First Drives in the John Cooper Works Countryman

It’s no secret that we are fans of MINI’s 2013 Mini Cooper Countryman S All4 John Cooper Works, having expressed a strong desire to own one of these performance Coopers in a previous write-up that reviewed all of the Countryman’s delightful features. The JCW Countryman was well received at its Geneva Motor Show debut, but we couldn’t wait to hear the reports following initial road tests.

Road tests from popular automotive publications run the spectrum of both good and bad. For your convenience we have compiled some of these reviews with both teaser and link.

Motortrend: “Not surprisingly, the JCW feels livelier than regular Countryman S All4 models. What was surprising is that it felt quicker than the smaller, lighter Roadster S we also sampled during the Mini Takes the States event. In fact, the JCW Countryman barely felt slower than the JCW Roadster also on hand. Plenty of power was available in each gear.” Click here for the full review!

Autoblog: “Yet however much we played on the roads in and around Germany's Taunus region north of Frankfurt, we wanted more of a sense that this largest of all JCWs is getting trickle-down benefits from the 2,650-pound Countryman-based Prodrive World Rally Championship car. No, we don't really expect the entire rear seating setup to be ripped out, the front seats to go carbon fiber shell and down to the very floor, or for a production Countryman JCW to come with a navigating co-pilot barking orders at us in Europese. But for us, the final product does not feel quite 'Works' enough to wear the label." Click here to read more!

Autocar (UK): “The Mini Countryman JCW is a ‘want one’ car. If it really appeals, then it’s likely that nothing else will do since it fills a niche of its own. But you must live with some slightly uninspiring dynamics and a frankly uncomfortable ride, and without the outright fun that you might hope for. We’d recommend looking to the front-drive rivals if you can." Click here for the rest of the review!