Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works All4 Review
- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
ii.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
225kW, 450Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 7.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
8 Spd Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours review
What if I told you that buying an SUV didn't hateful consigning yourself to the mundane? The Mini Countryman John Cooper Works definitely injects some sport into sport utility.
- Abrupt handling and quick reflexes
- Surprisingly roomy and versatile interior
- Distinctive styling
- Odd ergonomics and off-centre instruments
- Over-stuffed, strange driver seat shape
- More wind and road noise than ideal for a premium production
Some machine brands, rightly or wrongly, carry strong emotional links. You remember of camping ground and wilderness when you think of Subaru, for instance, and the mention of Mini probable conjures up fun, spirited driving.
But thinking of Mini and practicality in the same sentence is a fleck of a no-no. Or at least, it was. In the case of the 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, you can separate the difference with a fun driving package that lets you share the fun with a full complement of passengers.
Every bit the gem atop the Mini crown, the Countryman is the biggest model in the range, and the John Cooper Works is the quickest and most commuter-focussed.
The effect is a well-proportioned SUV with external dimensions right at abode in the metropolis, enough infinite inside to work cooperatively with immature families, and that iconic Mini driving enjoyment broiled in.
Available in either Cooper, warmed-upward Cooper S, or hot hatch in disguise John Cooper Works variants, the Countryman range steps upwards in power and performance at each step.
On summit of picking a powertrain, you can also pick a trim package, with the John Cooper Works available every bit an entry-level Essential from $63,850 plus on-route costs, mid-level Archetype from $68,850, or a more decked-out Mini Yours specification as seen here from $73,650 plus on-road costs.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Price (MSRP) | $73,650 plus on-road costs |
Options | Black roof and mirror caps (no cost), black sport bonnet stripe (no cost) |
Price as tested | $73,650 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Sage Greenish |
Rivals | Mercedes-AMG GLA35 | BMW X2 M35i | Audi SQ2 |
Interior Comfort
With a blueprint that'due south likely to dissever opinions, the Mini Countryman range tries to preserve some traditional Mini flavour. There's a large circular fundamental display pod in the centre of the nuance, and some toggle-type switchgear that looks like a madcap blend of modern and kitsch.
The retro aesthetic isn't to all tastes, and it brings some ergonomic challenges – particularly in instances where new technologies meet Mini design hallmarks.
Fifty-fifty with relatively meaty interior dimensions, interior space is pretty generous. Overall, the Mini is shorter nose-to-tail than the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Audi Q3 and BMW X1, but interior space defies those dimensions in a couple of ways.
Similar the X1 on which the Countryman's mechanical packet is based, the wheelbase is an identical 2670mm, shorter than both the Audi and Mercedes, but the rear seat is still pushed back, and the tall roof ensures a nice airy feel in the cabin.
The Mini'due south external shape, while being tall and boxy to the aid of spaciousness, does create some wind noise and rustling effectually the windscreen pillars on the move. There's besides a piffling more road noise than is platonic from fibroid-bit route surfaces too.
The rear seat is the star in this car – to a degree, the forepart seats are a piddling oddly shaped, and the puffy padding and rounded shape tends to strength yous into a splayed-leg seating position.
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Worse still, for the driver, the steering wheel is get-go from the center line of the seat, and Mini's new 'digital instrument' (really a multi-function screen betwixt ii traditional gauges with a dark tint cover to look all-digital) is offset further even so to fit the void left by the old analogue gauges.
Information technology'due south an untidy solution, and an ergonomic compromise that the driver's auto of SUVs should be able to overcome.
To the boot, and the Countryman'due south 450L boot is roomy, and the low, flat opening lip makes loading a breeze, as does the powered tailgate. The rear seat folds in three carve up sections, so you tin can mix-and-match cargo and passengers if need be, upwards to a total luggage capacity of 1390L.
Some of the niceties of John Cooper Works Mini Yours specification include rear privacy window tint, upgraded 'lounge' leather seat trim, boosted interior ambience lighting, a dual-pane sunroof and rear privacy tint.
