MINI Countryman JCW | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

MINI Countryman JCW | Test Drive

10 September 2024 Redazione News, Tested

Words Matteo Lavazza / Photos Bruno Serra

If I had a euro for every time I was told how big the new MINIs are compared to those of the past, I would have already bought a brand new one. In addition to an Aston Martin. Do you get the idea? Ok, I agree, the new MINIs have grown. If with the beginning of the BMW era – it was 2001 – the size compared to that red bullet that made the world’s heads spin on the hairpin bends of the MonteCarlo rally had already increased by several centimeters and kilos, with the passage of time things have been kept along the line substantially dictated by the global market, where most customers are looking for a car in which they can be comfortable, without sacrificing too much space for rear occupants and luggage. Or maybe it’s just because we are fatter than our parents.

The Countryman was one of the many models introduced in that MINI family that was mini also in terms of versions, realizing the concept that it was possible to have more space, without losing the much-loved go-kart feeling that has distinguished the brand since its Anglo-German rebirth. Now, after 23 years since its return to the market and three generations that have continuously introduced substantial changes, both aesthetically and in terms of engines, MINI once again takes the deck of cards, shuffles it like in the best Texas Hold ’em and throws it on the table without any compromise. The result is a completely renewed lineup that – at least initially – seems upsetting its old school romantics.

Yes, the new Countryman is not only big, it is huge. After all, it is largely based on the BMW X1, the small SUV of the Bavarian house, which after all is not so small. We have 15 centimeters of length more than before, for a total of 450 cm, but it is the extremely squared lines that accentuate the perception of being in front of something so cumbersome that it could undermine driving pleasure, especially the one you do not want to give up when you choose the John Cooper Works, the performance sister of the family. I will leave fancy words to a minimum, giving space to what was my experience in the weeks spent at the wheel of a model as eagerly awaited as it was unexpected.

The JCW, as mentioned, is all pepper. Powered by a 2-liter inline 4-cylinder, it maintains a substantially similar output of 300 horsepower (just 6 less than the outgoing F60) and a maximum torque of 400 Nm (instead of 450) delivered starting at 2,000 revs. Numbers that therefore do not differ too much from before, with the primacy of the greatest horsepower left to the Cooper SE JCW and its 313 horses, which are however all electric. There are a hundred kilos more than the previous generation and the big question mark that has been submitted to me to the very end. Why is it less powerful than before?

Unlike the aesthetic aspect, which is a purely subjective question, those figures that define at least in part the performance value of a car are a starting point from which you cannot escape. A simplistic way that for the sake of completeness establishes the measurement of a power/weight ratio that then opens up a much broader discussion: that of drivability and driving pleasure itself. I said it, no frills, let’s get straight to the point. The new Countryman has a look that leaves no room for doubt: you are looking at the new generation, the new stylistic language that MINI transfers to the entire lineup – increasingly electrified – and which thanks to the JCW treatment enjoys aerodynamic appendages that manage to make the stylistic solutions adopted digestible even to those who like them less.

The 20-inch wheels fill the square wheel arches pretty well, which in turn bounce a game of continuous references with the glass surfaces and the light clusters. On the third side window there is now a plastic plate, on which the version badge takes place, in our case ALL4 John Cooper Works. The most muscular part of the car stands out at the rear, culminating in the two couples of exhaust pipes. I open the door and am greeted by a completely renovated passenger compartment. I jump onboard and in just a millisecond I am able to find the ideal driving position. I look around and among minimal surfaces characterized by a colored pattern that lights up during night driving, you can’t help but be struck by the new central display, a 24-centimeter diameter OLED touch screen, responsive and capacitive like that of your smartphone. Many might think that it is just an excellent and large screen, but it actually is the new benchmark to follow. We’ll talk about it again shortly.

