MINI JCW Challenge

[Matt97]

So after selling my M235i last year as I wanted a GP2 which didn't happen for a number of reasons I ended up buying a well spec'd used F56 JCW in Lapis blue. It was a safe buy for me as I'd driven quite a few of them already so knew what I was getting. All was well but after a few months with the JCW I was just having a "browse" online when I spotted a Challenge Edition for sale that was affordable. I knew of them but had only ever seen one in person, I saw it as a middle ground between a standard JCW and a GP with the added usability of the rear seats that a GP doesn't have...even if there's not much room in the back! So after a few weeks wait I got to see/drive the car and I was happy with it so decided it was for me. It's done more miles than any other I've seen for sale but I wasn't too worried as the is going to get used regularly.

I collected the car a week later and I haven't missed all the options my old JCW had since. The CID screen in my old car does look much better than the standard radio unit in the challenge but the other tweaks to the challenge make up for it. I'm probably wrong but I don't think the challenge is too "in your face" well not compared to the new GP3 apart from the stripes that is.

After 500 road miles on a mix of A/B, rural roads and motorways I'm happy with it. The suspension is surprisingly compliant on the road which was my main concern after reading some reviews, yes it's firm but no more than I was expecting. The Cup 2 tyres are not too bad in the damp but not so good on a flooded dual carriageway last weekend . The exhaust is a bit asbo when the valve is open but the pops & crackles always make me laugh It's far from the best hot hatch you can buy but I'm enjoying it.

It needs a few cosmetic bits sorting which I'm hoping to do over time and I'd like to get the suspension set up checked/adjusted. But I'm just hoping to get out and use it as much as I can I haven't taken many good photos but I've put a few below...

Trip to Goodwood last weekend



Old & New

[cerb4.5lee]

Very nice and I bet that is an absolute riot to drive!

[DanielSan]

Had a look round one of these at Oulton Park last year. They manage to look subtle but purposeful and the spec on them is perfect. It's a yes from me

[MDifficult]

Absolutely fantastic, I love these.

I think they’ll prove to be an outstanding buy in future too as they’re so rare, and so unlikely to be repeated.

Hope you continue to enjoy it!

[NeilAndHisMini]

Sorry I missed you at Goodwood on Sunday, did spot the Challenge parked up, but was on a tight schedule.

The car looks great, hope to get a closer look at Brooklands if it still goes ahead.

[147lusso]

I've spent a fair bit of time in one of these and as others have alluded to, it's a riot! Never fails to make you smile and handles like it's on rails. The pops'n'bangs are hilarious however I find it sounds best with the valve open but in Mid mode.

Throw some Recaro fixed buckets in there, and maybe a visit to Lohen to tweak the power and you'd have quite some car. Enjoy, OP!

[Mr Moley]

Congrats - they are great fun if you're happy to live with the ride - I have an unused wheel and tyre lying around somewhere if you're interested

[5harp3y]

didn't know these existed!

[Matt97]

cerb4.5lee said:

Very nice and I bet that is an absolute riot to drive!

Thanks, it's more fun to drive than the M235i was!

DanielSan said:

Had a look round one of these at Oulton Park last year. They manage to look subtle but purposeful and the spec on them is perfect. It's a yes from me

Thanks

MDifficult said:

Absolutely fantastic, I love these.

I think they’ll prove to be an outstanding buy in future too as they’re so rare, and so unlikely to be repeated.

Hope you continue to enjoy it!

Thanks, I agree in a few years as the prices drop further and they'll be relatively good value. There's a few for sale at the moment but most of them are low mileage cars and are still around £25k. I'd never seen another on the road until I got mine and then I saw one in my local town!

NeilAndHisMini said:

Sorry I missed you at Goodwood on Sunday, did spot the Challenge parked up, but was on a tight schedule.

The car looks great, hope to get a closer look at Brooklands if it still goes ahead.

No worries Neil looked like you were having a great time! It looks ok from a distance, hopefully it does go ahead and I'll be able to say hello!

147lusso said:

I've spent a fair bit of time in one of these and as others have alluded to, it's a riot! Never fails to make you smile and handles like it's on rails. The pops'n'bangs are hilarious however I find it sounds best with the valve open but in Mid mode.

