MINI News - Will MINI build a John Cooper Works diesel? “Good Idea”

March 13, 2009 by tsikot

Will MINI build a John Cooper Works diesel? “Good Idea”

Filed under: Diesel, MINI

Click the MINI Cooper D for a high res gallery

Last summer we had a ball driving the MINI Cooper D in the ABG Garage. The torquey little 1.6-liter diesel proved to be a willing yet thrifty performer in the engine bay. While we still can’t get the MINI D in the U.S. market, BMW is reportedly considering building a high performance version of the diesel. On the gasoline-fueled side of the family, the 208 hp John Cooper Works model heads the lineup. A MINI senior engineer told AutoExpress in Geneva last week that a diesel-powered version of the JCW MINI would be a “good idea” but didn’t actually confirming anything.

Of course, we’ve heard similar claims from automaker officials many times over the years and then waited fruitlessly as nothing happened. If MINI does indeed produce a JCW diesel it would likely bump power from the current 110 hp to something in the region of 150-160 hp. Even at that level, real world mileage would likely remain somewhere in the mid-40 to 50 mpg (U.S.) range.

Gallery: ABG Garage: 2008 MINI Cooper D