The gear lever disappears and becomes a small selector placed next to the P (Parking) button and the ignition switch. Always on the same horizontal profile we then find another plastic lever that allows us to vary what MINI now calls Experience – or driving modes for all mere mortals. Even in this area they have not spared themselves and there are 8 of them: Core (the standard one), Green, Vivid, Personal, Balance, Trail and the two that most vary the character of the Countryman, namely Timeless and Go-Kart. The first because it transforms the display into vintage colors and fonts, bringing you back to a more relaxed driving style and introducing an artificial sound reminiscent of the old MINI into the passenger compartment, the second that sharpens the steering, gearbox – a 7-speed automatic – and raises the volume of the exhaust, with pops on release, unfortunately emitted by the internal speakers. Yes, I would have preferred a more pronounced soundtrack, but this is now the trend of global civilization, from which not even sports cars are exempt.

Another push on the transmission lever and I set it to sequential, hugging the fattest steering wheel in the world. The Countryman throws the available power to the ground with determination and the winter tires struggle to find all the grip they possibly can. The moment I ease up for a fraction of a second and start hitting it hard again, it shoots away and shows better progression than the previous model did. At the precise moment in which you move quickly, the size and mass you carry are not perceived at all, not even between the curves and where I find myself changing direction abruptly, almost as if wanting to put it into trouble in order to realize where the limit imposed by this constant carbohydrate diet is. No problems here and the 400 Nm of torque are delivered very low down, accompanying a rise in revs that pinches the red line just above 6,500 rpm. I let go of the gas and the exhaust crackles, I set the steering with extreme ease and even when I enter faster than perhaps would have been appropriate, the ALL4 traction makes everything incredibly simple, exceptionally friendly even for an inexperienced user.

Spike, the friendly and efficient voice assistant, reminds me that we have an infotainment system with endless possibilities. There is a satellite navigator with augmented reality, which uses the video camera to indicate turns without leaving room for the slightest errors. Heated seats with massage, dual-zone climate control, DAB radio, connectivity and an induction charging surface located in a perfect position and then you get plenty of space for objects of various sizes. The only flaw of this display is that when the car is moving, some controls are too small to be found without being distracted. Finally, there are countless driving aids, which unfortunately – in most cases – do not remain deactivated when the car is switched on again.

Small annoyances that are immediately forgiven when we leave the context in which a Countryman will be mainly used, namely the city, facing fearsome pitfalls that imply a better ground clearance compared to the traditional MINI. I’m talking about artificial speed bumps, sidewalks and dry leaves, because this is what the 3.0 urban motorist fears the most. The one the JCW is aimed at is instead more sensible and will spend most of the time behind the wheel looking for curves, stringing together the gears that make it possible to move the 1,735 kg of the Countryman from 0 to 100 kph in just 5.4 seconds. Speaking of the steering wheel, in addition to having increased its size, it has been revolutionized with a cleaner design and a nice buckle with the JCW colors in the lower part. Furthermore, there is no longer a display in front of the driver’s eyes, with the main information shown on the head up display, everything else takes place in the center dashboard.

Don’t call it a compact sports car though, and this time certainly not because of its size. If the 300 horsepower is the key to a sporty drive, the behavior of the Countryman JCW does not enjoy that nervousness that will make the most hectic driving moments similar to those you could experience with the GP, for example. Size and weight make it a family car and its behavior on the road follows exactly what you would expect from a car of this type with this much horsepower under the hood. Power, acceleration, elasticity and performance, but not primary aimed for B-roads snipers.

Growing in every aspect, it is also reasonable to expect an increase in price, in fact the Countryman JCW starts at around €51,000, or +4 thousand compared to the previous generation (same engine). A significant figure, however, fully justified by the enormous work done in terms of styling and by the fact that forgetting the meaning given to the word mini, you find yourself dealing with a car perfectly capable of motorizing a family of four. The JCW factor is then that added value that (also aesthetically) embellishes a dynamic compartment that softens a strong stylistic language and that can undoubtedly divide. I believe that it is one of the few truly innovative models seen in recent years and the joy in having noticed how MINI have not only thought of making you gape in front of a photonic screen, but have also remembered that there are many enthusiasts who want keep choosing MINI for that go-kart feeling that fortunately continues to remain where it should be, even if less prominent than twenty years ago.