MINI John Cooper Works

On the inside, the new Mini John Cooper Works Countryman shares much of its interior design bits and elements with the Mini 3-Door Cooper S, but gets a lot of sporty-looking touches, including John Cooper Works sports seats that are power-adjustable, dual-tone black and red upholstery with recycled polyesters, gloss black highlights for steering wheel and centre console and door trims. Like the three-door Mini hatchback, the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman also has configurable ambient lighting with lively-looking glowing patterns across the dashboard and footwell.

The large 9.3-inch OLED touchscreen infotainment system, which also serves as an instrument console and controlling pad for the dual-zone auto AC, is the centre of attraction in the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman. And like in other new-generation Mini offerings, there is a small panel with toggle switches for transmission and drive mode setups placed below the infotainment screen. Other features one gets in the new Mini John Cooper Works Countryman include a wireless charging pad, head-up display, Harman Kardon audio system, USB charging ports, panoramic glass roof and more. 

The new third-generation Mini Countryman looks the sportiest in this John Cooper Works version, with several of its design elements accentuating the sporty appeal it has under its skin too. The contrast Chili Red finish for the roof, rearview mirrors, brake callipers, and front and rear bumper inserts make the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman a visual treat.

For the John Cooper Works edition, the Mini Countryman retains the third-generation design language, which has made this crossover look more angular and sleeker than its predecessors. The round-themed design language has been traded for more angular designs for the all-LED headlamps and tail lamps, grille, and bumper inserts.

The Mini John Cooper Works Countryman also has chequered flag-inspired inserts for the octagonal grille and air dam on the front bumper and reflectors. Other bits of this sporty crossover from Mini are JCW signature LED inserts in the sharper-looking tail lamps, 20-inch dual-tone sporty alloy wheels with wider 245-section lower-profile tyres and quad exhaust tips on the rear bumper. 

The Mini John Cooper Works Countryman comes with JCW-spec sports suspension, featuring Macpherson struts with adjustable spring plates at the front and a central arm rear axle with adjustable spring plates at the rear. With a stiffer setup, this suspension combination feels even better with electronically adjustable ride height, which can be lowered up to 30mm for a more planted driving feel. The Mini John Cooper Works Countryman also has driving modes like Green, Mid, Sport, Core, Go-Kart, Vivid, Timeless, Balance, Personal and Trail, each of which has personalized lighting and soundscape which can be felt in the cabin of the car too. 

The Mini John Cooper Works Countryman gets the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine as the new Mini 3-Door Cooper S. However, here in the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman, this engine is in its most powerful state of tune, delivering a maximum power output of 300 PS and a maximum torque output of 400 Nm. Paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, this engine enables the new Mini crossover to touch a top speed of 250 kmph and cover the 0-100 kmph run in 5.4 seconds, making it the fastest Mini Countryman ever.

The Mini John Cooper Works Countryman comes equipped with all state-of-the-art driving assistance features that are now available as standard in all new-generation Mini offerings. The package includes adaptive cruise control, exit warning, park assist, reversing assistant, lateral parking aid, lane change warning with active return, rear crossing traffic warning, rear collision prevention, attentiveness assistant, high beam assistant, active cruise control, steering and lane control assistant, speed limit info, surround view system, remote 3D view, BMW drive recorder and automatic speed limit. This sporty crossover also gets essentials like front and side airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, ABS with EBD, cornering brake control, dynamic stability control, front and rear parking sensors and traction control. 

The John Cooper Works treatment in the overall appearance inside-out and powertrain and chassis tunes have made this particular version of the Mini Countryman feel even livelier and desirable. The stiff ride quality is a compromise, but for a driving enthusiast, that’s a small price to pay for the driving pleasure it offers.