If you think the 2025 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop and Convertible only breathe fire through that one center-mounted exhaust pipe, think again. Tucked beneath the rear bumper, invisible to anyone not laying on the pavement, is a second exhaust outlet—MINI’s strange but clever solution to noise performance and sound management.
One Pipe to See, Another to Hear
From eye level, the only tailpipe on display is a centrally mounted, single exit styled to evoke the spirit of MINI’s historic racers. It looks clean. Symmetrical. Sporty. But down below, on the driver’s side, there’s a secondary pipe angled toward the ground, activated by an internal valve that opens under specific conditions. A MINI product manager explained that the decision to go with a single pipe was a styling one. Yet, the design and engineering team wanted to make sure that the exhaust sound is not compromised.
But here’s what MINI didn’t highlight up front: the hidden valve cracks open when the engine’s cold or the throttle’s pinned above 3,000 RPM. The system is entirely automatic and throttle-based, so you can’t toggle it at will—but you’ll know it’s working when the volume kicks up both inside (Active Sound) or outside. This isn’t the first time MINI’s played with this kind of setup. The outgoing F56 JCW featured dual center exits, one with a butterfly valve inside. The weird part? MINI could’ve made both pipes visible and symmetric. But in true quirky British fashion, they didn’t. You know, that “Charismatic Simplicity.”
Decent Noise
Now, let’s talk about noise. Yes, the JCW can growl. But much of what you hear inside is the work of speakers, not pipes. The blurbs and pops are nothing new to BMW Group, even more so when it comes to artificial in-cabin noise. Despite the added pipe, the 2025 JCW’s overall external volume isn’t dramatically different from its predecessor. To my ears, it sounds about the same as the 2022 MINI JCW Hardtop (F56)—loud enough to be noticed, but not obnoxious. A big part of that comes down to stricter emissions and noise regulations, which have forced automakers to dial things back.
Luckily, the B48 2.0 liter has a decent sound for a four-cylinder engine so it will put a smile on your face, especially when you’re pushing that hot hatch into corners with quick upshifts and downshifts. You can also read our full review of the 2025 MINI JCW here.
