MINI Clubman JCW Untold 2022 Review

Lots of fun stuff

There’s still a small wait until the 2022 MINI Clubman JCW Untold Edition rocks up in Australian MINI showrooms, with the British car-maker saying it should land early next year.

With prices starting from $58,900 for the Clubman Cooper S and $72,250 for the JCW (both plus on-road costs), the Untold Edition is far from cheap.

But in the flesh the added extras included really do up the visual ante, even though on paper the combination of Sage Green paint combined with a piano black roof and gold, brass, copper and bronze highlights sound horrendous.

The detailed changes of the new special-edition also include downsizing the base Essential model’s 19-inch rims for a more modest set of brass-coloured 18s.

‘Untold’ bonnet and roof stripes, Green Sage-coloured leather ‘Lounge’ seats, a Nappa sports leather steering wheel, branded kick plates and a 3D-printed front fender plate are all included.

There’s also a panoramic roof, premium sound system and heated driver and front passenger seats.

Already included on lower-spec models is the 5.5-inch half-digital instrument cluster and the 8.8-inch infotainment system that’s supposed to include wireless Apple CarPlay but which refused to work with our phone.

Sadly, there’s still no six-speed manual option, with the Clubman JCW coming equipped with an eight-speed automatic as standard.

MINI stresses that there are no other options for the Untold Edition, meaning anyone tempted to customise their car is out of luck.

You’ll also struggle if you’re buying the Clubman for its space. Despite excellent access via its twin rear barn doors, the long MINI’s luggage capacity (360 litres) is only on par with a small family hatch, although seats down boost its load hauling to a more palatable 1250 litres.

Making up for that, there’s actually decent legroom, knee-room and headroom in both the front and rear compartments, which means it can carry four adults in relative comfort.

Clawing back more points is the general fit and finish. We’ll even forgive its cluttered feel for the presence of the toggle switches.

Like its smaller siblings, the MINI feels bucketloads of fun inside next to its closest rival, the more sensible Volkswagen Golf R wagon.

Ownership costs are typical for a European car. Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first), while there’s a below-average three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Capped-price servicing is there if you want to pay up front, costing $1700 for this model, covering five years or 80,000km.

That’s the basic plan. There’s also a Plus plan, which includes things like replacement brake pads, discs, clutch and wiper blades but jacks up the price to $4439 over five years.

Pinch of this, dash of that

Despite being in its seventh year of production, engineers haven’t been able to liberate any more kilowatts for the swansong of the second-gen F54 MINI Clubman JCW we drove.

That’s why the BMW-sourced B48 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the 2022 MINI Clubman JCW Untold Edition carries over the same 225kW and 450Nm of torque it’s always had.

That remains enough for an exceedingly quick 0-100km/h dash of just 4.9 seconds and a 250km/h top speed.

Helping it off the line with little drama is both the JCW’s standard all-wheel drive and its swift-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission.

Those figures, interestingly enough, are identical to what Volkswagen claims for its latest Golf R wagon, although the VW offers significantly more practicality and a much larger boot (611 litres/1642 litres with the seats down).

Calm, mature and polite

Based on the BMW Group’s UKL2 architecture, it’s worth remembering that the 4.2m-long MINI Clubman is a significantly bigger car than the MINI Hatch 5-Door.

As seen here in the 2022 MINI Clubman JCW Untold Edition, the wagon is 270mm longer and its wheelbase is stretched by around 100mm – and it’s the latter that appears to have a profound effect on the way it drives.

Featuring a strut-like suspension up front and a multi-link rear set-up, the driving characteristics are more mature and grown up than the hatch it shares so much with.

It doesn’t help that we hop from the MINI Cooper S into the Clubman JCW version and immediately miss the more nimble, agile and adjustable driving dynamics of the lighter front-drive hatchback.

That said, many will appreciate the Clubman’s calmer approach to attacking your favourite country road and it’s certainly no slower despite lacking the feel, feedback and immediacy of a lighter hot hatch.

Traction is also strong and only occasionally grated on the smaller 18s, although the smooth German roads we drove on can’t be compared with the horror surfaces we’re subjected to in Australia.

We’re still firm fans of the 2.0-litre turbo despite it refusing to indulge in the wild snap, crackle or pops its less mature rivals deliver. They’re there, but are more subdued. Polite, even.

Like before, there’s little reason to chase the red line, with the engine delivering its best from around 1700rpm and charging to 5000rpm.

One area that hasn’t aged is the Clubman JCW’s mighty brakes that are well up to the task of both country driving and flat-out German autobahn work.

Hit the road, Union Jack

While the smaller 2022 MINI Cooper S Resolute special-edition we’ve just driven reminded us just what we’ll miss when the British hatch evolves with the electrified age, the more grown-up 2022 MINI Clubman JCW Untold doesn’t quite tug the heart strings in the same way.

Yes, it remains blisteringly fast and still offers more practicality than the standard hatch.

But the MINI wagon doesn’t deliver enough entertainment to overlook its one-dimensional handling, small boot and other compromises.

Then there’s the $72,250 plus ORCs price, which plants it $3260 above the Volkswagen Golf R wagon and more than $20K past the opening mark for the new Subaru WRX Sportswagon.

If you buy into the looks of the MINI Clubman Untold – which we wholeheartedly do – and love its pretty wonderful Sage Green paint and unusual bronze and gold detailing, we’d suggest you snap up the cheaper and still-brisk Cooper S version.

How much does the 2022 MINI Clubman JCW Untold Edition cost?
Price: $72,250 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Early 2023
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 225kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 175g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au