2024 Mini Countryman JCW review

The 2024 Mini Countryman JCW is the most powerful production vehicle Mini has ever produced – and it is also the largest.

The line-up now offers more safety tech than ever before, and incorporates both petrol and fully-electric powertrains.

Here, I’ve got the Mini Countryman JCW in Favoured trim – the same basic package as the rest of the line-up, but with the wick turned right up and some extra frills to set it apart.

But who exactly is this almost $80,000 little luxury SUV aimed at? 

The car maker says the majority of the Countryman’s customers will be families, but with its zany looks and hungry hot-hatch road manners, will this one-size-fits-all approach land well with buyers?

Let's find out.

The top-shelf Countryman JCW range offers three trim levels – Core, Classic, and Favoured starting from $67,990 plus on-road costs.

The Mini Countryman JCW in top-spec Favoured trim starts from $73,990 before on-road costs, and for that money, you really are getting all the car maker has to offer in its combustion-engined line-up.

Standard kit includes a circular 9.4-inch OLED touchscreen, head-up display, Harman Kardon Premium sound system, wireless phone charging, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an automatic tailgate with kick function.

There’s also electric seat adjustment with memory function for the driver, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, four USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets, and a panoramic glass sunroof.

Although the Mini did take a price cut of almost $2000 for this model year, its asking price still puts it higher than the roughly equivalent Audi Q3 40 TFSI S Line, which goes for closer to $70,000.

However, it is roughly in line with the BMW X1 xDrive 20i M Sport, which asks $73,400, and the Volvo XC40 B4 Dark is much less costing a touch over $60,000 before on-roads. All three competitors offer all-wheel drive, but can't match the Countryman JCW's performance potential.

It has eye-catching red and black JCW interior styling running along the dashboard, door panels and on the JCW sports seats, which are reasonably comfy – if not a little stiff on the shoulders on longer journeys thanks to the bolstering on the sides.

Aside from it being a nice departure from the usual leather, Alcantara or bog-standard plastic, I like that it combines a modern approach of using a textile made from recycled polyester, with the colours also paying homage to Mini’s racing heritage.

On the outside, to make sure there’s no doubt this is the hot version, it has some JCW-specific design elements, including John Cooper Works design bumpers and stylised chequered-flad grille inserts to give it a more expressive look, and a newly designed three-colour JCW logo.

New for this iteration are also updated Mini LED headlights and a freshly designed octagonal grille in gloss black.

Adding to the bold and sporty aesthetic is the Legend Grey paint, combined with a Chili Red roof and mirrors (with Jet Black also available) and ‘go fast’ red stripes along the bonnet to match.

Then there are 20-inch, flag-spoke, two-tone wheels to complete the look, which altogether – though certainly eye-catching – gives off a very masculine vibe. Luckily, there are so many colours to choose from.

Up front, both the driver and passenger have good levels of leg room and there are small areas of space to put things, with two main cupholders and room for a decent-sized bottle in each door as well as little items.

In the middle, just behind the cupholders, is a small little fabric-topped storage bin, which is handy for things like keeping your keys in, though oddly the Countryman goes without a proper centre console bin in the armrest – which also does not adjust to slide forward for comfort.

There is, however, a nice little shelf to put your phone on, which also doubles up as the wireless charging pad.

Being a crossover between a hatch and an SUV, the space in the second row isn’t overly generous, but it’s still plenty for two child seats to fit, and an average-sized female adult to sit comfortably without the front passenger being squeezed too far forward.

The rear row of seats can be adjusted in length by up to 13 centimetres to allow for that little bit of extra leg room for taller passengers, but they are quite straight, not providing much support – almost an afterthought or overlooked because they expect only children will be using them.

There are also two ISOFIX anchors on the outboard seats and three top-tether points across the second row.

Although second-row occupants do benefit from their own air vents, the units themselves can’t be adjusted, only pointing in one direction, which is less than ideal for anyone having a rush of cold air blasted in their face for instance.

