2009 MINI Cooper Clubman
2009 MINI Clubman John Cooper Works – Click above for high-res image gallery The names MINI and John Cooper have been intertwined for more than 40 years and now they are closer than ever. When British race car and engine builder Cooper prepped the original MINIs for the Monte Carlo rally back in the 1960s, he helped cement the iconic status of the little car. When the MINI was reborn as a product of BMW earlier this decade, the Cooper model was a standard element of the lineup. A semi-official tuned John Cooper works edition was also available for the hard-core addicts. Earlier this year, BMW announced that the John Cooper Works MINI would become an official factory product analogous to M models from its parent company BMW. The JCW edition is available on both the standard MINI hardtop and the extra-length Clubman. Having a JCW MINI means you have opted for the fastest factory MINI ever built. We spent a week with a John Cooper Works MINI Clubman in the Autoblog Garage just as winter weather clamped down on Michigan. Find out how this maximum fared in wintry Motown after the jump. %Gallery-38916% Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. At first glance the JCW Clubman doesn't look dramatically different from a regular Cooper or Cooper S. A pair of small John Cooper Works badges grace the lower right corners of the front grille and tail-gate. The most obvious visual distinction for the JCW is the wheels. Back when Sir Alec Issignosis created the original Austin Mini in the late 1950s it included a number of innovations like newly developed 10-inch wheels. In 2008, such tiny footwear would be laughed off the road, so the JCW gets 17-inch alloys wrapped in 205/45-17 Continental rubber. Remember that winter weather we mentioned? Those 17-inch tires were the biggest issue with this MINI since the car came to us wearing a summer compound, totally unsuited to snow and ice. Before I began writing about cars I spent 17 years as an engineer working on electronic slip control systems like ABS, traction and stability control. These systems can do amazing things to keep you out of trouble and help prevent accidents. Unfortunately, as good as slip control can be, it can only help a driver use the maximum amount of traction available. The key there is available traction. Here's where those tires play a bottle neck. If you run summer tires on snowy roads, slip control can't make traction where there is no physical grip between the tire and road. In my neighborhood, there is a long hill going up one of the side streets. On my way home from the grocery store I decided to go up that road and as I climbed the hill, the traction control light was flashing as the system worked feverishly to keep wheel spin under control. All the while the car got slower and slower until it finally came to a complete stop about …
Full Review
2009 MINI Clubman John Cooper Works – Click above for high-res image gallery The names MINI and John Cooper have been intertwined for more than 40 years and now they are closer than ever. When British race car and engine builder Cooper prepped the original MINIs for the Monte Carlo rally back in the 1960s, he helped cement the iconic status of the little car. When the MINI was reborn as a product of BMW earlier this decade, the Cooper model was a standard element of the lineup. A semi-official tuned John Cooper works edition was also available for the hard-core addicts. Earlier this year, BMW announced that the John Cooper Works MINI would become an official factory product analogous to M models from its parent company BMW. The JCW edition is available on both the standard MINI hardtop and the extra-length Clubman. Having a JCW MINI means you have opted for the fastest factory MINI ever built. We spent a week with a John Cooper Works MINI Clubman in the Autoblog Garage just as winter weather clamped down on Michigan. Find out how this maximum fared in wintry Motown after the jump. %Gallery-38916% Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. At first glance the JCW Clubman doesn't look dramatically different from a regular Cooper or Cooper S. A pair of small John Cooper Works badges grace the lower right corners of the front grille and tail-gate. The most obvious visual distinction for the JCW is the wheels. Back when Sir Alec Issignosis created the original Austin Mini in the late 1950s it included a number of innovations like newly developed 10-inch wheels. In 2008, such tiny footwear would be laughed off the road, so the JCW gets 17-inch alloys wrapped in 205/45-17 Continental rubber. Remember that winter weather we mentioned? Those 17-inch tires were the biggest issue with this MINI since the car came to us wearing a summer compound, totally unsuited to snow and ice. Before I began writing about cars I spent 17 years as an engineer working on electronic slip control systems like ABS, traction and stability control. These systems can do amazing things to keep you out of trouble and help prevent accidents. Unfortunately, as good as slip control can be, it can only help a driver use the maximum amount of traction available. The key there is available traction. Here's where those tires play a bottle neck. If you run summer tires on snowy roads, slip control can't make traction where there is no physical grip between the tire and road. In my neighborhood, there is a long hill going up one of the side streets. On my way home from the grocery store I decided to go up that road and as I climbed the hill, the traction control light was flashing as the system worked feverishly to keep wheel spin under control. All the while the car got slower and slower until it finally came to a complete stop about …
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Retail Price
$20,200 - $20,200
MSRP / Window Sticker Price
| Engine | 1.6L I-4 |
| MPG | Up to 28 city / 37 highway |
| Seating | 4 Passengers |
| Transmission | 6-spd man w/OD |
| Power | 118 @ 6000 rpm |
| Drivetrain | front-wheel |
| Curb Weight | 2,723 lbs |
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