MINI Countryman and MINI Clubman updated and joined by the most-powerful MINIs ever created.
The refreshed MINI Countryman and Clubman complement the new MINI Countryman John Cooper Works and MINI Clubman John Cooper Works, now with ALL4 all-wheel-drive and more power than ever before.
The beautiful mountains, valleys and streams of the Lowveld were set alight by the updated MINI Cooper Countryman and Clubman range at their recent unveiling, as we sampled the latest updates from the BMW-based brand.
While the Countryman and Clubman have been less desirable offerings from MINI, they serve an important role in the marque's lineup. The Clubman offers a 6-door layout with the practicality and load space of an estate while the Countryman serves as a compact crossover SUV with a raised driving position, ride height and interior space. Indeed, the Countryman is based on the BMW X1 platform.
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What's changed?
Both the Clubman and Countryman have been treated to a mild facelift as part of the mid-lifecycle refresh. As such you will notice that the front has received a new grille element that protrudes further outwards with the Cooper S derivatives receiving a honeycomb mesh. The Cooper S versions also see the inclusion of gloss black surrounds for the grille, headlights, windows and mirrors. The headlights have been slightly redesigned as well and LED Matrix units are available as options.
A range of new wheels in both 18- and 19-inch sizes are now available including a striking Union Jack design in 18-inches that I was particularly fond of.
The rear sees the Clubman receive the Union Jack-inspired taillight design with LED elements while the rear bumper features twin exit exhausts on Cooper S models, and the garden-variety Copper model has to make do with a single exit.
Prices for the Clubman Cooper and Cooper S start at R433 000 and R511 000 respectively.
John Cooper Works
The big news was the introduction of the John Cooper Works versions of both the Clubman and Countryman. Unfortunately, I was unable to sample these models but the specs look better than ever.
The JCW versions are now powered by a heavily revamped 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder TwinPower turbocharged engine. Featuring new pistons, rods and crankshaft, the new mill also makes use of a larger turbocharger to boost the power by 55 kW over other, previous JCW models and bumps the torque up by 100 Nm. These may not seem significant but this makes the MINI Countryman and Clubman John Cooper Works' the most powerful MINIs created to date. Their final output is 225 kW at 5000 to 6250 RPM with the torque at 450 Nm from 1750 to 4500 RPM. That is 32% more power and 28% more torque than in other JCW models.
This, combined with the ALL4 all-wheel-drive system and the new 8-speed Steptronic Sports gearbox, makes the John Cooper Works Clubman good for a 0 - 100 km/h sprint time of 4.9-seconds with the larger John Cooper Works Countryman a fraction slower at 5.1-seconds.
Both chassis' have been gone through with a fine-tooth comb and now present pin-sharp handling, apparently. The redesigned suspension features stronger, lightweight components and new swivel bearings to ensure that the suspension geometry remains true through high-G corners.
Braking prowess has been taken care of by a set of redesigned 4-pot calipers and larger discs, their performance aided by new brake duct cooling geometry.
Pricing
Performance doesn't come cheap and the new MINI John Cooper Works Clubman will cost you R642 000 before options, and the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman starts from R708 000.
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