Three months after presenting the renewed MINI for 2021 and recently showing the changes it made to John Cooper Woorks (JCW), the British brand has just “raised the veil” to the spicier version of its convertible, the MINI John Cooper Works Convertible.
The JCW's open-air variant takes its revamped MINI Convertible as its starting point, so the modifications are limited to a few visual touches and a new infotainment system. The mechanics, on the other hand, remained identical, which is far from being a “problem”. But let's go…
As in the “conventional” version of the JCW, this JCW Convertible also presents itself with a renewed front, with the British brand of the BMW group now proposing a wider and higher grille, also incorporating two new air intakes.
On the sides, the more prominent specific skirts and the new panels on the front wheel arches stand out, where the “John Cooper Works” signature can be seen.
At the rear, the new air diffuser steals much of the attention, but it is the new stainless steel exhaust system with 85 mm diameter nozzles that is most heard and noticed.
The shade of yellow Zesty Yellow — present in the unit that illustrates this article — is an absolute novelty in the range and is only available in the JCW Convertible version, which, of course, stands out from the “brother” with a rigid roof by the hood canvas, which can be opened or closed in just 18s.
The mechanical recipe? 231 hp and manual gearbox!
On the mechanical side, this MINI John Cooper Works Convertible continues to feature a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine that produces 231 hp and 320 Nm of maximum torque, delivered to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. . An eight-speed Steptronic Sport gearbox (optional) is also available.
The manual transmission version is capable of carrying out the usual acceleration exercise from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6s, but in the automatic transmission version this exercise happens a little faster, in 6.5s.
As standard, this JCW Convertible has a sports suspension that sets it apart from other models in the range. But for the more demanding ones, there's an adaptive suspension in the option list that features frequency selective damper technology that helps smooth out irregularities in the asphalt.
More equipment
Standard, the MINI John Cooper Works Convertible features 17” (18” alloy wheels optional) and ventilated discs with red painted calipers, as well as the new 8.8” touch panel infotainment system. BMW, one of the biggest novelties in this cabin.