.

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