Bucket Seat: 2017 MINI Countryman JCW

John Cooper Works is an English company which was founded by Michael Cooper, son of the racing car tuner John Cooper. The company was formed in the year 2000 and since been tuning parts for BMW's new Mini's, becoming the brands "M" division for Mini's. Although the car is rich in British Heritage, it's hard to ignore the German influence in the current Mini's so with JCW tuned cars, there adding some of that heritage back, and boy do they do a good job! I spent a week with the all new Mini Countryman JCW, a car which hold's a special place for me as when I first started to review cars on the blog, the very first test car I received was the older generation Countryman JCW and had a blast with it, so I was expecting much of the same from this new model, if not more.

DESIGN

Being a performance version of the regular Countryman, I'm glad that they didn't just stick a kit to the car for the JCW package, they've added a lot bulk which adds that aggressive look to the vehilce. From a low stance, large 19" wheels, flares and stripes, the Countryman JCW really looks menacing, whether it's standing still or on the road tearing up the tarmac and hunting cars down. The trademark JCW logs are prominent all over the car, so there's no mistaking it when you see one. Onto the interior, the first thing that strikes you is the seats, racing style JCW seats with a red outline, in a mixture of suede and leather, the red and black theme continues throughout the cabin as well as full glass electric sunroof. The dash and instrument cluster is much the same as the standard Countryman  with the added JCW badges here and there but the mood lighting on the dash has this awesome streak effect, different from normal. 

PERFORMANCE

The big talking point about this car comes from whats under the hood, while it does have the same 2 liter engine that comes in the Cooper S, this one has been tuned by Michael and his crew at John Cooper Works in Farnborough, Hampshire. They managed to produce 170kW from the motor and produces 350Nm of torque. Apart from that, the entire set-up is tweaked for ultimate driving pleasure. From the suspension, to the dampers and even the exhaust got some treatment with the sounds being enhanced when put into Sport mode. It's hard not to drive the car in sports mode with the pure symphony that comes from those pipes while driving around, gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. The snap, crackle and pop just gets your blood going, the acceleration and handling is faultless in the Mini, while it's perfect for road driving, I can only imagine how much fun this would be on a circuit. Now as usual with Mini's, they tend to be a bit thirsty, this one particularly more than the others but I decided to do something I wouldn't normally do, I switched over to the Green Mode, which is basically their equivalent of Eco Pro, I was blown away at how everything changes. The car goes silent, its clam and composed, it even gives you a reading as to how many extra km's you building up in your range! So may be there is some truth in that combined fuel economy figure.

COMFORT

Being a car built for the track in mind, you would expect all this changes and tweaks would make for quite an uncomfortable ride, its quite the opposite. The racing seats are extra cushioned and are a snug fit. The ride quality is just as a good as a normal Countryman and the space is just great. There is plenty of room in the back for the passengers and the luggage area is more than adequate with even an option for more space beneath the trunk floor. The interior has dual climate control which maintains the temperature quite well. The car came with the optional extra of the Harman/Kardon Hi-fi lound speaker system which in local terms "cranks", with the two subs located beneath the driver and front passenger seats. Other extra's that were note worthy are definitely the adaptive LED headlamps. BMW seemed to have perfected this technology and I haven't see anyone that does it better. 

VERDICT

Take all conventional thinking of a Mini and throw it out the window, why? Because this car just kills every cliche there is to it. It is big and spacious, it has immense power, and once you get your foot down, it just keeps going. It is extremely fun to drive, in fact it's addictive to drive, I found myself taking the longer routes home on purpose just so I could spend more time driving it. That doesn't bode well for your bank balance though, I suppose if you could afford one of these you can pay for the fuel as well. It's still can make for a great family car, seeing how spacious it is or for anyone for that matter, also it is has the all4 drive, which means it is capable for some light off roading ...or rally driving. This car gets a big thumbs up from me....almost didn't want to give it back. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2L TwinPower Turbo, supercharged
Gear Box	8 Speed Automatic with paddle shift
Power	170kW
Torque	350Nm
Fuel Comsumption	7.4L/100km
0-100kph	6.5 Seconds
Price	R604,000.00*

