Seeing as how our test car was the MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Countryman All4 . We stay with the All4 (also known as AWD) theme and sound off our 4 key thoughts regarding this car. To keep things fair, we credit two positive aspects and point out our two negative attributes of this car. We will complete the article with All4 of our thoughts.
Living with this car was very pleasant. Features in the interior are nicely laid out and easy to reach for the driver.
The iDrive infotainment system borrowed from big brother BMW works well. Our test car was equipped with Apple CarPlay, however at the time of our test AndroidAuto was not yet offered.
Materials inside are on higher end than some of its competitors and rightfully so. If you load this car up with options it is not cheap.
Leather surfaces on the seats, and soft touch materials are found throughout the interior. We will discuss the seats later in this article.
Let’s talk price
2019 MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Countryman All4 edition:
MSRP $39,790
The Midnight Black Edition is a $7,200 package and adds:
- Midnight Black Metallic Paint, Carbon Black Punch Leather.
- Heated front seats, sport seats with thigh extension, electric seats with driver memory.
- Sliding and reclining rear seats. Panorama sunroof, tinted windows.
- SiriusXM satellite radio and a Harman Kardon Sound System.
- 19 inch JCW course spoke alloy wheels wrapped in performance summer run flat tires.
- 8.8 inch full colour navigation screen with advanced real time traffic information, Apple CarPlay.
- Wireless charging and Bluetooth connectivity. ConnectedDrive services.
Dealer accessories added on were:
Carbon Fibre mirror caps
Black Line Exterior Trim in Piano Black:
- Headlight Trims
- Tail Light Trips
- Grille Trim
Throw all that in the bag and you’ve got a total of $46,990. Tack on the dreaded Freight & PDI cost of $2,245 which every consumer grinds their teeth at and you’re looking at just short of $50,000.
Now let’s move on to living with this car.
2 Thumbs Up:
1. Ride and handling
This is probably the most exciting asset to this car. Very fun little ‘big’ car to whip around. We’ll save you the hassle and suggest you never try the ‘Econo Mode’ (thank us later) but in regular mode it drives very nicely. In ‘Sport mode’ the sounds of the engine and exhaust are enhanced. If you down shift approaching a red light you’ll hear the exhaust fire off some burble. The suspension gets a little stiffer, and the behaviour of the car becomes more eager, including the throttle response.
2. Technology
Easy to use and cool looking tech in this car. Decent stereo with good bass. Bluetooth sound quality is very clear. When you open the doors at night, you can impress people with illuminated MINI symbols projected on the floor. We think it’s a cool feature. Although some people we spoke with thought it was a bit much.
2 Thumbs Down:
1) Different from the pack
There’s no denying the obvious. This vehicle does not look like your cookie cutter hatchback SUV. That’s a lot of the allure about this car. The engineering is terrific. It’s a blast to drive. You can option it out to have all of the latest tech and interior comforts. It’s not the cheapest when done so but you get a lot of bang for your buck. And last but not least, you won’t see one at every turn. A lot of buyers like that about this car.
2) Seats
The seats look cool, and they’re fairly comfortable for the most part. But there is just something not right with them. We drove the car to the beautiful Niagara on the Lake, and we found that the seats were ok for a long trip but not great. They go with the theme of the car with the seat cushions being oval to match other features such as the circular headlights and the circular light that circles around the navigation screen. But more thigh and bum support would be ideal.
So there you have it. Our short but hopefully helpful review of another option in the heavily populated small SUV/Crossover market to consider.
Do you like going against the grain? Is it important to you to ensure your neighbour does. It have the same vehicle as you? Do you enjoy driving more than the average commuter who simply needs a vehicle to get from point A to point B?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then the 2019 MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Countryman ALL4 just may be the car you should consider. 😉