Mini may have wowed the crowds with its
crazy-looking JCW GP concept but the more regular models are also getting ready
to excite them with their planned facelift. The company visited the Nurburgring
for some testing of the facelifted version of the three-door John Cooper Works
model which will adopt some small visual updates along with some slightly
bigger changes under the skin.
For starters, the facelifted line of Minis will get
a redesigned set of headlights and taillights with a new signature that adopts
the Union Jack design as previewed by the company’s concepts in Frankfurt.
However this will not be a subtle nip n’ tuck for
the Mini hatchback as the company apparently is planning a revised turbo setup
for the petrol engine lineup, like housing the exhaust manifold and
turbocharger together in the cylinder head instead of being separate.
The three-cylinder Cooper models will also get an
aluminum casing for their turbos while the four-cylinder Cooper S and JCW are
getting steel casings. The cooling system of all versions will be improved,
which also helps in reducing the CO2 output and of course power for all models,
including the JCW, is expected to be slightly increased. For reference, the
current JCW offers 228 hp from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
There are also some rumors about Mini introducing a
new, dual-clutch automatic gearbox as well but we would take this with a grain
of salt for the time being. Other revisions will of course include new exterior
color options, with the usual new wheel designs and interior trim options to
also be present.
Cr : Carscoops