Mini John Cooper Works models get new 2-liter turbo I-4

Future JCW Minis could see up to 230 hp from larger engine

The Mini Paceman John Cooper works at the Detroit auto show Mini display. Photo by Graham Kozak.

The next generation of Mini's range-topping John Cooper Worksmodels will adopt a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine developing “around 230 hp,” sources close to the BMW-owned company have revealed.

The new engine is planned to succeed the existing turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline unit, which produces 215 hp in the recently launched Mini John Cooper Works Paceman.

The new 2.0-liter engine is one of a number of variants in BMW's newly unveiled B48 engine family. In standard form, it delivers 189 hp in the newly introduced third-generation modern day Mini Cooper S hatchback.

In a higher state of tune, it's set to provide upcoming John Cooper Works versions of the new Mini hatchback and the 4-door, to be unveiled at the 2015 Detroit auto show, with 231 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

This represents a 16 hp and 52 lb-ft increase on the old 1.6-liter engine, promising to provide future John Cooper Works models with added performance potential.

As in the latest Cooper S hatchback, the new 2.0-liter engine will be mated to either a new six-speed manual or updated six-speed automatic gearbox.