Mini John Cooper Works Gets A Mid-life Refresh

• Design updates include a restyled front bumper, bigger front grille, and a new rear diffuser.

• The biggest update is an updated 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

• It is powered by a 231PS/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, with 6-speed manual and 8-speed automatic transmission options.

• The Mini JCW can also be availed with new optional adaptive suspension.

• India-spec JCW could get the same updates by the end of 2021 or early 2022.

The Mini John Cooper Works is quite the potent hatchback, with go-kart-like handling prowess in a small package. Now, Mini has enhanced that hot hatch experience by giving it a mid-life refresh. And it's a decent set of updates that make it more appealing than ever before. 

Up front, it retains that nice blend of cutesy, yet aggressive hatch, with round LED headlights and the sporty front grille, that now extends further down the front bumper. Complementing the grille are large air intakes, and more openings around the bumper. A revised diffuser rounds off the exterior changes.

The biggest upgrade is when you head inside, with an updated 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, with a new operating system and trendier graphics. Another addition to the hot hatch is Live Widgets, in which can be selected via a swiping motion on the touchscreen display. 

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Unfortunately, the hot hatch remains mechanically unchanged under the hood, retaining the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol mill. It churns out 231PS power and 320Nm of torque, and can be paired with either  a 6-speed manual or 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. The 0-100kmph sprint is achieved in 6.3 seconds (manual) and 6.1 seconds (automatic). 

The Mini JCW already benefits from a performance-focused suspension setup compared to standard Mini hatchbacks. And now, Mini has added more handling prowess with optional adaptive suspension. 

Back home, Mini retails the previous iteration of the John Cooper Works hot hatch at a price tag of Rs 44.50 lakh (ex-showroom India). It’s unclear when we will get the updated version, but if we go by history, we may have to wait until the end of this year, or even early 2022 before it arrives. It continues to sit on the apex of hot hatches in India, with no specific rivals as such.

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