2025 Mini John Cooper Works 2 Door Hardtop And Convertible First Drive: Mini Lets Loose With Its Hottest Cars

For the full year of 2024, Mini sold just 26,299 cars in the U.S., down 21.5 percent from 2023. First, that’s a bit of a mirage: Mini is in the midst of debuting 11 new or newly revised models, so it was winding down production, and when there’s the new-new on the way, buyers tend to stand pat and wait. Second, what that tells you is that Mini is a tiny brand in the U.S. Honda sold ten times as many Civics in the U.S. last year, and nearly as many Civics with manual transmissions as Mini sold across 11 models. That’s pretty astonishing.

But the niche-ness comes with some unique advantages. First, its John Cooper Works cars are very “extra,” up there with the Civic Type R, the GR Corolla, and Hyundai’s N-line cars. JCW models aren’t merely cosmetically altered. They come with robust, unique engineering and way more power. Not all of these extras are perfectly executed, and we’ll get into the whys and hows, but you’re talking about special cars you should really consider for their added performance.

Second, Mini is tied at the hip to BMW, and that gives you some advantages as a customer. Unlike other niche brands (say, Lotus?), there’s a certain trust factor that you can bank on. Here’s what just dropped, and that we test drove over the past few days.

John Cooper Works Convertible And Hardtop

Just to give you the overview, Mini just dropped three JCW cars.

Study those prices and you’ll notice a few unique factors. Further down the lineup, the Cooper S Hardtop runs $33,950, while the Cooper S Convertible begins at $37,200. They share a turbocharged engine that yields 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. While the power gain to the JCW is a modest 27 horsepower from the Cooper S, the torque jumps a mega 59 pound-feet. And the Cooper S 2 Door is no slouch, by the way. We like this car a lot. It’s already quick: It can chase down 60 MPH in a reasonable 6.3 seconds, which bests an Acura Integra A-Spec that costs nearly $3,000 more.

Lusting for more in the JCW gets you to 60 MPH in 5.9 seconds, but it’s really the numbers we didn’t get from Mini that you can feel more; the JCW Hardtop and Convertible are just faster everywhere, with more immediate punch when you really want it, especially for quick passing. More than once during testing outside of Savannah, Georgia, where traffic can get decently annoying, I used that extra muscle to squirm free of clots and jump through yellow lights. These two cars are treats we could get very used to.

Two notes: The Convertible is a little heavier, by about 49 pounds vs. the Cooper S Convertible, and it’s about a half-second slower to 60 MPH, but both cars are barely more than 3,000 pounds, so they feel properly Mini fun and lithe.

Also: Yes, we mentioned the JCW Countryman, and that’s intriguing, too, but we’re covering that separately.

Suspension: Highs And Lows

The JCW cars get adaptive dampers, but they’re mechanical, not electronic. What that means is that they’re really only “adapting” to rolling over a pothole or very hard cornering. Driving around Savannah, which has some cobblestone streets, that suspension tune could feel pretty harsh. Out on the highway, the ride was less severe, but it’s not exactly quiet, and with a relatively short wheelbase, this isn’t a car you’re going to want if you live in the land of battered roads. Still, chucking the JCW Convertible or Hardtop through turns is constantly entertaining. You just have to know that the experience is never going to be placid.

By the way, your JCW Mini Cooper Hardtop can be had with 17- or 18-inch wheels, and it’s very likely that the 17-inchers are the way to go for ride comfort. My testers all had the optional Continental/Pirelli 18s with low-profile rubber, and what you may be gaining at the limit of adhesion may not be worth the trade-off.

Powertrain: Highs And Lows

Mini officials informed us that the reason there are no manual transmissions to be had in any of its American stock is simple: We’re dumb. Meaning, Americans don’t buy stick-shifts. Take rate on Mini manuals was down below 10 percent, and although that number was closer to 50 percent for JCW cars, these amount to very few cars sold annually. So we’re all punished for the misery of no self-shifters—or just us TopSpeed manual gearbox nuts lament this fact.

What remains is a perfectly decent seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. It does work well, and in the most aggressive go-kart “Experience Mode,” which is one of three default pre-sets that adjusts shift quickness and throttle tip-in, we were definitely rewarded with quick gear changes and a supremely addictive soundtrack.

This powertrain isn’t a screaming GR Corolla mill that needs to be redlined, either. The peak torque band is super wide (1,500 to 4,000 RPM), so you can rattle through the paddle shifters pretty much wherever you prefer and still feel like you’re accelerating quickly.

The gearbox will hold the car right at redline and not force an upshift unless it’s at risk of transmission damage. So you can bang into the rev limiter — say, to hold that deceleration through a tight bend — then upshift the car yourself on exit.

One blemish Mini hasn’t cured from the outgoing JCW is the torque steer. It’s bad enough in the Cooper S, and here the JCW will yank the wheel right out of your hand if you’re aggressive with the throttle. You get used to it, but it is a kind of sin for a pure sports car.

Personalization Is The Point Of Mini

There’s so much to say about why you wouldn’t get the JCW Coopers — both the Hardtop 2-Door, or the 4-Door Convertible.

Why? A Honda Civic Type R runs a bit more than $45,000, and that’s right in range of the pricing of the Cooper drop-top. Plus, that car gets a manual gearbox. There’s also the Hyundai Elantra N, which boasts 275 horsepower and also comes with a six-speed gearbox. Did we mention you can get in that car for just $35,545? Or if you want angrier, and that’s why you’re thinking JCW, there’s Toyota’s GR Corolla that sits right at $40,000 and is … polarizing. It’s loud, it’s a bit nutty, and its 295 horses come in a car that’s barely heavier than the JCW Hardtop.

But Mini being Mini, this contest clearly isn’t only about ripping tarmac. By this we mean that “cheek” has always been part of the potion. So you can, if you like, personalize the background screen of the world’s first round OLED display in any car. You can even change the signature lighting theme for the tail and LED DLRs up front.

And, speaking of unique, Mini stands out for offering 11 exterior colors, several of which can be offset with a different hue for the roof. And for convertible buyers, you can get that cloth top with a Union Jack emblazoned across its surface. Inside, they offer a beautiful array of woven cloth seating surfaces and door cards, there’s open weaving as well to compliment the dash, and everything about the JCW vibe is decidedly more upscale than what you see from the aforementioned rivals, yet still Mini fun.

Mini’s Unique Party Trick

If all of the above stylistic elan doesn’t win you over, Mini does have an ace up its sleeve: The Convertible. No question, it’s the most fun JCW of the lot, even if it’s by far the least practical car. Sure, you can flip the rear seats forward as a pass-through, and get a modicum of practicality out of the car. And I did watch four brave media members stuff themselves aboard one.

But, we won’t argue the case for pragmatism … save, perhaps, that the Convertible is more practical than a Mazda Miata, which is the only open-top sports car competition in this realm and, yes, that car with a folding hard top (the RF) will cost you nearly what the JCW Convertible runs. But what it cannot do, despite being rear-wheel-drive and offering a manual, is be as muscular and stupidly fun. Because even though the JCW has too much torque steer, and even though the suspension can feel harsh, this car wants to be the life of the party, and fully achieves that. And, for that wonderful reason, we can only tip our hats to Mini for playing to their strengths and then cranking the dial that much further.