- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
225kW, 450Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 7.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours review
What if I told you that buying an SUV didn’t mean consigning yourself to the mundane? The Mini Countryman John Cooper Works definitely injects some sport into sport utility.
- Sharp handling and quick reflexes
- Surprisingly roomy and versatile interior
- Distinctive styling
- Odd ergonomics and off-centre instruments
- Over-stuffed, strange driver seat shape
- More wind and road noise than ideal for a premium product
Some car brands, rightly or wrongly, carry strong emotional links. You think of camping and wilderness when you think of Subaru, for instance, and the mention of Mini likely conjures up fun, spirited driving.
But thinking of Mini and practicality in the same sentence is a bit of a no-no. Or at least, it was. In the case of the 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, you can split the difference with a fun driving package that lets you share the fun with a full complement of passengers.
As the jewel atop the Mini crown, the Countryman is the biggest model in the range, and the John Cooper Works is the quickest and most driver-focussed.
The effect is a well-proportioned SUV with external dimensions right at home in the city, enough space inside to work cooperatively with young families, and that iconic Mini driving enjoyment baked in.
Available in either Cooper, warmed-up Cooper S, or hot hatch in disguise John Cooper Works variants, the Countryman range steps up in power and performance at each step.
On top of picking a powertrain, you can also pick a trim package, with the John Cooper Works available as an entry-level Essential from $63,850 plus on-road costs, mid-level Classic from $68,850, or a more decked-out Mini Yours specification as seen here from $73,650 plus on-road costs.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Price (MSRP) | $73,650 plus on-road costs |
Options | Black roof and mirror caps (no cost), black sport bonnet stripe (no cost) |
Price as tested | $73,650 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Sage Green |
Rivals | Mercedes-AMG GLA35 | BMW X2 M35i | Audi SQ2 |
Interior Comfort
With a design that’s likely to split opinions, the Mini Countryman range tries to preserve some traditional Mini flavour. There's a large circular central display pod in the centre of the dash, and some toggle-type switchgear that looks like a madcap blend of modern and kitsch.
The retro aesthetic isn’t to all tastes, and it brings some ergonomic challenges – particularly in instances where new technologies meet Mini design hallmarks.
Even with relatively compact interior dimensions, interior space is pretty generous. Overall, the Mini is shorter nose-to-tail than the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Audi Q3 and BMW X1, but interior space defies those dimensions in a couple of ways.
Like the X1 on which the Countryman’s mechanical package is based, the wheelbase is an identical 2670mm, shorter than both the Audi and Mercedes, but the rear seat is still pushed back, and the tall roof ensures a nice airy feel in the cabin.
The Mini’s external shape, while being tall and boxy to the aid of spaciousness, does create some wind noise and rustling around the windscreen pillars on the move. There’s also a little more road noise than is ideal from coarse-chip road surfaces too.
The rear seat is the star in this car – to a degree, the front seats are a little oddly shaped, and the puffy padding and rounded shape tends to force you into a splayed-leg seating position.
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Worse still, for the driver, the steering wheel is offset from the centre line of the seat, and Mini’s new ‘digital instrument’ (really a multi-function screen between two traditional gauges with a dark tint cover to look all-digital) is offset further still to fit the void left by the old analogue gauges.
It’s an untidy solution, and an ergonomic compromise that the driver’s car of SUVs should be able to overcome.
To the boot, and the Countryman’s 450L boot is roomy, and the low, flat opening lip makes loading a breeze, as does the powered tailgate. The rear seat folds in three separate sections, so you can mix-and-match cargo and passengers if need be, up to a total luggage capacity of 1390L.
Some of the niceties of John Cooper Works Mini Yours specification include rear privacy window tint, upgraded ‘lounge’ leather seat trim, additional interior ambient lighting, a dual-pane sunroof and rear privacy tint.
Those features come in addition to powered front seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, heating for the front seats and steering wheel, and a driver’s head-up display available on lower-grade Countryman models.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 450L / 1390L |
Length | 4297mm |
Width | 1822mm |
Height | 1557mm |
Wheelbase | 2670mm |
Turning circle | 11.4m |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Built atop the basics of BMW’s iDrive system, Mini’s infotainment layout and touch or console dial interface should feel familiar. Mini makes things a bit cuter with colourful menu screens and more expressive graphics.
Dive deep and you’ll find a huge array of functions, with inbuilt navigation, DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, and online connectivity that not only feeds info to the vehicle for news highlights and weather, but opens up remote access via a secure smartphone app.
Working your way through the screens and sub-menus is reasonably straightforward. And in concert with the steering wheel buttons and small pop-up menus in the head-up display, it makes it easy to thumb through tracks or radio stations without taking your eyes off the road.
The display size measures 8.8 inches, and the Countryman John Cooper Works upgrades to a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system compared to the six-speaker unbranded audio in lesser models.
Safety
Some variants of the Mini Countryman carry a five-star ANCAP rating from 2017, but oddly the local test authority does not include petrol-powered models – only the now discontinued diesel. Technically, the Countryman John Cooper Works is unrated as a result.
Safety equipment includes six airbags, tyre pressure monitoring (and run-flat tyres), front seatbelt pretensioners, and city-speed autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, but no high-speed or intersection AEB.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
Year tested | - |
Safety report | Link to report |
Value for Money
While there’s plenty to like about the John Cooper Works Mini Yours seen here, it’s not at the forefront of specification or technology in the small-SUV class.
