- 5 hours ago
The 2024 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works is larger, more practical and more minimalist than its predecessor—but does the 300-horsepower family SUV still feel like a MINI? This hands-on test drive and review explores its styling, spacious rear seats, adjustable boot, distinctive round infotainment display and everyday usability, alongside the details that matter to drivers and families.
On the road, the review tests acceleration, ride comfort, handling, fuel economy and all-wheel-drive traction, and considers how the new Countryman compares with the previous generation. Get an honest look at the MINI Countryman JCW U25, its BMW-derived engine, cabin technology, driving modes and tested price. A detailed automotive review for anyone researching a performance SUV, family car, new MINI Countryman or real-world test drive.
On the road, the review tests acceleration, ride comfort, handling, fuel economy and all-wheel-drive traction, and considers how the new Countryman compares with the previous generation. Get an honest look at the MINI Countryman JCW U25, its BMW-derived engine, cabin technology, driving modes and tested price. A detailed automotive review for anyone researching a performance SUV, family car, new MINI Countryman or real-world test drive.
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MotorTranscript
00:00this is the new mini countryman it's bigger than its predecessor but somehow
00:03more minimalist than the second gen even in the 300 horsepower john cooper works version
00:09let's see if it's any good
00:41i ain't tired of rock and rollin i ain't tired of rock and rollin i'll be dancing till the morning
00:51that old music gets me going
01:16before we go any further full disclosure since autumn 2021 i daily an f60 mini countryman but
01:23this has no impact on my review of the brand's product i paid full price and apparently i'm
01:28the legendary client who did not negotiate of course i have a video comparing my countryman
01:33with the new u25 this is available to channel members early and without ads
01:40the new mini countryman has indeed grown it is now 13 centimeters longer 2 centimeters wider and 8
01:47centimeters higher than its predecessor the wheelbase is 2 centimeters longer the countryman u25 is the
01:53size of the current generation bmw x1 the countryman f60 was significantly smaller than the x1 of its
02:00time the countryman styling has always been controversial it took a while for it to grow
02:06on me so in this new generation i miss little details like old school door handles and plastic
02:12cladding on fenders which gave the previous countryman a wider stance and a more off-roady
02:17look even if it was never meant to do any serious off-roading the front is dominated by an octagonal
02:23radiator grille with the new john cooper works logo which makes its debut on the countryman from the side
02:3020 inch rims catch the eye and they could even be 21 inch an interesting touch is the c-pillar
02:37elements
02:37in the color of the roof here with the new john cooper works logo but depending on the powertrain
02:43and equipment version they can be personalized the least is going on in the rear and this color combination
02:49masks the shape of the bumper which houses two dual exhaust tips real ones
02:56the rear lamps and the headlights can display one of three themes in order to change them you have to
03:02turn the engine off so you won't be fiddling with it while driving i prefer the classic setting but
03:07there's also favored njcw which one do you prefer the boot can be opened with gesture remote control or
03:17simply by hand the capacity is depending on a source 450 or 460 liters in five seat configuration or 1450
03:26or 1460 liters with second row seats folded many no longer publishes a single data sheet so i had to
03:33pull information from six press releases but none of the press releases took into account the mild hybrid
03:41which like in bmw models takes up half the cargo space under the floor of course then many can say
03:47there
03:47is a sliding bench but i'd really like some coherent data rather than having to run around with a
03:52measuring tape the jcw doesn't have a mild hybrid so all underfloor storage is there and that's great
03:59it is about 20 centimeters deep about 80 centimeters long and less than 100 centimeters wide above the floor
04:06you get approximately 380 liters but push the bench forward and you wouldn't have guessed it's about 450 liters
04:15there are also two niches on the sides to fit a golf bag across two shopping bag hooks and a
04:2212 volt socket
04:23the floor can be removed and left at home as can the parcel shelf which doesn't fit under the floor
04:33there is also no picnic bench as an option at least for now it was an accessory available on the
04:39previous
04:39model the doors still don't cover the sills but there's even more leg room and even more headroom in
04:46the rear and the previous countryman wasn't bad in this department these extra centimeters will be
04:51appreciated by families where tall parents have tall children and they have outgrown the previous
04:56generation the seat is also a few centimeters wider i also like the space for feet which is under the
05:03ac
05:04vents and usb ports finally it's somehow possible to slide across without kicking someone in the head
05:10the door pockets are large there are cup holders in the armrest the backrest angle is adjustable and the
05:17backrest splits 40 20 40 the sliding seat is split 40 60. while the countryman's minimalist exterior
05:29doesn't appeal to me i really like the simple cockpit with a few physical switches and a 24 centimeter
05:36round display in front of a driver is only a head-up display with basic information such as speed speed
05:42limit and navigation directions everything else is on the central display now i have a separate video about
05:47the mini os9 infotainment system i link to it in the video description here i'll just focus on the most
05:53important features when i reviewed the bmw m2 i wondered why bmw didn't take advantage of the
06:00digital instrument cluster and design at least one classic theme mini on the other hand leans heavily
06:06on its heritage not only is the display really round and it uses all the real estate to present various
06:12features but each mode or experiences mini calls it has graphics which take inspiration from the analog
06:19speedometer in sir alec isignis's original mini but in addition to that analog looking speedometer
06:25we have modern navigation and many settings which after my very bad experience with bmw os8 here seem
06:32logically grouped and easily accessible i like that some settings can be accessed in several ways for
06:39example the light settings can be activated with a button on the turn indicator stock from the vehicle
06:44settings menu or simply by clicking on the lights icon on the display or the vehicle settings can be
