Mini revealed their new Countryman in October, and it was only a matter of time before they announced a hopped-up, hyperspace version in John Cooper Works (JCW) guise.
The new model launches in April, after the Shanghai auto show, so if you have been holding out on a Countryman purchase then you might want to wait a little longer. The new Countryman offers more room, more power and more style, so it looks like it is worth the wait.
For performance improvements, power is up 20 hp from the previous JCW Countryman, with 228 ponies available if you wind her up to 5,000 rpm. The 258 lb-ft of torque starts coming on early though, at 1450 rpm. This combines to launch the new car to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which is almost a full second quicker than the Cooper S Countryman.
To make the new car more practical and comfortable, Mini stretched the new Countryman in every way. It’s wider by almost 1.5 inches and longer overall by almost seven inches. To accommodate this longer body the wheelbase was increased by almost three inches. While there’s still not much room behind the back seats – 17.6 cubic feet – drop those back seats and you’ll jump capacity to 47.6 cubic inches. That’s plenty enough for a weekend camping trip with your favorite road trip companion.
As we’ve come to expect with the JCW models, red is on the menu when it comes to styling and accents. The available exclusive – and ubiquitous – red roof and mirrors are accompanied by a grille and fender scuttles outlined in red, cavernous scoops in the front bumper that replace the usual driving lights and red Brembo brake calipers. The interior receives exclusive-to-JCW sport seats with deep, body-hugging bolsters to keep in your seat as you pretend that you’re a world-conquering rally driver on the local gravel roads.
Mini hasn’t released prices for their newest oversized pocket rocket, but given that the outgoing JCW Countryman clocked in just a skosh over $35k, we expect that this newest model will start somewhere in the $36k range. We’ll know for sure in April. Come back then to learn all the details.
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