Test drive MINI Countryman John Cooper Works: red arrow
Test Drive

Test drive MINI Countryman John Cooper Works: red arrow

John Cooper Works is the sportiest member of the MINI model family

When we first came face to face with the second generation MINI Countryman, we involuntarily come to two main conclusions. First, MINI has never built such a good family car before.

Not just a model that can be used as the first car in a family, but a model that does the job perfectly. Second, MINI has never before created a car that is so different from the classic MINI.

Test drive MINI Countryman John Cooper Works: red arrow

Not because its design is not 100% MINI, and not because the driving experience is not dynamic – on the contrary, the new Countryman once again sets the benchmark for handling in its segment. Simply put, the MINI Countryman has become too big, too heavy, and somehow too close in character to many other cars on the market.

For 98 percent of the world's population, these facts are not flaws, and in fact, they really are not flaws in the full sense of the word. Rather, such judgments are largely the result of professional bias and personal bias.

A completely different compatriot

Countryman sales clearly show that the strategists at the BMW Group are on the right track for the model. And if you still belong to those roughly two percent where you still lack the original character of its predecessor, then there is a solution and bears the traditional name of the British brand John Cooper Works.

The top-of-the-line Countryman, as you might expect, differs from its peers in the presence of many pleasant sports attributes, including additional emblems, a special rim design, larger brakes, sports bumpers and side skirts, sports seats, a sports steering wheel, etc.

Test drive MINI Countryman John Cooper Works: red arrow

There is no doubt that all these attributes look very beautiful and change the appearance of the car in an extremely positive way. However, this sporty version doesn't differ much from any other standard Countryman. After all, a large percentage of the options mentioned can be ordered for other modifications. This is where the funniest thing happens when you start the engine.

Cooper. John Cooper

As soon as it wakes up, the four-cylinder turbocharger with an impressive 231 horsepower reminds of itself with an angry growl. The steering wheel is pleasantly heavy and its precision is equally impressive whether you're driving in town, on a winding road, or on a highway.

Each change of direction brings sincere joy - as if the weight of the car suddenly disappeared somewhere into oblivion. The suspension is resolutely stiff and happily informs you of road conditions, but on the other hand it has sporty riding potential comparable to that of a racing sports car.

Test drive MINI Countryman John Cooper Works: red arrow

The latter also fully applies to the settings of the all-wheel drive system. And also on the brakes. If you activate Sport mode, the throttle response becomes even more explosive, the road behavior deteriorates even further, and the two-pipe exhaust system will crackle, which is music for every passionate car enthusiast from the old school.

John Cooper Works is as practical and functional as any other Countryman, and in fact it is just as comfortable, save for the stiffer, but by no means too tight, suspension settings.

John Cooper Works feels more spontaneous, more authentic, and in some ways more real than any other Countryman. It sounds and moves like only a sporty MINI can move. And that's great.

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