MINI Countryman JCW 2017 Review

How long do spend in your car per day, per week, per month, and per year? For me it's an awfully large amount of time, but in my line of work variety keeps things fresh.

Let's use Richard Gear as an example. He is an architect at a small firm, he's a Buddhist and he has an average 45 minute commute each way, five days a week. Sometimes it's a little longer, others shorter.

Anyway, if he drives 48 weeks a year, that's around 360 hours in the car, or 15 days in the captain's chair.

Richie better hope the driver's seat is comfortable. Does his car motivate in a way that puts a smile on his dial? Is the infotainment system easy on his eyes… and brain? Do the electric windows, mirrors, and automated driving gizmos make him safer?

For a lot of drivers a 1994 Honda Civic will do the trick.

But more than a million new car sales every year in Australia suggest many people want the coolest designs, the latest technology and the best safety.

So, Mr Gear wants a new car (but he's keeping the Civic for nostalgia) but why would he buy the MINI Countryman JCW, the SUV, over a MINI Cooper JCW hatchback for example? Well, apart from the raised ride height – you'll fear kerbs far less – and increased interior space, this particular high-performance halo model is all-wheel drive.

What does that mean? Heroic acceleration, primarily.

The JCW model gets a bigger turbocharger than the already serious Cooper S models, new pistons and a free-flowing (and raucous) exhaust system. Yeah, so JCW stands for John Cooper Works, or "really fast" in non-car vernacular.

Power and torque of 170kW/350Nm provide enough twist to fling it down the road at sports car-like velocities. The official time is 6.5sec from 0-100km/h.

If you want to take part in the traffic light tango, this is a hilarious car to do it in, because it's goes off like a frog in a sock from a standing start. It makes quite the hubbub too.

The engine belches and growls through upshifts and generates one of the most satisfying backfire blats on the overrun I've experienced in a factory standard vehicle. Fair go, it's got more voice than Johnny Farnham; just leave it in gear and enjoy the engine-braking pandemonium.

Fast in a straight line, it's also good under brakes, the Brembo calipers capable of decelerating the vehicle's 1555kg mass with more abruptness than a rip-snorting fart in a silent but crowded elevator.

On a dry, bitumen surface, the all-wheel drive setup also reduces understeer, a phenomenon that tugs at the steering wheel of powerful front-drive vehicles – like its hatchback sibling.

Some other elements of the car I found pleasing included its dirt road conviction. You can push into and out of loose gravel corners with confidence, but get too heavy-handed with loud pedal and it will understeer wheel spin.

For a high-riding quasi-SUV it tracks keenly through turns finding lots of grip, its perky engine giving it a fair bit of punch on corner exit. It's a satisfying vehicle to drive hard on challenging roads, the biting chorus of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol adding to the experience.

I really liked the steering wheel too, the overt stitching and thick rim combining with above-average feedback to make the drive more engaging than it should be. The alloy wheels and tubby body-kit tie the performance together nicely, making this JCW a curious but gratifying pocket rocket that's always ready to rumble.

This one has an eight-speed automatic transmission, which works exceedingly well. It's similar to the eight-speed transmissions parent company BMW uses but truth be told if it were Richie's coin, he'd look at the six-speed manual… The 1994 Civic was an auto and he's over it.

Time spent inside the JCW Countryman is pretty cool – if you're game. Everything is stylised and larger than life, with a bold circular motif dominating the infotainment system and instrument cluster. There's a cool head-up display which features speedo, tacho and the current speed limit so you really don't have to avert your line of sight from the road.

Driver aids like adaptive cruise control to make it easy enough to live with every day although the peculiar indicator sound might drive some to despair.

Seats are not as sporty as I was expecting, given the high-riding JCW's level of performance, but there's decent room for occupants front and back so you won't feel too squeezy. The boot is decent when compared to some rivals, too.

There's a reason the regular Countryman beat the Audi Q2 in a recent comparison.

For the driver who doesn't want to blend in, this vehicle will be like a soothing cup of chamomile tea. It looks different and for every buyer who is turned off by audacity, another will find it appealing – I certainly did.

The MINI Countryman JCW delivers an impressive level of performance and more practicality than other MINI models, while improving grip and reducing torque steer. It commands a higher price but has more personality than the love-child of Robert Downey Jr and Joan Rivers.

Ride comfort is wanting, the JCW crashing over fractures in the road surface. But it is a high-performance vehicle and buyers will approach the transaction with their eyes open.

I have an inner-monologue that says "This car is too expensive. It's a financial risk, surely?" But checking out the Redbook residuals and these cars don't fare too badly after a few years. I mean, cars aren't like real estate in terms retained value but this one won't nose dive like some European brands.

The MINI Countryman JCW is a fun car. It looks different (especially when you option all the stickers and different coloured body parts), it feels different and it's remarkably capable in a dynamic sense and is happy on dirt tracks too. Great for a weekend blast in the hills, big enough for a road trip with mates but just as fun blatting between traffic lights on the daily commute. It’s the kind of car that will create loyal brand ambassadors of buyers.

If, like Richard Gear, you're going to spend a large chunk of your waking life in a car – and have a lot of disposable income – it's an entertaining and divergent option for buyers who don't want to blend in.

2017 MINI Countryman JCW pricing and specifications:
Price: $57,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 170kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 168g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP