2016 Mini John Cooper Works convertible revealed: Australian debut still to be confirmed
The new 2016 Mini John Cooper Works convertible has been revealed this week, after first appearing in light camouflage early in 2015.
Joining the hatch variant that hit Australia in July last year, the new Cooper JCW convertible debuts at the top of the droptop Mini range. The convertible is still to be confirmed for an Australian debut, however.
As with its hatch sibling, the 2016 Cooper JCW convertible is driven by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-scroll turbo petrol engine, delivering 170kW at 5200rpm and 320Nm from 1250-4800rpm.
Those figures represent a neat 29kW and 40Nm increase over the one-step-down Cooper S model, which was likewise given a handy power boost between generations.
In six-speed manual form, the Cooper JCW convertible sprints to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds, bettering its 155kW/260-280Nm predecessor by 0.3 seconds. (The 105kg-lighter hatch is around 0.3 seconds quicker.)
Opt for the six-speed Steptronic auto and that time is shaved again to 6.5 seconds, out-punching the previous auto-equipped model by an even neater 0.6 seconds.
On the European test cycle, the Cooper JCW convertible lists fuel use at 6.5L/100km for the manual, and 5.9L/100km with the auto. Mini claims these figures represent an improvement of five and 19 per cent respectively.
Standard kit in the hero sports droptop includes 17-inch alloy wheels, the now familiar JCW-specific sports styling and aero kit, sports seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and stainless-steel pedals.
The 2016 Mini John Cooper Works Convertible is still to be confirmed for Australia.
The company’s local communications manager, Lenore Fletcher, telling CarAdvice this week that if the JCW convertible makes its way down-under, a second-half 2016 debut would be the most likely outcome.
As with the wider Cooper range, the JCW convertible would likely be priced well beneath its $58,500 predecessor, coming closer instead to its new $47,400 hatch sibling.
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