MINI JCW Countryman 2021 Review

If you’re looking for a cheap and cheerful MINI – the 2021 MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 is not it.

While the most affordable British-built city-car in Australia is the $35,150 MINI Cooper three-door hatch, the facelifted (and German-built) JCW Countryman starts at $61,915 for the bare-bones Pure model – down from its predecessor’s $65,900 price tag.

MINI’s new three-tier JCW Countryman pricing structure also sees Classic ($67,818) and Signature ($71,013, tested here) variants join the fray, meaning the BMW-owned brand’s small SUV range is now both more affordable and more expensive.

Entry-level Pure grades are offered in five exterior colours and fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels, 10mm lower sports suspension and piano-black roof rails. The facelifted SUV also gets a subtle new exterior design.

Key interior equipment includes synthetic leather upholstered (and heated) sports seats, a JCW leather steering wheel, piano-black cabin highlights and an incredibly high definition 8.8-inch central touch-screen display with fancy haptic touch buttons and wireless Apple CarPlay.

However, there’s no Android Auto. Whatsoever. That’s a big oversight but apparently it’ll be remedied “soon”, according to MINI.

The facelifted JCW Countryman also gets the 6.5-inch digital instrument cluster from the MINI Electric hatch, adding even more razzle-dazzle to the cabin.

Sadly, this pretty screen is underutilised via its lack of info and customisation options.

The rest of the cabin remains unchanged but remains so different to anything else out there with its circular theme and abundance of toggle switches. You still get two USB ports, a wireless phone charger and an average level of incidental storage cubbies.

Mid-range MINI JCW Countryman Classic variants add more exterior colours, two sport stripe colours and four roof and mirror cap colour options as well.

Bigger 19-inch alloy wheels are added too, as are bovine-based leather upholstered and power-operated seats, a head-up display, Harman Kardon sound system and adaptive suspension.

At the top of the tree is the Signature grade that adds to the abovementioned equipment and offers four leather interior upholstery finishes (Chester Indigo Blue, Satellite Grey, Malt Brown, Leather Lounge Carbon Black), a Nappa leather steering wheel, adaptive headlights, a twin-pane panoramic sunroof and optional silver cabin highlights.

The 2021 MINI JCW Countryman comes with adaptive cruise control with stop and go function, which makes highway and country driving nice and easy, while also improving its semi-autonomous commuting capabilities.

There’s also a smart speed limit info display, which uses a camera to read (and update) speed limits in real time, but the lack of any lane keeping system is pretty poor.

Front and rear parking sensors make slotting the 4297mm-long SUV into car parks a lot easier, and there’s an automatic parking function as well if you’re feeling really lazy or anxious.

It also comes with the usual safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, six airbags and various anti-lock braking and traction control systems.

Running the same ballistic 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine as the sold-out MINI GP, the BMW B48 mill, the MINI JCW Countryman delivers emergency services levels of response.

Crush the throttle and the feisty engine pipes up with alarming instantaneity, the eight-speed automatic gearbox from Aisin and all-wheel-drive system chiming in faithfully to help out.

Indeed, this go-fast Countryman is the most powerful MINI ever built, its 1998cc four-pot donk punching out a very healthy 225kW at 6250rpm and 450Nm at 1750rpm to 4500rpm. There’s a thick powerband that’s effortless to tap into.

Unlike the MINI GP hatchback, the bigger, heavier five-door JCW Countryman gets a clever AWD system that gives it loads of rip and grip. And virtually no torque steer. And it accelerates to 100km/h in a claimed 5.1 seconds, which is fast enough to blow past a lot of very well-credentialled hot hatches.

The eight-speed automatic transmission works well in this application and the steering wheel paddle shifters provide quick and assertive access to the engine’s powerband.

It’s satisfying dropping two gear ratios, nailing the throttle and feeling the torque surging through all four wheels, propelling the aggressive SUV forward with surprising urge.

When driven in the manner for which it was designed – full tilt! – fuel consumption skyrockets. We saw figures approaching 16L/100km… but when driven sedately, or when cruise control is left to its own devices, sub-10L/100km figures are easy to achieve. But that’s still nowhere near the claimed 7.6L/100km.

Like most JCW models, the 2021 MINI JCW Countryman has a firm ride and even when the adaptive dampers are set to comfort mode you will feel pretty much every bump in the road, every cat’s eye and every pot hole with clarity.

Throw in super-sensitive brakes and it makes commuting in the rock-hard Countryman less than smooth or comfortable, to the point that you may consider catching the train to work instead.

It’s also noisy. OK, so the exhaust system makes all the right noises in sport mode, popping and blatting on the overrun, but the wind noise around the A-pillars and tyre roar from the run-flat rubbers when cruising is intrusive.

On the right road, however, the JCW Countryman comes alive. The steering is ultra-direct and the front-end is eager, tipping into corners with impressive grip levels, great agility and surprising predictability.

The harsh ride and touchy brakes that are your enemy around town become your allies at warp speed, giving this small British-German SUV an immense performance threshold.

Razor-sharp throttle response combines with the Countryman’s all-wheel-drive system to deliver confident and compelling punch out of corners and the raised 165mm ride height also gives it scope to tackle dirt roads. Which we did. It was fun, if a little bumpy.

The 2021 MINI JCW Countryman will be too raw for many buyers, but it embraces these compromised traits – firm ride, touchy brakes – with pride, adding a unique charm and making it a memorable drive.

While it used to be unique in its class, the likes of the Audi SQ2 ($64,400) and Volkswagen T-Roc R are entering the fray, meaning there’s more choice in this category. But neither of those VW Group vehicles are as powerful, with ‘just’ 220kW/400Nm on tap.

My pick would be the entry-level JCW Countryman ‘Pure’ model for $61,915. Its smaller 18-inch alloys and are better suited to city, country and gravel driving and make ride quality less abrupt.

If Sir Alec was around to see this SUV, I reckon he’d be shocked by its size. But if he drove the MINI JCW Countryman, an unashamedly fast and fun SUV with unique interior and exterior styling, perhaps his rage would diminish. Perhaps.

How much does the 2021 MINI JCW Countryman ALL4 Signature cost?
Price: $71,013 (plus on-road costs)
Available: April 2021
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 225kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 175g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (2017)