2018 Mini John Cooper Works Countryman All4 Review

avril 19, 2022 Enregistrer un commentaire

Doors and Seats

5 doors, v seats
Engine

2.0T, 4 cyl.
Engine Power

170kW, 350Nm
Fuel

Petrol (95) vii.8L/100KM
Manufacturer

4WD
Transmission

6 Spd Manual
Warranty

3 Yr, Unltd KMs
Ancap Safety

NA

2018 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works All iv review

If y'all are like me and were tasked with the job of teaching your kids to drive, you volition know that the hardest thing about getting a licence is the reverse park and the hill start. It doesn't matter if you haven't got a clue about going circular corners, right braking techniques or travelling at speed on a highway in traffic, so long as you smash those tricky deadening-speed manoeuvres.

What we beloved

Fun factor
The frazzle annotation
Surprisingly roomy and comfortable
Handles similar a large Mini
Fantabulous tech and connectivity

What nosotros don't

Wind noise around the A-pillars at highway speeds
Needs a piffling more ability
Tyre dissonance on fibroid-chip
B-pillar blocks three-quarter vision at intersections

These days, of course, even those unproblematic skills are redundant given that the vast majority of vehicles only have ii pedals and a lot of new cars park themselves. And allow'south face it, driving can be so distracting when you are trying to LOL with your BFF or update your social media accounts.

We had one of the original 'new' Minis at the time I was education my girl to drive. Information technology was about 2003 and the rebirth of the Mini had just occurred. It was a Cooper Southward in Electric Blue with the supercharged 1.six and a manual gearbox. The thing just screamed fun except on a steep hill with L-plates attached, at which time it was the cause of much angst and exasperation.

Fortunately, my daughter was an excellent driver and got the hang of operating clutches, handbrakes and accelerators all at the same time, partly considering of her time learning in the Mini, partly because we insisted on our kids undertaking an advanced driving course, but mainly because she loves cars and driving every bit much as I do.

Fast-forrard many years and our interest in the Mini brand has just been rekindled with the acquisition of a new JCW Countryman. There were many prospective cars on my shopping listing when looking to purchase, ranging from Forester XTs all the way through to the lower stop of the Velar and Macan range. I needed a applied vehicle, but I particularly wanted some driving pleasure in the equation this time effectually.

My previous motorcar came from the VAG stable, and while it was a superb conveyance, information technology had a few reliability issues that were enough for me to avoid treading that path again.

The choice of the JCW certainly wasn't an automatic one. I had real concerns about whether it was big plenty in the back seat for real people, and more importantly, if it was going to be too 'focused' for daily driving. The previous Mini in our lives was a fantastic bulldoze, but it was a little raw and single-minded in its desire to excite, leaving not a lot of room in its personality to condolement and cosset its passengers.

Fortunately, the years that accept passed since that original Cooper Due south have seen the brand mature to a large extent, specially in the Countryman guise, due mainly to the fact that this larger than e'er earlier Mini is now really just a BMW X1 in hipster jeans, or clown shoes, depending on your point of view. More than on the looks soon. This means the Countryman is built on quality underpinnings, is pretty big, and feels grown up in every mode.

The JCW bluecoat on the automobile should mean that performance is the priority, and to a large extent it is. Enjoying 177kW and 350Nm around town is a given, especially when combined with the eight-speed gearbox. To be honest, I would take bought a manual if one had been available, but I didn't want to wait to have one built, and I'm quite sure the auto is significantly smarter than I am and definitely quicker at swapping cogs. Highway and motorway cruising is relaxed with the fantabulous prowl control looking after speed-maintenance duties.

The biggest negative of the Mini is that it isn't a placidity car. The main culprit is wind dissonance around the A-pillars, and the chat that the nineteen-inch run-flats take with fibroid-flake tarmac is a loud one. It doesn't bother me when I am traveling alone because the Harman Kardon audio organisation is merely and then good and information technology comfortably drowns out the background racket, but I recommend test-driving on a expressway before buying merely to ensure you and your significant other can live with it. I run the car in Dark-green mode while cruising because the exhaust is toned down in this setting.

I am fortunate enough to live close to a number of very enjoyable roads effectually the hinterland of northern NSW, and take driven the Mini in what should be its natural environment. Treatment is really splendid with light and direct plow-in and more grip than I am capable of properly exploiting. The JCW is a biggish car, but information technology e'er feels smaller than y'all would imagine, and the power is most always more than adequate. The only time I wish for more kilowatts is when tight corners unwind uphill, at which time the weight of the car is felt and a scrap more grunt is required.

The gearbox is also surprisingly tiresome when left to its own devices in these circumstances, too, even in Sport manner, just this deficiency is easily overcome with the paddles. Of course, the pleasing get upwards and go of the Mini would hateful goose egg without the playful frazzle note that accompanies the apply of the throttle. From the snap, crepitation and popular on over-run to the cheeky little staccato burp it emits on upwards-shifts, the soundtrack simply adds to the pleasure you get from driving this car. I deliberately leave the sunroof open as ofttimes every bit I can but to let a scrap more of the exhaust burble in.

The X1 platform upon which the Countryman is built is a fairly new design, and as such the car feels modern and mature. Tech heads should exist impressed with the level of electronic wizardry in employ from cordless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, a wide range of commuter-adamant modes for everything from driving choices to ambience lighting colours to radar cruise and the list goes on. The telephone/machine connectivity is seamless.

Comfort from the standard heated leather seats is outstanding, and you will be impressed by the space in the back seat for at least two big adults. Three across the back is doable, merely not for long trips. There is even a pretty generous boot access via an electric tailgate with several ways of activation, including foot motion under the bumper. A cycle fits with the seats folded flat and a large space exists nether the floor console in the rear and is more than usable than gimmickry.

When doing my due diligence prior to purchasing the car, I came across a lot of negative feedback about the looks of the Countryman. The feedback had absolutely no influence on my decision to purchase. Beauty is in the heart of the beholder after all, and frankly I accept never considered a Mini of any vintage or size to be a cute car. Derisive – yes. A scrap of a TARDIS with the space inside given the exterior dimensions – yes. Quirky, fun and dissimilar also come to mind.

The point about the advent of the JCW is not whether it looks good enough, but whether information technology looks 'Mini' enough, and for me at to the lowest degree it succeeds in that regard in spite of its bulk. It certainly tin can wait a bit awkward from some angles, but most comments about the auto out in the wild are very positive.

The other big negative I have read most this vehicle seems to exist around the perceived value of a $60K Mini, and over again this comes back to personal opinion. I come up from an era when there was outrage as the prices of full-sized Fords and Holdens rudely breached the $10K barrier, and I ain a small fleet of Kia Picantos that exercise admittedly everything right with generous inclusions and warranty for $15K, then I get the sentiment regarding the toll of the Mini.

Yous can spin the arguments effectually the value equation any way that suits your desired event, but for me the car is competitive in its pricing with other quality pocket-sized-to-medium SAVs, and it wins out overwhelmingly for me personally with the fun factor and smiles per miles it gives me every fourth dimension I drive it.

I can say with a lot of certainty that it feels like a automobile in this toll range should, with excellent performance, quality of materials used in the cabin, safe tech, and its ability to fulfill its role equally a fun just practical automobile.