{"id":2004506,"date":"2026-06-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2004506"},"modified":"2026-06-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:00:00","slug":"mini-countryman-jcw-long-term-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2004506","title":{"rendered":"Mini Countryman JCW – long-term review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hummer\u2019s don\u2019t hum. Infinitis don\u2019t go on for ever. Genesis\u2019s (Genesii?) haven\u2019t been here from the start. Smart\u2019s once were but are no longer. And Mini\u2019s aren\u2019t. No, car firms don\u2019t fret about living up to their names. The Countryman is the biggest Mini there\u2019s ever been. Have an electric one and it\u2019s also the first to weigh over two tonnes.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t electric. Not even a hybrid. It\u2019s a JCW. Pure petrol power, and 296bhp of it, sent to all four wheels for 0-62mph in 5.4secs. Meaning it\u2019s also the fastest Mini there is. Yeah, the biggest Mini is faster than the hot hatches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But don\u2019t be confused. For me this third generation Countryman is the first to have genuinely found its feet. I know, early days because this is my first report, but provided you park the snark regarding what a Mini should be, and approach it like owners do, wanting something with Mini characteristics but maxi practicality and, well, it works. Of course, this won\u2019t stop me twisting the knife later on once I realise it\u2019s actually – and this is in no way a spoiler alert – bigger than an original Range Rover. But for the time being I\u2019ll cut it some slack.<\/p>\n

Not for the way it looks though. I don\u2019t mind the angular headlights, but I do object to the fake bonnet vents and power dome, plus that sort of earmuff section behind the rear doors. That would probably be less obnoxious without the red roof at least. I want to make it clear I didn\u2019t spec it. It\u2019s all a bit try hard, clear evidence that there is no British input left in the design. At least the Union Jack rear lights have gone. Actually technically they haven\u2019t – delve into the menus and you can configure the dot matrix patterns in three ways – one of which is our national flag. Wide berth, please.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll go into detail about the cabin when I\u2019ve got more used to it, but I will say this. There\u2019s lots of useful storage and decent space inside. At 500 litres, the boot is the same size as BMW\u2019s giant iX or (perhaps more pertinently given how many of them you see around) a Jaecoo 7. Plus the rear seats slide and have tilting backrests. Not all of them do – that\u2019s an option.<\/p>\n

In terms of kit, it wants for nothing. Level 1 equipment is standard and acceptable, but I suspect most spend the extra \u00a32,900 for Level 2. That\u2019s the sweet spot with the 20in wheels and panoramic roof. Level 3 does the flim-flam of augmented reality sat nav, electric memory seats with basic massage, uprated driving and parking assistance, plus throws in a dynamic sweetener: better JCW cross-drilled brakes. Another \u00a31,000 means this one has an electric tow bar tucked away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The first time I drove it, I made an immediate note – it drives like you think a Mini should. Despite it\u2019s size, the throttle and steering are alert, it turns quickly, carries itself well though corners, doesn\u2019t slump or roll. Good. Not all Mini characteristics have been abandoned in the drive for size.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hummer\u2019s don\u2019t hum. Infinitis don\u2019t go on for ever. Genesis\u2019s (Genesii?) haven\u2019t been here from the start. Smart\u2019s once were but are no longer. And Mini\u2019s aren\u2019t. No, car firms don\u2019t fret about living up to their names. The Countryman is the biggest Mini there\u2019s ever been. Have an electric one and it\u2019s also the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-2004506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2004506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004506\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2004506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2004506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2004506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}