All that said, this is the biggest Mini ever made, so this Countryman offers more space than ever before – stacking up fairly well in the segment by offering 505 litres of space with all the seats up and 1530L with the second row down.

That puts it roughly on par, if a little less, with the Audi Q3 that offers 530L, and the BMW X1 with 540 litres, and means it can transport prams, shopping bags, a couple of medium-sized suitcases and the like with ease.

A slight letdown for the price is a hard parcel shelf, which makes connecting child seat top tethers just that little bit more finicky, whereas a retractable luggage cover would feel more premium and prevent bumping your head with the tailgate open.

There are two small pockets of space on either side, one of which is a small cubby, but two proper bins for small bits and pieces would be better here too. So while Mini might want the Countryman to be a family hauler, the attention to detail has gone more into flashy showpieces than practicality.

The Countryman overall is 4447mm long, 1843mm wide, 1645mm tall and has a 2692mm wheelbase.

The Mini Countryman now gets a 9.4-inch infotainment system to replace the 8.8-inch screen found in the outgoing model.

Unlike most car makers, however, Mini has gone for a real showpiece here and made the screen round instead of rectangular, a nod to the design of the instrument cluster in its classic models.

Housed within it is Mini’s Operating System 9 infotainment system, which Mini claims has been optimised for touch and voice control.

However, I found swiping between functions within the infotainment screen to lag somewhat, often requiring more than one stab at it, which is distracting if you’re driving at the time.

If using Apple CarPlay, the phone mirroring will display as a square rather than fill up the full circle, which just feels wrong and uncomfortable on the eyes somehow, hindering an otherwise clean and crisp appearance.

Luckily the system is capable of over-the-air software updates, so if Mini chooses to this could be relatively easy to fix.

The circular screen is certainly striking, but I actually am not a fan of how it clashes rather than complements the rest of the interior, which is otherwise quite well executed.

The car maker also offers its Mini Connected app for use in the Countryman, which allows you access to your vehicle's statistics, information and journey planning. In fact, it's essential to access some features – such as the 'Hey Mini' voice-control function – which won't work without being paired via an account.

Also within the app you can check things like when you're next due for a service, how much oil is in the engine, whether you've locked the car, and find your nearest petrol station (or charging point for EVs).

When it comes to safety, the Countryman JCW has Mini’s full suite of technology, though this current model is currently untested by ANCAP or even its European equivalent Euro NCAP, and as such does not yet carry a safety rating.

The whole Countryman range is equipped with nine airbags and there is also a flat tyre indicator as standard and a tyre repair kit included. 

This generation of Countryman comes with blind-spot alert and lane-departure warning, rear-collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, driver attention alert, side-door exit warning, speed limiter, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert. 

It also has safety features such as intelligent emergency call, a tyre pressure monitoring system, as well as steering and lane-control assistance.

Many of these, however, such as the lane-departure warning or driver attention alert, aren't really intense enough to let you know you're straying away from where you should be or have lost focus, with only a gentle reverberation of the steering wheel felt even in the highest setting.

More often than not the opposite is true, with many assisted-driving systems being too overbearing. It's almost as if in a bid to be premium and not annoy its customers with too many boings and dings, it has taken things too far the other way.

And I also found the 360-degree 'Parking Assistant Plus with Surround View' camera technology a little muddled, with the view lurching from one view to another as you get close to an object, making it difficult to easily manoeuvre in tight parking spots. When there's plenty of space around you, however, it works just fine and the quality is very good, with a nice crisp picture.

The Mini Countryman is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing required on a conditional basis, and your Mini will automatically let you know when a service is required.

There are three Mini Service Inclusive packages available for new petrol, new electric and used Mini models. The package for the JCW costs $2450. All cars are covered for the first five years or 80,000km. 

The basic package covers oil and filter changes, your annual vehicle checks, as well as brake fluid and renewal of filters and spark plugs where required. You can level up to the Plus package, which is priced individually, but also includes items that are not usually included in capped-price service programs such as brake pads and wiper blades.

