Mini JCW Convertible now faster and cheaper

The price of the hottest version of the new folding-roof Mini has been lowered and its performance has been improved. The dollar drop of the Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible follows price cuts to other versions of the drop-top and it falls $3600 to $54,900.

While there’s still a significant premium over the $45,400 mid-range Cooper S Convertible, the JCW gains a more powerful engine and additional features.

Standard items for JCW Convertible include JCW sports seats, sportier suspension, 18-inch light alloy wheels, navigation, head-up display, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder is the same engine as the one installed in the Mini JCW three-door hatch, and boasts 170kW of power and 320Nm of torque, increases of 15kW and 60Nm on the previous JCW Convertible.

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A six-speed manual gearbox is available this time, for no extra charge, over the standard six-speed paddle-shift auto. That contrasts with the extra $2550 asked for a JCW hatch with a manual transmission.

A 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.5 seconds is quoted for the automatic Mini JCW Convertible and 6.6 seconds for the manual. That makes the JCW six-tenths quicker than the Cooper S Convertible to 100km/h.

For sportier handling, the JCW variant also gains stiffer suspension with a variable shock absorber system.

As with other Convertible models, the JCW’s fabric roof takes 18 seconds to lower and the fully electric operation can be done at up to 30km/h. A sliding roof function is also included.