New MINI JCW Countryman revealed with less power

The 2024 MINI John Cooper Works Countryman has made its world debut in the US ahead of its global release next year and the big news is the performance flagship of the new SUV will be slower than the model it replaces.

Based on the bigger new third-generation MINI Countryman, which was revealed in September and now weighs more than 1.6 tonnes, the new MINI JCW Countryman – as it’s better known – will come with a 221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that sends it to 100km/h in a claimed 5.4 seconds.

That will make it both less powerful and slower than the existing MINI Countryman JCW, which was billed as the most powerful MINI yet with outputs of 225kW/450Nm and claimed to hit 100km/h in 5.1sec.

Naturally, therefore, MINI prefers to talk up the new Countryman JCW’s 250km/h top speed and its 0.26Cd drag co-efficient, which is claimed to make it one of the most aerodynamic models in its class, but it remains unclear whether fuel consumption drops from the outgoing JCW’s 7.6L/100km.

“The MINI John Cooper Works Countryman embodies a unique combination of style, power and a sense of adventure. With its powerful 300hp engine and sporty design, it is the perfect companion for anyone looking for something special,” said Stefanie Wurst, head of the MINI brand.

Equipped with the same ALL4 all-wheel drive system as other new Countryman variants, the new JCW’s upgraded 2.0-litre engine incorporates optimised pistons, connecting rods and engine mounts, plus a dual-drive turbocharger and dethrottled air-intake system.

Additional performance hardware includes beefier brake callipers in Chili Red, and “exhaust flap system” and a synthesised interior engine sound generator that “boosts the sound of the engine start and intensifies the soundscape with racing-inspired engine sounds”.

Exclusive new aerodynamically optimised 19- and 20-inch wheels are wrapped in wider 245mm tyres and the new JCW is distinguished by a new classic-style red, black and white John Cooper Works logo on a new octagonal grille, plus more aggressive bumpers with vertical aerodynamic reflectors at the front and new MINI LED headlights with horizontal bars in JCW Signature Mode.

A newly designed C-pillar joins the contrasting roof in motorsport-inspired Chili Red and combines with a Legend Grey body colour, while upright JCW Signature Mode tail-lights are claimed to emphasis the bigger vehicle’s increased width.

Inside, the new Countryman’s minimalist design continues to divide the cabin into upper and lower sections, with vertical door-handles and air-vents in the former and a red/black colour scheme for the two-tone textile dashboard (made from recycled polyester), the door cards and, on high-spec versions, the JCW sports seats.

While switches on the MINI toggle bar control all driving functions, others can be operated via voice control or using the circular central high-resolution OLED display, including new MINI Experience Modes to match your “preferred driving ambience”.

As per the model on which it’s based, the rear seats can be adjusted in length by up to 130mm and cargo capacity ranges between 460 and 1530 litres.

On the safety front, 12 ultrasonic sensors and four surround-view cameras enable partially automated Level 2 driving via the Driving Assistant Professional option package, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on “highway-like routes” at speeds of up to 60km/h and can “detect gaps in the traffic necessary for changing lanes heading towards an exit and brings the vehicle to the optimum speed for the assisted lane change”.

Based on the same UKL2 underbody architecture as the BMW X1, the new MINI Countryman is 12cm longer than before at around 4.43 metres, as well as 6cm taller (now 1.62m high).

As we’ve reported, the new MINI Countryman is due to arrive in Australia in the first quarter of next year with a petrol engine and will later be joined by two all-electric variants and the JCW flagship, before BMW’s small-car brand goes all-EV by 2030.

The front-drive petrol (Countryman C) will be followed by the all-wheel drive petrol Countryman JCW and the AWD electric Countryman E and Countryman SE in the third quarter of 2024.

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au