The Mini Countryman JCW will cost $2322 per annum to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Predictably, with the extra power and torque bump, the JCW grade comes with slightly higher fuel consumption at a claimed 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres, while the Countryman S variant is rated at 7.6L/100km. On test I found it to be quite thirsty, even through steady freeway driving, with a final figure of 9.5L/100km.

To compare fuel economy like-for-like with the Mini's closest rivals, on paper the Audi and BMW sit either side of the Countryman JCW in terms of efficiency, rated at 8.0L/100km and 7.2L/100km respectively.

Under the bonnet of this Mini Countryman JCW is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 233kW and 400Nm, with power sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Power is up for the 2024 model by 8kW, though torque is down 50Nm – but regardless it’s still quick, with Mini claiming a 0–100km/h time of 5.4 seconds.

It’s more powerful than the rest of the petrol-powered Countryman line-up too, with the Countyman S grades offering 150kW and 300Nm from the same 2.0-litre engine without the performance tune.

The 2.0-litre turbo petrol, tuned up for the JCW, offers really punchy performance, making the Countryman feel more like a hot hatch on stilts than an SUV.

The equivalently-priced Audi and BMW models also have a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines, but are less powerful than the JCW – unless you step up to the BMW X1 M35i, which matches the Mini for outputs but costs considerably more at over $90,000.

There are also a handful of ‘experience’ modes, which offer specially designed backgrounds themes and sounds to make drive modes in your Mini more personal. The most entertaining of which is ‘go-kart mode’ that provides a particularly sporty driving experience, and you can hear the sounds of the turbo with impressive intensity.

That’s unless you’ve got the Harman Kardon 12-speaker sound system turned up at the time, because it does a fantastic job at sweeping away all other noises, leaving you to listen uninterrupted to your music or podcast of choice.

On top of this there’s also a ‘boost’ function, which is activated by holding the left gear-shift paddle, giving you 10 seconds of maximum performance. It's handy for overtakes, but the novelty soon wears off.

And whatever mode you’re in, the noise from the exhaust within the cabin is oddly muted.

What isn't so quiet is the wind and road noise. If you haven't got anything playing through your speakers, you can really notice it on harsher road surfaces, or even on good roads when travelling at higher speeds, such as on a freeway.

The only real chink in its armour is that its hunger to get moving is often hampered by an over-keen start-stop function, cutting in when it doesn’t need to and making it slower off the line than you’d expect – almost like a greyhound caught asleep at the gate before a race – and ruining an otherwise smooth experience.

In fact, driving the Countryman is very comfortable. It absorbs even decent-sized bumps and imperfections in the road surface without getting unsettled, and navigating them is made easy thanks to well-balanced steering – even if the steering wheel grips placed at 10 and two are far too chunky. 

The hot hatch feel is even more pronounced with its particularly sharp turn into corners, while the brakes feel very responsive and confidence-inspiring.

The Countryman JCW is definitely a head-turner – and even despite its increased size, it’s still recognisable as a Mini. Some of those looks are a bit polarising, though, which brings us back to the question about who this vehicle is really for.

Its hot hatch-style performance might seem like the obvious choice for younger drivers, but most would unlikely be able to stretch to that near $80,000 price tag.

And those looking to reignite their youth might not quite find it the right fit for their midlife-crisis car due to its SUV proportions.

So is it a family car? Its limited amounts of space may make it fine for a daily run-around, but it would struggle for longer-term duties, and it’s thirsty for its size too.

In my mind, it doesn’t really know what it wants to be – a Mini that isn’t so mini anymore.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Mini website for stock of your preferred Countryman variant. You can also find Minis for sale at Drive Marketplace.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Click here to find your nearest Mini dealer. We’d also recommend test-driving the Audi Q3, BMW X1 or Volvo XC40 to test their similarities and differences in both performance and styling.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.