2019 MINI Clubman JCW and Countryman JCW revealed

MINI has revealed a brace of new performance models that are expected in Australia in the coming months: the Clubman wagon JCW and Countryman JCW.

As with any MINI bearing the John Cooper Works badge, this pair build on their donor cars by promising more performance and a longer features list.

The big change for 2019 is the installation of a 225kW/450Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder borrowed from the BMW X2 M35i and mated to an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Officially, the four-pot is the most powerful engine fitted to a MINI, facilitating a claimed nought to 100km/h dash of 4.9 seconds in the Clubman JCW and 5.1 seconds in the heavier Countryman JCW.

For perspective, the new engine trumps the predecessor models by 55kW and 100Nm, and whittles back the benchmark 0-100 claim by 1.4 second and 1.5 seconds respectively.

Elsewhere, the JCW duo gets a new exhaust system, a petrol particulate filter compliant with the Euro 6d emissions compliance, a mechanical differential lock for the front axle, new and larger JCW brakes, along with Matrix LED headlights and Union Jack LED tail-lights (Clubman JCW).

Brakes have also been beefed up to 360mm front disc and 330mm rear, clamped by six-piston and four-piston callipers, while the chassis, dampers and springs have also been revisited.

Those changes are in addition to updates on the donor cars, announced in April.

There are no firm details on when the JCW pairing will arrive in Australia, and at what price. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.