MINI completed the new Countryman family earlier this year, by launching the range-topping John Cooper Works (JCW) model, but is it the ride to go for?
Before answering this question, let’s talk about some of the drawbacks that AutoExpress magazine found during their review, and they make up for quite a long list.
First, at over £30,000 ($38,495) in the UK, or around £32,000 ($41,060) for the automatic version, it’s definitely expensive, and with 228hp and 258lb-ft (350Nm) of torque produced by the 2.0-liter engine, there are certainly several cars in that pricing range that are more powerful.
It also weighs more than 1,600kg (3,527lbs), with the driver inside, so it’s not exactly a ‘MINI’ anymore, and this will kick you in the face on winding roads, where you’ll find the handling not that crisp.
Moreover, putting the drive mode selector into Sport is the only acceptable thing to do, apparently, as in Green, the shifts become slow, and they are not that fast in the Mid mode either.
It also has a high-positioned brake pedal that takes time to get used to, and despite being well equipped, quite agile on straights, and sounding very good, it has yet another drawback – the Audi Q2, which is one of its main rivals.