Mini Cooper S Clubman (F54) JCW Ownership Review

Introduction and Story of 'Why This Car?'

After selling my last car (Mini Cooper S JCW), I found myself in a bit of a pickle. This was just after the first wave of COVID, and the bonkers second-hand car market was beginning to take shape. Since I was in search of a fun weekend and road trip car, there was no rush. I wanted to explore the available options in the market.

Unfortunately, after six months of searching, my wife grew tired of me 'borrowing' her car and issued an ultimatum. Buy a car for myself ASAP or start taking an Uber to get around. Fortunately, around the same time, I came across a massive ad in the newspaper for the first-ever 'BMW Auction' of their fleet cars. Many of these were corporate/company cars that hadn't been abused like media cars. It was the first time BMW officially conducted an event like this, and I noticed they had set steep fees to avoid unnecessary bids. Excited, I became a proxy bidder for several out-of-town friends who wanted me to check out the cars they were interested in.

Loaner Clubman 'Indian Summer Red' Edition that I had briefly

I want to emphasize that during this time, I indeed visited various popular used car dealers in Delhi NCR specializing in exotics. Needless to say, I was thoroughly offended by the way they conducted their business. The cars were repaired at non-authorized centers, they used fake or used parts to fix issues, and old tires (pre-COVID stock) were installed. Additionally, the practice of accepting cash became rampant. For example, a 70 lakh rupee car could be paid with 20 lakhs in cash and 50 in white. This is also one of the significant reasons why used cars cost as much as new ones, as people with black money can easily purchase these cars without scrutiny.

Needless to say, I was not prepared to shell out my hard-earned money to exotic wheeler dealers. When I confronted them about these issues, there was no satisfactory response. I distinctly remember a day when I went with my chequebook to finalize a deal on a Porsche 718 Cayman (the dealer had 4-5 of them in stock), but I returned empty-handed. It didn't make sense for me to pay around 75 lakhs for a '16 or '17 718. I understand these are going for even more now that Porsche has increased the prices.

A picture of a friends car (unrelated) Cayman remains a dream!

Fast forward to auction day. I had gone with the intention of bidding on a gorgeous Hockenheim Silver M2 Competition. I was worried about closing the deal since there was only one M2 on sale, and I was sure that interest would be high. Apart from this, I checked out several other cars in detail for friends, such as the M5, X4M (the only one in India), X4, Mini Cooper S, and Mini Countryman, to name a few.


Purchase Experience

It's funny how things conspired. There was a bunch of really gorgeous-looking Clubmans parked next to the M2. I had always loved this car but had never seriously considered it. Also, I had a sinking feeling that my bid would likely be too low for the M2, so I decided to check out these Clubmans for myself. Out of the three cars there, one was the latest and greatest 'Indian Summer Red' edition model with all the bells and whistles, unregistered, which I loved but didn't really like its interior. I had one of these briefly, and the 18-inch rims with low-profile runflats were a bad idea. So, I turned my attention to the other two. There was one with 5000 mileage and another one with 15000. I sat in the car, and it was loaded to the gills: Harmon Kardon Audio, gorgeous Indigo Dakota leather seats, Pano Roof, HUD, Electric seats, and finally, wireless CarPlay, which literally sealed the deal for me.

Always a great experience at Bird Auto!

I immediately returned with my wife in tow for the second day of the auction, showed her a few cars I was interested in, and kept the Clubman for last. She instantly loved the car, and I placed the bid. Luckily, BMW contacted me a little while later, informing me that I had won the bid, and my preferred dealer, 'Bird Auto,' would take care of the purchase responsibilities. Thanks to my familiarity with the dealer, the process was extremely smooth. I got the car financed by Mini Financial Services (again) and received the delivery on the day I wanted. Bird Auto is definitely the go-to dealer if you own a BMW, leagues better than the other dealers in NCR, in my opinion.

Spec, Factory Options & Add-ons

After winning the car, I realized it was a limited edition 'Pure Burgundy' edition that came with every option ticked. Initially, I wasn't in love with the burgundy color as it looked dull and faded. My opinion changed after paint correction and detailing; boy, it looked amazing, but I'll let the pictures do the talking. I went with Dazzle Detailers, and they really did a fabulous job on the car. The car has absolutely gorgeous ambient lighting that keeps shifting between colours in the night on the doors.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hBM4NMtQSSk

Ambient lighting on the door

Here are the notable options on the car:

• HUD
• Harman Kardon Audio
• Dakota Leather Seats (very soft and nice feeling, unlike regular leather) in indigo
• Fully Electric seats (the only Mini that gets them)
• Wireless CarPlay

Full options list of the car:
bimmer.work VIN Decoder for BMW.pdf

Day-to-Day Life with the Clubman



Honestly, the Clubman really surprised us with its usefulness and practicality in day-to-day life. The car was low but didn't struggle over speed breakers. The space in the back was super comfortable for two people; in fact, it was luxurious. The space inside versus the footprint of the car outside was fantastic. It was easy to park, but I would have preferred front parking sensors as well.

