When I was in the MINI garage today, I had a look at the new 2nd generation JCW. This car costs the Euro equivalent of c.STG£31,200 in Ireland, and is therefore c.STG£8,600 more expensive than a Cooper S at c.STG£22,600.
For a car with such a miserly spec, I think its price is nothing short of an absolute rip-off. Let's just see the main things you get for your extra STG£8,600:
(i) An extra few h.p. (and in the opinion of pretty every journalist's report i have read on it, too much power for the chassis).
(ii) A red gear lever top (about SGT£0.50 worth).
(iii) The JCW body kit (c.£1,250 worth, and at that overpriced for a kit that cheapens the car's looks).
(iv) A set of alloys that are nowhere near as nice as flame spokes.
(v) A JCW exhaust system, and a few little badges here and there.
To offer a car like this at the equivalent of c.STG£31,200 in Ireland, and then not even to fit foglights as standard is ridiculous.
The JCW should not only have all of the aforemetioned, but for it's price, it should have every single extra on the MINI options list as standard. I looked out at my R56 MINI One parked in front of the showroom, and admittedly it is a very high spec MINI One, but with its flame spokes, fogs, chrome mirrors, stripes, chrome pack, white lenses, and all the rest of it, it looked much better than the JCW sitting beside me in the showroom!
For a car with such a miserly spec, I think its price is nothing short of an absolute rip-off. Let's just see the main things you get for your extra STG£8,600:
(i) An extra few h.p. (and in the opinion of pretty every journalist's report i have read on it, too much power for the chassis).
(ii) A red gear lever top (about SGT£0.50 worth).
(iii) The JCW body kit (c.£1,250 worth, and at that overpriced for a kit that cheapens the car's looks).
(iv) A set of alloys that are nowhere near as nice as flame spokes.
(v) A JCW exhaust system, and a few little badges here and there.
To offer a car like this at the equivalent of c.STG£31,200 in Ireland, and then not even to fit foglights as standard is ridiculous.
The JCW should not only have all of the aforemetioned, but for it's price, it should have every single extra on the MINI options list as standard. I looked out at my R56 MINI One parked in front of the showroom, and admittedly it is a very high spec MINI One, but with its flame spokes, fogs, chrome mirrors, stripes, chrome pack, white lenses, and all the rest of it, it looked much better than the JCW sitting beside me in the showroom!