*Price excludes extras

Bucket Seat: Mini Countryman Cooper

After having tested the Mini Countryman Cooper S earlier on in the year, when I was told I was getting the bottom of the range Countryman Cooper to test, it seemed to have been a bit of an anticlimax. I mean, how could I possibly enjoy the 1.5L twin-turbo motor variant of Mini's SUV range more than the 2L twin-turbo? Well, funnily enough, I did! While the engines do play a big part in a car, with Mini there's so many other aspects to their cars that oddly enough, you can have fun in any of the engine variants. That is the one major points that differentiate Mini from it's competitors and make it the brand it is. I know many look at the brand and think its just overpriced cars for a select market but people seem to link Mini to it's humble beginnings where it was an affordable, low income targeted vehicle. The brand ever since being reborn has transformed into a luxury premium offering, almost scrapping the essence of it's nature but it was for the better.

STYLE

Every aspect of this cars design must be appreciated, while many would say the changes that differentiate this Countryman to it's predecessor are minimal but it's the subtle nature of these changes that make the big difference. The car is now longer and wider than before, as well as taller. The new Countryman has more bulk than before and the addition of the roof racks adds to this masculine look. For me though, the interior of this car was one of the best I've seen from Mini and a true reflection of how far they have gone in creating options for each Mini owner to make a car that is unique and a true reflection of themselves. The seats had the cross-sectional stitching which brought out the brown/tan colour of the leather, it really caught your eye when opening the door. The Mini welcome mat is an awesome extra, to greet the driver on arrival, the interior mood lights add that ambiance at night when in the car. The detail gone into the middle console is fantastic with all the switches finished in chrome, the huge infotainment screen is big and pronounced up top. Displaying information and easy navigation from the jog-shuttle controller situated behind the gear selector.

COMFORT

While the interior looks nice, it really is damn comfortable. With the extra space in the cabin due to the overall size of the car being made bigger, it feels as if the seats are also bigger than normal. There is the option to have the front seats heated as well, to help on those frosty cold winter mornings and evenings. The cabin is spacious enough to accommodate 4 adults, I suppose one can seat 5 in there, with just a tiny squeeze. The new Countryman also has the new optional extra offering of a picnic bench. Which conveniently folds away under the boot floor. Taking it out is just as simple as it opens out over the rear bumper with the cushion positions just on the tailgate. Ride quality, as per the Cooper S is magnificent. The engineers really have done a great job on the suspension with smooth driving on any surfaces. I did take the Countryman on some gravel trails and it handled it with ease. While it not might be a fully fledged 4x4, it does the SUV thing pretty well. 

Picture by @mvrc1988

PERFORMANCE

Like I said at the start, this cars engine could do very little to persuade me over its bigger brother but surprisingly the 1.5L Twin Turbo engine that comes in the Mini Countryman Cooper isn't that bad. It's no slouch having to cart around this very heavy vehice. The engine pushes out 100kW with 220Nm of torque, pretty average numbers especially when you consider the type of vehicle its in but if you think of the purpose this car is serving, its pretty good. It has the perfect amount of grunt when needed but still perfect to cruise around with. When it comes to fuel economy, the weight will come into to factor again, while the claimed fuel consumption is 6 liters to a 100km, I very often found myself hitting the high 11L/100km. This could be due to my irradic driving style but the car is very thirsty. 

Picture by @mvrc1988

VERDICT

Overall, I really love this car. It's a Mini, its fun to drive and the high premium options one has to spec this car is insane. I love how you can personalise the car to such an extent and that makes every Mini made, sort of unique. They added the right type of extras which come standard to the car which make it that much more great. The roof racks and automatic tail gate, so you don't have to physically open and close the boot yourself. Downside has to be the it's appetite for fuel, I found myself having have to fill this car twice during my 7 days with it but there is some good news, Mini have confirmed that they will be bring a diesel version of the Countryman to our country in the last quarter of this year. I would love to see how that one performs.

Picture by @mvrc1988

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.5 litre, Twin Turbo 4 cylinder
Gear Box	6 speed automatic
Power	100kW
Torque	220Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	9.6  seconds
Price	R 428,500*

Bucket Seat: MINI Countryman Cooper S

A few weeks ago I attended the launch of the all new Mini Countryman, while the car did impress me during the launch, the real test is when you're behind the wheel of it for a week and over the past seven I got to do just that with the Cooper S variant. The Mini Countryman goes against the name of the company, while it looks like a Mini, drives like a Mini and is named a Mini, its not really....mini. It's actually quite a big vehicle, in fact it's about the same size and your normal small SUV. While everything about the car still remains niche and quirky to appeal to the Mini driver, this happens to be one of the most practical Mini's yet.