Those features come in addition to powered front seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, heating for the front seats and steering cycle, and a driver'due south head-upwardly display available on lower-grade Countryman models.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 450L / 1390L |
Length | 4297mm |
Width | 1822mm |
Elevation | 1557mm |
Wheelbase | 2670mm |
Turning circle | xi.4m |
Interior Condolement & Packaging
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Infotainment and Connectivity
Built atop the basics of BMW's iDrive organization, Mini's infotainment layout and touch or console dial interface should feel familiar. Mini makes things a chip cuter with colourful menu screens and more than expressive graphics.
Dive deep and you lot'll discover a huge array of functions, with inbuilt navigation, DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple tree CarPlay, Bluetooth, and online connectivity that non just feeds info to the vehicle for news highlights and weather condition, but opens up remote access via a secure smartphone app.
Working your way through the screens and sub-menus is reasonably straightforward. And in concert with the steering wheel buttons and small pop-upward menus in the head-up brandish, it makes information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to pollex through tracks or radio stations without taking your eyes off the road.
The display size measures 8.8 inches, and the Countryman John Cooper Works upgrades to a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system compared to the vi-speaker unbranded audio in lesser models.
Infotainment & Connectivity
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Safety
Some variants of the Mini Countryman deport a five-star ANCAP rating from 2017, but oddly the local test authority does not include petrol-powered models – only the at present discontinued diesel. Technically, the Countryman John Cooper Works is unrated as a upshot.
Rubber equipment includes six airbags, tyre force per unit area monitoring (and run-flat tyres), front seatbelt pretensioners, and urban center-speed autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, but no high-speed or intersection AEB.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
Year tested | - |
Safety report | Link to written report |
Safety
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Value for Money
While there's enough to like about the John Cooper Works Mini Yours seen here, information technology's non at the forefront of specification or applied science in the modest-SUV class.
Fully loaded, the $73,650 Countryman translates to a toll in the low-$80K mark with on-road costs added. That'southward even so a touch under something like a Mercedes-AMG GLA35, and line-ball with the sportier-styled but less practical BMW X2 M35i.
Without anything that's a slap-up-fit straight competitor, y'all could look at anything from a smaller Audi SQ2 to a Range Rover Evoque equally an alternative. In the Mini's case, though, information technology'll be the perky handling and loveable bulldog styling that seal the deal – not driving your dollar further.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
MSRP | $73,650 plus on-road costs |
Options every bit tested | None |
Warranty | Iii-year / Unlimited km |
Service intervals | Condition-based |
Servicing costs | $1650 (5yr) |
Value for Money
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Driver Technology
The Countryman'due south driver assist features are the same throughout the range, so you lot'll find traffic sign recognition, lane-divergence warning, front and rear park sensors and a reverse photographic camera, but no 360-caste view.
Adaptive prowl control and automobile LED headlights, with agile shading to maintain high-axle illumination while masking off around approaching traffic, are also included.
The driver can also bank check vital information on a flip-upwardly head-up display, which is positioned as a secondary display above the instruments with views for speed, navigation and more.
Commuter Technology
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Railroad vehicle
Powertrain and Functioning
The Mini Countryman John Cooper Works's political party piece is, unquestionably, its engine. The sporty SUV even shares its 'about-powerful' championship with the superstar John Cooper Works GP hatch and the Clubman John Cooper Works.
That means a ii.0-litre iv-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 225kW at 6250rpm and 450Nm from 1750 to 4500rpm sent via an 8-speed torque converter automatic to an on-demand all-bike-drive organization.
With that much grunt on tap, the Countryman John Cooper Works can slingshot from 0-100km/h in a claimed v.i seconds. Quick plenty to embarrass the neighbourhood hot hatch brigade, if that's your thing.
Information technology's genuinely eager-feeling too. Easy enough to run nearly boondocks in, but immediately responsive, with a linear torque swell that sees information technology brand curt work of rolling acceleration.
