Nothing About The 2025 Mini Cooper JCW Makes Sense, But I Love It Anyway

Everybody knows what a Mini Cooper is. Next to the Volkswagen Beetle, it's the de facto small car. Unlike the Beetle, however, the Mini Cooper — and especially the Cooper S — are more associated with the performance end of the small car spectrum, as opposed to practicality and affordability (not to say people haven't raced Beetles). Since the 1960s, people have been racing and rallying Coopers all over the world. The modern run of the Mini Cooper and its many variations keeps that Mr. Bean-associated tradition alive.

The 2025 Mini Cooper JCW (John Cooper Works) brings the performance specs of the small Mini to its logical conclusion. It's the meanest and baddest Mini you can buy at the moment, so I was pretty stoked to have one for a week. I adored the Cooper S I reviewed earlier this year, so anything that makes that car just a bit spicier is alright in my book. To make matters better, and significantly more British, the Mini Cooper JCW that showed up in the driveway was finished in "British Racing Green," just like it should be.

The biggest difference between the Cooper JCW and the Cooper S is that it has a little bit more power on tap. The engine is mostly the same, a twin-turbo BMW-provided 2.0-liter four-cylinder. While the Cooper S made 201 horsepower, the JCW cranks it up ever so slightly to 228 horsepower. While you might roll your eyes when I say that I definitely felt the difference 27 horsepower made, I am being completely honest. The JCW is an absolute rocket. 

Mini notes that the JCW can complete a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds, which is feels incredibly fast in a car as small as the JCW. Despite the power boost, fuel economy is still pretty good at a combined 30 miles per gallon (for comparison, the Cooper S gets a combined 32 miles per gallon).

As for what makes the JCW special (aside from more horsepower), first, it looks a lot meaner, with all manner of extra aggressive aerodynamic baubles festooning the surface. It certainly looks the part. Additionally, the suspension — in this case MacPherson struts in the front and a multi-link in the back — is unique to the JCW. The inside also carries its own sportier touches and motifs. It isn't just a bodykit and a small bump in power. To borrow nomenclature from Mini's BMW overlords, the JCW is kind of like the BMW M-Car version of the regular Mini Cooper.

As far as actually driving it, like its brother the Cooper S, it was a riot. It was never not fun to drive, even if I was just going down the road to pick up food or stop in at the grocery store. Every ride felt like I was doing the Death Star trench run from Star Wars, not only because everything else was towering above me, but also because it felt like I could go into hyperdrive at any moment. It's nimble too, and no manner of gesticulating with the steering wheel made the JCW feel like it was going to lose its composure.

For a car so small, it still manages to have relatively big (and optional) 18-inch wheels. I'm sure that, and its stability control software, helped the JCW stay planted despite my best efforts. Like other modern Minis it hosts a number of different driving modes, with "Go-Kart" being the sportiest. Flipping it into this mode sharpened up the throttle response, adjusted the steering feel, and most importantly, made the exhaust sound louder. I kept it in this mode for the majority of my test because it was so darn fun. The big central exhaust pipe just adds to the wackiness. I love it.

Compared to the exterior and the driving dynamics, the interior is generally not all that interesting. Taking essentially all of its cues from the Cooper and Cooper S, it's a small, yet functionally pretty roomy cabin that isn't all that special apart from the big circular screen in the middle. Like the Cooper S I previously drove, the circular touchscreen was mostly fine and would occasionally lag, but the novelty  of the shape wore off fairly quickly. 

As with the Cooper S, the JCW was definitely practical enough as an everyday drive. I fit a week's worth of groceries in the Mini without any hassle, and unless you were transporting sheets of drywall or a kayak, most people probably wouldn't run into storage issues.

Alex Hevesy/SlashGear

Your mileage may vary, but I never had a problem with how small the car was. My one qualm from the driver seat was related to comfort. Given the JCW's sporty nature, its stiff suspension does not impart any fuzzy feelings on my back. You feel every bump and pebble on the road and while that might be advantageous on a track, running to the pharmacy in a suburb of Baltimore is another thing entirely. I understand why the suspension is a little "sportier," I just don't have to like it.

Everything about the Mini Cooper and its variations is small, except the price, and the Cooper JCW is no different. (Note, Mini has already started selling the 2026 model of the JCW, so the prices I list are for the 2025 model and, additionally, may not reflect any tariff-related wackiness that may occur). The 2025 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works starts at a steep $40,600; the "Iconic Trim" adds front power seats, parking assists, Mini's driver assistance tech, and an interior camera for $2,000. 

The optional 18-inch wheels are $600, but features like the extra aerodynamic touches, British Racing Green paint, and a Harmon Kardon sound system are all included in the trim. Add in the destination charge of $1,175 and you arrive at the final price of $44,375 for the privilege of spritely British motoring.

Is nearly $45,000 a good deal for a tiny car with less than 250 horsepower? No, it's not. If you're looking for pure performance for the price, there are about a dozen different cars you can buy. A new, base model Mustang is substantially cheaper yet more powerful; an Acura Integra is going to be more practical as a four-door; and the used market is full of decades-worth of cheap performance cars. But if the question is will any of those be as fun to drive as the Mini Cooper JCW, I'd argue that other cars might not fit the bill. The JCW is expensive — objectively too expensive given its specs — but it might be the most fun car I've driven this year that doesn't cost well over six-figures. It's a bad deal monetarily, but it's a good deal for your ability to experience adrenaline.