Photography: Saidatta Naik
TURBOCHARGED usually gets invited to racetracks to drive fire-breathing monsters, who’s potential can’t possibly be explored while there are other road users and speed limits in place. But when Mini India invited us to the Buddh International Circuit to test- drive its latest offering for India, we knew it would be fun, but walking out into the pitlane, I wasn’t so sure. That’s because what we were to drive wasn’t a new, even more souped-up version of the Cooper S JCW. It was the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman All4. Okay, that name is quite a mouthful and I think I’m better off calling it the Mini JCW Countryman All4.
It’s still recognisable as a Mini, yes, but it’s a rather large err… SUV, as Mini is calling it, and yes, it is also larger in size than a lot of midsize SUVs. The large red front brake calipers hint at the performance it packs in, but there’s a whole lot of ‘busyness’ going on, on the sheet metal. It’s almost like Chris Bangle has had a hand in designing the exterior of the JCW Countryman! We do appreciate the floating roof though – it is one of the signature traits of a Mini, and has been copied by hatchbacks trying to look cool. Inside, things are a little better, because it is so different and fresh. Open pore surfaces dominate, and the black interior with scarlet accents looks sophisticated.
There are a number of quirks that remind you that this is a Mini, beginning with the 9.4 inch circular touchscreen sitting bang in the centre of the dashboard, in typical Mini fashion. There is keyless ignition, but no conventional shifter, as we have seen on the current generation Cooper S too. There are toggles on the console under the screen that operate the ignition, gearbox, and ‘Experiences’ – Mini’s word for drive modes, again, just like the Cooper S. There is no TFT screen for the driver, just a head-up display which adds to the cabin’s quirkiness. There are other unique touches like the fabric third spoke in the steering wheel, straight off the Cooper S again, and the vertical inner rear door handles.
Everything feels solid and well made, with high points the massive boot space (given the positioning as an SUV!) and the ability to enlarge it with the split and flat-folding rear seats. Parking it would have been a chore if it wasn’t for the 360 degree camera function, me thinks. We aren’t here to talk about how easy it is to park though, we’re driving a Mini at the fastest racetrack in the country! And the ‘JCW’ badge means there is some serious firepower under the hood. The 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four cylinder engine under the hood doesn’t sound like much, until you realise it puts out 300PS and 400Nm in this guise. The power is put down through a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox largely to the front wheels.
If the All4 all-wheel drive system detects slip at the front axle, it will send up to 50 percent of the torque to the rear axle. The torque split is continuously varied, and not fixed. We’ll drive the JCW Countryman All4 in the real world and tell you how it feels there, but for now, here’s how it feels on track. The claimed 0-100kmph time of 5.4 seconds is real, we can tell you that right away. Like most vehicles from the BMW group, the JCW Countryman is limited to 250kmph and it truly needs it, as we clocked over 200kmph down the back straight of the BIC with ease. Gearshifts are crisp, the steering feel is on point (it’s a Mini Cooper, after all, and one with JCW in its name!), and for its size and 1,700kg kerb weight, this is a car that handled the BIC’s fast corners surprisingly well.
We weren’t given enough laps to tire out the brakes, and the few that we got were controlled by a pace car ahead. We’re not fans of engine sounds piped through the audio system, but we understand that noise and emissions regulations are forcing manufacturers to come up with creative solutions to retain their products’ appeal. The Countryman JCW is also a family car, and on a multi-day road trip, kids in the back will appreciate a quiet engine, rather than having to listen to a loud exhaust droning all day at the speed limit! It isn’t like a prospective customer who is willing to pony up ₹64.90 lakh ex-showroom who truly wants a loud exhaust and pops and bangs from the exhaust won’t pay for an aftermarket exhaust and engine tune though.
As is the way with Minis, the JCW Countryman’s ability to be customised from the factory is limitless. The Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Skoda Octavia RS also exist in the same space, and the BMW M340i costs just a little more, but the Countryman goes head to head with the Mercedes-AMG GLA35, which is noticeably smaller in comparison. While the AMG has similar stats, it isn’t as distinctive as the others in this group. The Mini and the AMG are the only ones that have the ability to deal with bad roads and our typical Indian speed breakers, while offering space in the cabin and a useable boot for family vacations. That said, I have my doubts how many buyers getting this one will not have something like a BMW X7 or at least an X5 parked in their garage already. Effectively, my impressions of this Mini are of it being a family car that kept me entertained on a racetrack homologated for Formula1 cars – and that makes it fun for the whole family, and also makes it a bit of a unique proposition. Perhaps, even a set of wheels you might want to gift to your wife, so that you can have some fun when taking it out yourself too!