STYLE

While this is an all new model from the previous one, the exterior styling hasn't changed that much. It looks very similar to the old one but with a few tweaks to help you differentiate from the two. The front headlights on the new Countryman are more bolder and squared off and the rear lights have been slightly enlarged, similar to that of the Mini Hatch. There are bolder accents all around with the car being more buff than previously and the car being overall bigger, both in length and width, not to mention the ride height being increased ever so slightly. Like all Mini's, the car does look fantastic and does generate a lot of attention no matter how you spec it. There seems to be this unwritten love affair with pedestrian's and Mini's where I often find many just glaring at the car as I drive past. The interior of the car also hasn't changed that much but is notably more stylish with better quality materials and finishes, not to mention the new Mini Connect and iDrive system with touch sensitive jog shuttle controller, which is basically from BMW but more about that later.

The car exudes style and like every Mini out there, it can be created to suit any individual. There's tons of options, colour tones, decals, rims, stitching and other extras to make your Mini unique to you. The one I had, while looking pretty straight forward was spec'd pretty well if you ask me. Being the sporty derivative from the two engine options offered, it was kitted out in all black, with a dark grey rim but the interior was this lush white/ creme which I just loved but was scared shitless that I might stain with something or the other, fortunately I didn't. 

COMFORT

Seeing that the Countryman is quite large, comfort wasn't an issue at all with it, whether you're behind the wheel or a passenger, either in the front or back. There was ample room for four adults. The seats are great with the front passengers being offered the optional extra seating heating for those cold winter months. Ride quality is perfect, as per normal they've taken a leaf out of BMW's booklet with the perfect weight distribution, which helps the cars ride quality remain the same on almost any surface. Being an SUV the car did also offer plenty of storage room and came with the storage pack from Mini which gives you extra space below the boot floor as well as a mat to avoid scraping the bump when loading luggage or you could use it to sit on.  The new Countryman also offers roof racks now as well. 

PERFORMANCE

With MINI opting for TwinPower Turbo engines across it's line, the Cooper S has the more powerful 2 liter, 4 cylinder option which is my favorite engine from the two for obvious reasons. Even though it's basically the same engine from the BMW 320i, it is tweaked for the Mini to provide optimal performance. The engine pushes out 141kW with a max torque of 280Nm and for city driving thats more than adequate. I just love the way they tune the exhaust on these Mini's though. It lets out that deep hum which just gets you excited every time you turn it on. It' makes you feel like a race driver. Speak of which, the Countryman does have a sport mode which essentially turns the car into a Go-Kart, a much bigger one but it's such a thrill to experience. It's hard for me to explain to people why I like driving Mini's, I always tell them there's only so much I can tell you in words before you experience it for yourself. 

TECH

While BMW did always share technology with Mini, the Countryman probably borrows a lot more now than usual. The car in terms of tech packs has almost everything the BMW offers in their cars which is great. The Mini iDrive interface is much more user friendly than before and offers a great deal of detail information with regards to the vehicle status. The Bluetooth Audio streaming is easy to connect and can be done now while the car is moving. Mini office allows you to view and read emails or messages that come through to your phone and can be accessed via the touch screen infotainment display. Like other Mini's the car did come with a heads-up display which rises from the dashboard, I always felt this was extremely cool but what I noticed in previous models with it, you had to look at it from a certain angle to view the info, now you can adjust the projection to your preference which is awesome!

VERDICT

A major put off from the Mini is always the price tag, people always seemed to be turned away when the price is mentioned but what they don't realise is while it is a Mini, one can't really compare it to other cars in the market purely because what it has to offer. There is no other car that would give you the same driver experience, nor the quality finishes that that this car has to offer, not to mention the extras. Show me a car in this segment that has a Harman Kardon sound system as an extra? While the car is quirky and fun, it also has a niche to it that people only realised once seated in it. The various options and specs you can change and style your Mini is endless and it's that uniqueness to create a car that is to your perfection is one of the key selling elements to the car. While this may sound unnecessary, people fail to realise that you sometimes you spend majority of your day in your car so why not get something you'll enjoy being in?