The viii-speed automobile tends towards efficiency when left in its normal mode, just select sport mode and the entire package sharpens up, with responsive downshifts and gears that hold nicely in more heated driving.
Because the Countryman doesn't apply a dual-clutch automobile, it'due south much more well-mannered for summit-hour jams and depression-speed parking too.
Key details | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Engine | two.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 225kW @ 6250rpm |
Torque | 450Nm @ 1750-4500rpm |
Weight (tare) | 1566kg |
Bulldoze blazon | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automated |
Tow rating | Not rated |
Power to weight ratio | 143.7kW/t |
Functioning
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Energy Efficiency
Officially, the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works claims a 7.6 litres per 100km fuel consumption rating. On test we saw 10.1L/100km. Put that down to the John Cooper Works'southward addictive performance.
Some of our time with the car was spent exploiting its abilities on keen driving roads, and some was spent getting to and from the office. Neither situation is conducive to efficient running, and so in a more balanced week, that figure should level out.
Still, for the performance on offer – and the space bachelor – information technology doesn't really feel likewise greedy.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.6L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 10.1L/100km |
Fuel blazon | 98RON |
Fuel tank size | 51L |
Fuel Efficiency
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Ride and Handling
Like the engine, the John Cooper Works enhancements to steering and break tweak an already decent package into a more honed and purposeful one.
There's an underlying firmness to the ride, merely information technology's the balanced kind. It'll forgive a few lumps and bumps in the surface, keep the car in check on a twisty mountain pass, and non rattle your fillings out in the process.
Again, y'all can wick up the drive modes and sport-ify the adaptive suspension if you desire, merely the regular mode feels similar a better fit. Even in heated driving.
That buttoned-down ride and confidence-inspiring all-wheel drive give the Countryman John Cooper Works an border over the remainder of the Mini range. This and the plug-in hybrid Cooper SE are the only all-wheel-drive Countryman models, simply merely this ane is configured with performance in listen.
Alongside the less powerful Countryman Cooper S, the John Cooper Works is improve able to harness traction out of corners, and feels more than settled through the steering to boot. The bike has a reassuring weight to it, and feels fast and agile in a way that suits the Countryman's size, if not quite a match for the nimbler hatch.
The large Mini can't quite hide its 1566kg kerb heft. You lot feel it through bends and on more than rough-shod route surfaces.
Like the best of the states, post-lockdown, the Countryman isn't in the worst shape, merely if y'all actually wanted something more athletic, this wouldn't be the Mini to go for – though information technology does even so drive similar a Mini through and through.
Handling & Dynamics
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Wagon
Fit for Purpose
Pinning down a purpose for the Countryman isn't all that easy. Is information technology a city SUV, does it aspire to exist a family unit car, or is it a operation auto in disguise?
In truth information technology's a footling of each, but rather than being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, the Countryman John Cooper Works is actually pretty convincing.
Ultimately, it won't exist a perfect fit for families with older kids, but for SINKs, DINKs, and those only starting out, the Countryman makes the most sense.
More chiefly, though, it means that choosing an SUV doesn't hateful the end of driving thrills. Enough of brands are still to find their way on the path to operation SUVs, though prestige brands seem to accept a leg-up here.
Fit for Purpose
2021 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works Signature Railroad vehicle
Conclusion
The Mini Countryman range may not be Mini as you lot'd expect it. It features more infinite and condolement inside than the name suggests, but besides more of the cheeky charm that signifies the make today than yous might look.
Practicality is in no way harmed by Mini's retro looks, but interior ergonomics may exist, but a little.
For some, the lure and love affair of the Countryman's overtly English aesthetic will be all they need, while for others information technology'll exist the added space inside without diluting the fun-to-drive dynamics.
While possibly non the about modern SUV in the premium sector, some of the Countryman'south idiosyncrasies – non to mention its unique visuals – brand for an endearing compact SUV.
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Source: https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/2021-mini-countryman-john-cooper-works-mini-yours-review/
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