06:50accessed with a button under the display from the main menu or clicking on the selected gear icon on the
06:56display i like this multi-track approach because i get to choose what's logical to me rather than having
07:03to learn a method that someone else thought was logical the mood lighting is linked to the experiences
07:09or you can set an individual mode an interesting feature is the lighting of the upper part of the
07:15dashboard the recycled polyester upholstery is not lit from underneath instead the ambient light is
07:21projected on it from behind the display speaking of recycled upholstery on warm days i stick to this faux
07:29leather which i'm sure saved the lives of many a turtle and prevented cows from losing their hides i'm sorry
07:35turtles and cows but i don't like when my back sticks to recycled plastic there's also a voice assistant
07:43but it's available only in some languages hey mini turn on the heated steering wheel
07:53okay i will activate the steering wheel heating
08:01i don't know if i need to talk to my car but if that's your thing mini is not going
08:06to stop you
08:06unless you speak one of the many unsupported languages under the display we have several
08:12physical switches there is a gear selector a turn switch for the ignition the experience toggle
08:20and a volume knob further down are buttons for the car settings menu
08:24the parking features including cameras hazard lights windscreen defroster and the rear window defroster
08:33so all the key features are available without having to fumble around the screen
08:39lower is a wireless charger which finally fits something larger than an iphone 3g
08:44that took a while and two cubbies as well as a box instead of storage under the armrest
08:49the armrest slides the cup holders seem to be the us triple xl and perhaps there is some sort of
08:57insert to make them more usable for european sized beverages the glove box is small the door pockets
09:04are large but not as big as in the previous generation
09:28the mini countryman can be powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor there's even a
09:34diesel which many doesn't like to communicate it's a two liter unit producing 163 horsepower and it's
09:42a mild hybrid like all other ice engines except the one for jcw in addition to the countryman d we
09:50still
09:50have countryman c s04 jcw4 e and se04 this means all-wheel drive is available only for the more powerful
09:59petrol
09:59and electric versions the evs have a promised range of over 400 kilometers
10:06today i'm driving the 300 horsepower jcw all four not because i want to but because the s all four
10:12wasn't yet available on the press fleet the claimed 0 to 100 kilometers per hour time is 5.4 seconds
10:18with launch control i managed 5.2 seconds in normal mode which mini calls core i got six and a
10:26half
10:26seconds when launching in normal mode i can feel the computer is trying to thwart the engine so as to
10:32reduce emissions in normal driving too you have to remember that the computer will try to keep the
10:42emissions down you can overcome it by holding the paddle left paddle for a couple of seconds this
10:47activates the boost mode something like sport response in porsche this feature the boost i mean
10:54also has been present in bmws for a few years now the 300 horsepower countryman picks up speed way too
11:01fast so be careful not to lose your driver's license isa or intelligent speed assist can be turned off
11:08like in other bmws by long pressing the set button on the steering wheel the promised fuel economy is about
11:16eight liters per 100 kilometers combined it is achievable as long as you don't take advantage of the
11:23jcw's capabilities the engine here is a two liter b48 unit from bmw compared to the previous generation
11:31the new countryman is much better soundproofed and the suspension has better damping it would be even
11:37better on smaller rims but this is a jcw so it has to look the part as well as ride
11:43the part
11:45the new countryman now has a 20 centimeter ground clearance which makes it seem like the car that can
11:51actually be taken off tarmac but the higher ground clearance and an overall eight centimeters higher
11:57body means the old countryman which is lower handles much better on the same winding road
12:03even on off-road tires the center of gravity is just lower and there's less roll having said that
12:09the new countryman jcw i don't know about other versions has some tricky electronic diff or maybe it's
12:15the all-wheel drive setup which makes the car turn tighter there is a marginal delay but it gives you
12:20that kind of dancing on tiptoes feeling now i'll go back to the sound for a moment in the setting
12:26i
12:26turned off the mini sound which is artificial sound generating the cabin and i think it's annoying but
12:34for the record it sounds like this in normal mode and now let's go to the go-kart mode
13:00the pops and bangs are also fake there's absolutely no difference from the outside
13:14driver assistance systems as it is the case with the bmw group products are top notch and now as bmw's
13:21entry-level models are getting proper driver aids so does the mini there's a 360 camera system there's
13:28navigation with augmented reality there's adaptive cruise control with lane change assist the adaptive
13:34cruise control recognizes intersections and roundabouts and slows down before them same with
13:40maneuvers planned in the navigation and last but not least my diagonal approach test i stop halfway so
13:48that the wheels on the diagonal have limited traction and i try to get going again the mini countryman has
13:54a
13:54mode that helps start on slippery surfaces esp can only be turned off in sport mode it seems the car
14:00does
14:01best best in normal mode in hill assist mode there's a bit more slip with esp off there is still
14:06some
14:06intervention i think if you're in a pinch it's best to leave the car in normal mode and if that
14:12doesn't do
14:13the trick call for help
14:23prices of the new mini countryman started 39 900 euro for the base trim countryman c the cheapest diesel cost
14:3142 900 euro the s all four starts at 45 900 euro and evs start from 43 500 this test
14:42jcw all four with options
14:44costs 65 450 euro
14:50the new countryman changed along with its target group which needs more car but doesn't necessarily want a bmw
14:56it's also competitively priced i'd know because i remember what i paid for my countryman the new
15:02countryman is too big for me but someone with my needs will probably be steered towards the upcoming
15:07aceman unfortunately that's only fully electric at least for now and how do you like the new countryman
15:14do you like it bigger or did you prefer the smaller package let me know in the comment section below
15:21if you like my sarcastic down to earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday at
15:283 pm central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me
15:34with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one