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0 litre, Twin Turbo 4 cylinder
Gear Box	8 speed automatic with paddle shift
Power	141kW
Torque	280Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	9.6  seconds
Price	R 490,000*

Bucket Seat: Mini Countryman - First Impressions

This week saw the launch of the all new Mini Countryman in South Africa, now while the Countryman defies every aspect of the name Mini, it still has the trademarks that help its cause in being what a Mini is all about. The launch took place on my doorstep in KZN and saw us driving through the canelands of the coast and eventually venturing into the midlands of this magnificent province, perfect territory to test the new Countryman out. Some facts I got to learn about the Countryman during the launch was that the original Countryman was called the Austin Seven Countryman and the British manufacturer felt that the hatch needed a more versatile interior and hence it was born. It phased out thereafter but was later revived in 2010 after the BMW over Mini and while that one wasn't the best car to drive, it did leave a lot of room for improvement which this new model seems to have filled up. There were a lot of firsts for the outgoing Countryman, it was the first Mini with a large tailgate, the first Mini with four doors and it was the first to have 5 seats as well as the first to offer all wheel drive. Thus making it quite popular and in such selling over 540,000 units worldwide. 

The new Countryman boasts a host of changes from the old, its bigger, bolder and more powerful. The first thing that strike you is the large square headlights, a big change from the oval we're used to seeing on the other models. The car is also ever so taller but still doesn't have a lot of ground clearance to go properly in the bush. As morning broke, we set off in the Countryman Cooper first, which is powered by a  1.5l Twin Power Turbo, 3-cylinder petrol engine, pushing out 1100kW and a max torque of 220Nm. While the engine is practically identical to the one found in the BMW 318i, you'd expect it to have a bit more grunt in the smaller chassis of the Countryman. It packed plenty of punch that's for sure, I'm not sure if it was the coastal air but the car was pretty responsive and handled like a dream through the many twists and turns of the KZN North Coast and Midlands. 

The other option offered in the Countryman is the Cooper S which has the slightly bigger 2l, 4-cylinder petrol engine, with an output of 141kW and max torque of 280Nm. I had this on the journey back to Durban and got the chance to test this cross over on some gravel roads. While the previous Countryman wasn't the best in handling even on tarred surfaces, this new one is so much more refined that it felt almost at home on loose gravel. At once stage I felt like Colin McRae speeding down the gravel while leaving clouds of dust in my back. The Cooper S is seriously becoming one of my all time favourite engines. It has that burst of power that just puts a big smile on your face when driving a Mini. They try their darnedest to give the driver that "Go-Kart" feel and while many enthusiast might disagree that it doesn't, I still feel like it is there and even with the bigger Countryman, the perfect weight distribution, smaller turning circle and other elements do add to that feeling.

Both cars cabins are pretty much the same, it borrows a lot from the smaller Mini hatch but on a slightly larger scale. It comes with the Mini iDrive interface which is as user friendly as the BMW's, it also has Mini Connect offered which enables so much possibilities for the infotainment unit the in the car. The funky chrome switches are a personal favourite of mine as well as the red start/ stop switch perfectly positioned in the middle of it all. The cars came with the optional split glass sunroof which for me is a must in a Mini, it just gives the car that extra room feelings and connects you well with the outdoors. With the cabin being bigger than the norm there is a lot of room and can quite believe that that five adults can sit comfortably in the car. So when it comes to space, this new Countryman has plenty of it, with the luggage space able to accommodate 450 litres, which is increased when the rear seats are dropped and can be shifted to increase space even more! The tailgate is now also electronic so you don't have to worry about pulling a muscle when pulling the heavy lid down to close.

While the Mini Countryman isn't classified as an SUV, it still fits into that premium small SUV market with its competition being the Audi Q2, VW Tiguan and so on. The price tag might deter many but as always, I encourage people to see if it is really worth the tag and for what you getting in this car, and the quality of the product it really has come a long way. While there are only two engine variants offered, none of which come with the All Four option, there are plans to launch a diesel and the range topping JCW variants later this year. The JCW will come standard with All  Four. Pricing for the Countryman Cooper is R422,000* which comes with a 6 speed manual, the 6 speed auto starts off at R440,000*. The Countryman Cooper S with the standard 6 speed auto starts off at R490,000* and the 8 speed auto Cooper S is R509,500*

*C02 emissions applicable and not accounted for.