Fully loaded, the $73,650 Countryman translates to a price in the low-$80K mark with on-road costs added. That’s still a touch under something like a Mercedes-AMG GLA35, and line-ball with the sportier-styled but less practical BMW X2 M35i.
Without anything that’s a neat-fit direct competitor, you could look at anything from a smaller Audi SQ2 to a Range Rover Evoque as an alternative. In the Mini’s case, though, it’ll be the perky handling and loveable bulldog styling that seal the deal – not driving your dollar further.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
MSRP | $73,650 plus on-road costs |
Options as tested | None |
Warranty | Three-year / Unlimited km |
Service intervals | Condition-based |
Servicing costs | $1650 (5yr) |
Driver Technology
The Countryman’s driver assist features are the same throughout the range, so you’ll find traffic sign recognition, lane-departure warning, front and rear park sensors and a reverse camera, but no 360-degree view.
Adaptive cruise control and auto LED headlights, with active shading to maintain high-beam illumination while masking off around approaching traffic, are also included.
The driver can also check vital information on a flip-up head-up display, which is positioned as a secondary display above the instruments with views for speed, navigation and more.
Powertrain and Performance
The Mini Countryman John Cooper Works’s party piece is, unquestionably, its engine. The sporty SUV even shares its ‘most-powerful’ title with the superstar John Cooper Works GP hatch and the Clubman John Cooper Works.
That means a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 225kW at 6250rpm and 450Nm from 1750 to 4500rpm sent via an eight-speed torque converter automatic to an on-demand all-wheel-drive system.
With that much grunt on tap, the Countryman John Cooper Works can slingshot from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.1 seconds. Quick enough to embarrass the neighbourhood hot hatch brigade, if that’s your thing.
It’s genuinely eager-feeling too. Easy enough to run about town in, but immediately responsive, with a linear torque swell that sees it make short work of rolling acceleration.
The eight-speed auto tends towards efficiency when left in its normal mode, but select sport mode and the entire package sharpens up, with responsive downshifts and gears that hold nicely in more heated driving.
Because the Countryman doesn’t use a dual-clutch auto, it’s much more well-mannered for peak-hour jams and low-speed parking too.
Key details | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 225kW @ 6250rpm |
Torque | 450Nm @ 1750-4500rpm |
Weight (tare) | 1566kg |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automatic |
Tow rating | Not rated |
Power to weight ratio | 143.7kW/t |
Energy Efficiency
Officially, the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works claims a 7.6 litres per 100km fuel consumption rating. On test we saw 10.1L/100km. Put that down to the John Cooper Works’s addictive performance.
Some of our time with the car was spent exploiting its abilities on keen driving roads, and some was spent getting to and from the office. Neither situation is conducive to efficient running, so in a more balanced week, that figure should level out.
Still, for the performance on offer – and the space available – it doesn’t really feel too greedy.
At a glance | 2021 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works Mini Yours |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.6L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 10.1L/100km |
Fuel type | 98RON |
Fuel tank size | 51L |
Ride and Handling
Like the engine, the John Cooper Works enhancements to steering and suspension tweak an already decent package into a more honed and purposeful one.
There’s an underlying firmness to the ride, but it’s the balanced kind. It’ll forgive a few lumps and bumps in the surface, keep the car in check on a twisty mountain pass, and not rattle your fillings out in the process.
Again, you can wick up the drive modes and sport-ify the adaptive suspension if you want, but the regular mode feels like a better fit. Even in heated driving.
That buttoned-down ride and confidence-inspiring all-wheel drive give the Countryman John Cooper Works an edge over the rest of the Mini range. This and the plug-in hybrid Cooper SE are the only all-wheel-drive Countryman models, but only this one is configured with performance in mind.
Alongside the less powerful Countryman Cooper S, the John Cooper Works is better able to harness traction out of corners, and feels more settled through the steering to boot. The wheel has a reassuring weight to it, and feels fast and agile in a way that suits the Countryman’s size, if not quite a match for the nimbler hatch.
The big Mini can’t quite hide its 1566kg kerb heft. You feel it through bends and on more rough-shod road surfaces.
Like the best of us, post-lockdown, the Countryman isn’t in the worst shape, but if you really wanted something more athletic, this wouldn't be the Mini to go for – though it does still drive like a Mini through and through.
Fit for Purpose
Pinning down a purpose for the Countryman isn’t all that easy. Is it a city SUV, does it aspire to be a family car, or is it a performance car in disguise?
In truth it’s a little of each, but rather than being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, the Countryman John Cooper Works is actually pretty convincing.
Ultimately, it won’t be a perfect fit for families with older kids, but for SINKs, DINKs, and those just starting out, the Countryman makes the most sense.
More importantly, though, it means that choosing an SUV doesn’t mean the end of driving thrills. Plenty of brands are still to find their way on the path to performance SUVs, though prestige brands seem to have a leg-up here.
Conclusion
The Mini Countryman range may not be Mini as you’d expect it. It features more space and comfort inside than the name suggests, but also more of the cheeky charm that signifies the brand today than you might expect.
Practicality is in no way harmed by Mini’s retro looks, but interior ergonomics may be, just a little.
For some, the lure and love affair of the Countryman’s overtly English aesthetic will be all they need, while for others it’ll be the added space inside without diluting the fun-to-drive dynamics.
While perhaps not the most modern SUV in the premium sector, some of the Countryman's idiosyncrasies – not to mention its unique visuals – make for an endearing compact SUV.