Tue 17 Mar 2009
Based on the total cost to own the Mini JCW, is the extra horsepower really worth it?
Being a Mini fan I would say definitely! But this would be a biased opinion since I do own a JCW. Seriously, considering the Total Cost to Own or the TCO, this would be a very relative question. This would really all depend on how much you like/love the Mini. But from a practical, logical point of view I would choose the Clubman S for several reasons which I will lay out in a future post.
Concentrating on the TCO, the S is cheaper by $7000; depreciation is lower by $2500 as well as all the rest of the taxes, fees and insurance costs. You mentioned horsepower. The JCW and The S are powered by 16 valve 4cyl engines but the S has an inline and the JCW a transverse aluminum block. The JCW has 208hp and the S 172 hp for a difference 36 horses. The S can accelerate from 0-60 in a decent 6.7 seconds while the JCW can do it in 6.5 seconds. So again is the extra 36 hp and .2 seconds worth the extra clams? Again, this is a relative question only you can answer. Personally my Mini JCW is a fun ride and I love it.