City Mileage: 8-10
Highway Mileage: 13-15

Likes:
- Comfortable and luxurious experience with the pep of a Mini
- Stands out; station wagons aren't common in India at all
- Remote opening the rear boot never gets old; the split tailgate blows mall watchmen's minds. I've had so many looks with it, and the best part is you don't have to open both doors; you can just open one and use it.
- A crazy amount of accessories available for it, check out this catalog attached at the end of this post

Dislikes:
- AC could have cooled better, with the glass all around and four occupants and a dog in the car, we had a tough time during a peak summer drive from Delhi to Chandigarh
- Not offered in AWD or JCW trims in India
- Not possible to get choice in colour or options, only pre configured cars. Likely due to volume being extremely low
- Expensive at retail price

Styling



When the car came stock, I wasn't too happy with the chrome bits, and during the course of my ownership, got rid of them one by one. Initially, I experimented with a wrap on the chrome grill, headlight surrounds, etc., and really loved the black look. I decided to get them painted. To anyone considering trying the 'shadow line' look on their cars, wraps are a cheap and easy way to know if you'll like it. I eventually got the blacked-out version of the badging as well and only kept the JCW badge in chrome as a nice contrast element. Few other items like side indicators were also swapped to a smoked version, and I am very proud of the final look. What do you think?

Blacking it out slowly, post a detailing session at Dazzle








Build Quality



Build, fit, and finish are the best for any Mini and a notch above typical F-gen BMW quality, in my opinion. The center console was rock-solid soft-touch rubber-type material, extending to the doors, controls, and anything you would touch. Full marks here! There was minimal wind noise and NVH experienced, further enhancing the luxury feel of the car.

Performance

With the JCW Exhaust and remap, the car really came into its own and was a hoot to drive. Because this car didn't have paddles (go figure), I had a lot of fun using the center gear lever (which is decently tall and chunky) to shift up and down. The car never felt lacking for power and sounded amazing with the JCW exhaust crackles. This car is based on the 2 series tourer and came with ZF8, which is a legendary box and was decently quick for the car.

JCW Exhaust Sound

The suspension is on the softer side, but the ride was plush and compliant on both good and bad roads. The car is not a Cooper S hatch and doesn't like tight quick turns but prefers long swooping corners at good speeds. Handling is good for the car, but again, it's not a Cooper S. To enjoy this car, you need to give smoother inputs, irrespective of the speeds you are doing, and it rewards you. There is body roll when making fast direction changes.

Brakes were great, and even with spirited driving, they never felt lacking. Engine cooling was also great, and the car never struggled with high ambient temperatures. The steering was neutral(ish) and offered a good driving feel, even though feedback was muted a bit.

Road Trips

One of the big reasons to get this was the solid road trip credentials with a full safety kit of airbags and all. But it didn't have any adaptive cruise or ADAS features. We, as a family, did a bunch of road trips together, but the most notable one was a trip from Delhi to Dharamshala, which we did after the first lockdown and moved there with the full family for three weeks.

Somewhere in the hills

Notable highlights from this trip:

• Car carried four full-sized humans and one Cocker Spaniel-sized dog and their luggage for three weeks inside. No issues with the car bottoming out or anything else.
• There was a moment when everyone inside the car fell asleep in the ghats section before Dharamshala. This is a big deal for me because, according to my wife, I drive like a crazy man, and everyone suffered from nausea in the hills. This proved the car had an absolutely sublime ride and comfort.
• We went up for a day trip on some crazy narrow roads and with water channel crossing which had very sharp angles. The car performed extremely well with only a slight touching of the exhaust bend pipe.
• The JCW Exhaust really woke up the sleepy town of Dharamshala when I was there, and the sound was amazing in the hills.

Long-Term Review and Closing Remarks

Chilling with friends

I drove the car for almost 20,000 km, and it was an amazing experience. I was honestly really sad to let it go. It was used by both me and my wife to commute to work, shopping, drives, and I even used to take calls in it regularly. Such an amazing machine that could fit really well in most urban homes. We covered decent mileage in the car every month, and thanks to the warranty and service package, we had full peace of mind and could enjoy it to the fullest. I sold the car sometime around August '22 because I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to get something really special. A kind of dream for me but we will keep that to another thread.

I would highly recommend this car for folks in the market who can live with its flaws. There aren't many, and due to less demand, I feel this car is underpriced compared to how crazy used car prices are getting. Please feel free to ask me anything about the car, I will keep responding on the thread.

I will leave some memorable pictures that I've taken of the car which I couldn't place in the review here.

Blacked out transformation complete


Blacked out transformation complete

Attached Files

MINI Clubman F54 Accessory Brochure LR (1).pdf (8.49 MB, 38 views)

Thank you for sharing your experience. I can see that a Mini can be rather well-behaved in Indian conditions. I've always had a soft spot for rare and quirky cars like the Clubman, and my wife's always been a fan of Minis. Any advice on buying a Mini, seeing that this is probably your second? What is the running cost like? Is it worth considering a used Mini Cooper? I see them going around for only a little more than my top-of-the-line Altroz DCA.

TIA
-Locallingappan

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