Throw some Recaro fixed buckets in there, and maybe a visit to Lohen to tweak the power and you'd have quite some car. Enjoy, OP!

Current impressions are good but would like to get out on track to use it properly. I wasn't sure on the exhaust at first but it only took a few goes with it to change my mind I'm not planning on doing any modifications to it but I can see the appeal of some more supportive seats & I'm sure a few extra bhp would make a positive difference .

Mr Moley said:

Congrats - they are great fun if you're happy to live with the ride - I have an unused wheel and tyre lying around somewhere if you're interested

Thanks, the ride is how I expected it to be but I can see why people would be put off by it though! I'm looking at buying a full spare set of the team dynamics in the future.

5harp3y said:

didn't know these existed!

Now you do

[ollyh1988]

Brilliant choice! I had a standard JCW which I really enjoyed / can’t imagine how much better this one is. Worth it for the noise alone according to every review - is it too loud or just right?

[irish boy]

Great cars. Am I right there was 2 versions of the challenge, a 210 hp one as well?

[Matt97]

ollyh1988 said:

Brilliant choice! I had a standard JCW which I really enjoyed / can’t imagine how much better this one is. Worth it for the noise alone according to every review - is it too loud or just right?

Thanks, the standard JCWs are brilliant cars! I think for most people the standard JCW is a better option mainly due to the ride not being to everyone's approval. I'm glad the exhaust is valved/switchable as I wouldn't want to have it in "loud" mode all the time

irish boy said:

Great cars. Am I right there was 2 versions of the challenge, a 210 hp one as well?

Thanks, that correct. They did the 210 which was a Cooper S with the 210 tuning kit fitted & this version which is a JCW with a few extra bits added but no extra power over the standard JCW

[Matt97]

Stopped for a couple of poor quality phone pics today, the cars desperate for a good clean now though

[addz86]

I love these, I was hoping they’d go under the radar a bit and be a second hand bargain but it doesn’t seem that way
The wife’s just bought a JCW 5 door hatch and it’s a right laugh, I seem to be spending more time in that than my GP1 at the moment

[stevemcs]

Cloth interior and an alcantara steering wheel, mmmmm

[Matt97]

addz86 said:

I love these, I was hoping they’d go under the radar a bit and be a second hand bargain but it doesn’t seem that way
The wife’s just bought a JCW 5 door hatch and it’s a right laugh, I seem to be spending more time in that than my GP1 at the moment

Don't worry, now I've bought one they'll probably be worth £10 next week . The GPs seem to be appreciating & I can see why, they are a special car. I've been lucky enough to drive a couple of GP1s and the supercharger whine is brilliant

stevemcs said:

Cloth interior and an alcantara steering wheel, mmmmm

Not to everyone's taste . I don't like the standard wheel & alcantara is the only option for this wheel, so no real choice.

[terryb]

I had a Challenge Edition from new for about 18 months and it was great fun. Even better when I fitted a Racechip, which made it rev more freely and gave it some extra grunt - about 280/290 bhp.

On track it was a beast - especially in the wet, just throw it into a corner and lift off, enjoy the slide and power down to straighten up again. Also the Nitron dampers love the kerbs - almost BTCC style 😄

[stevemcs]

Matt97 said:

Not to everyone's taste . I don't like the standard wheel & alcantara is the only option for this wheel, so no real choice.

Sorry, my comment was supposed to be positive, i love the steering wheel and its nice to see the cloth interior over leather

[Matt97]

terryb said:

I had a Challenge Edition from new for about 18 months and it was great fun. Even better when I fitted a Racechip, which made it rev more freely and gave it some extra grunt - about 280/290 bhp.

On track it was a beast - especially in the wet, just throw it into a corner and lift off, enjoy the slide and power down to straighten up again. Also the Nitron dampers love the kerbs - almost BTCC style ??

That's a good power increase over standard, must of made some different! Sounds like great fun on track I'm going to hold off booking anything as I'm unsure how the virus pandemic is going to impact circuits/track days .

stevemcs said:

Sorry, my comment was supposed to be positive, i love the steering wheel and its nice to see the cloth interior over leather

My apologies, I interpreted it the wrong way . Thank you for the positive comments though

[johnwilliams77]

Nice car
How harsh is the ride in town?