World Premier: 2017 MINI JCW Countryman
The 2017 MINI JCW Countryman is here and a little earlier than we had been lead to believe. The formula isn't surprise however. The 228 hp 2.0L engine that powers the rest of the JCW range is here along with the higher torque tune (258 ft worth) that debuted in the JCW Clubman this past fall. This gives the JCW F60 Countryman a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds - .4 seconds faster than the R60 version that came before it.

<p>And yet, no manual is available on the Countryman S!? So weird!</p>
<p>It’s not available for the first few months of production. It will be available for March production.</p>
<p>I know its been talked about to death but I really hope this demands the premium it demands. My beetle is not all that fun to drive and I’m looking to upgrade to a jcw clubman countryman or Audi Q5 for WA winters.
The interiors are the best design wise but I can’t talk on material quality but I hope it comes close to the audi.
I love mini I really do but 45k is a lot of money and I hope the clubman blows me away exterior and interior or I’ll yet again be in a vw product. But the s and jcw grille is so bad!!!! It’s frowning! Make a mini super cute or aggressive but not droopy!!! :(</p>
<p>To reduce the look of a “Sad Clown’s Mouth” on the F60 JCW, simply paint the red insert on the grille with black satin paint and, voila, problem solved :)</p>
<p>I’m sure it’ll loook better In person! It’s gonna be a long few months to test drive one next to a q5. I really want a mini but 45k is a lot of money!
I guess I could always wait till the next gen mini hardtop and get it as my summer car!</p>
<p>I worry about the jcw suspension as I have severe motion sickness. As my daily it’ll be a tough call</p>
<p>You are right to be worried about the F60 JCW suspension – it is going to be rock hard. Click on the link below for Autocar’s latest review on the F60 S All4.</p>
<p>The Cooper, as with all MINIs, will be the pick of the bunch provided you choose small wheels. Go for the ‘S’ if you must have more performance, and avoid the All4 unless you live in a snow belt. Opt for the JCW only if you have loads of disposable income and/or masochist tendencies.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mini/countryman/first-drives/2017-mini-countryman-cooper-s-review" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mini/countryman/first-drives/2017-mini-countryman-cooper-s-review</a></p>
<p>I’m obsessed with minis but my vw is stiff enough imo. I think I’ll have to wait and buy the next gen mini. Hopefully next gen more becomes standard and the exterior looks a little better! But that’s only 3 years away!!!</p>
<p>I too am addicted to MINIs, but here in the UK the F60 JCW is expected to go on sale with a base price of £32k, which is the same as the Golf R 5-door. We are still proposing to buy another Countryman Cooper – F60 Cooper with options @ £25k – but if we were in the market to spend £32-35k, the Golf R would be our first choice.</p>
<p>I’m always amazed at Brits tireless need for a glass smooth ride no matter what the scenario. The northern US has far worse roads and yet everyone here wants stiffer suspension in sport oriented cars. It’s a pretty interesting cultural difference.</p>
<p>I think because of the traffic having a serene drive is nice. I love super stiff cars because they corner and handle better but I also don’t wanna be sick. Mini’s tend to give me a headache from all the bobbing. Haven’t drove a clubman but since the wheelbase is close to my bug I’m sure it rides the samish.</p>
<p>Not all Brits! My R53 with Sport Suspension+ was rock hard with run-flats and I loved it.
I wonder if it’s because with prices relatively higher in the UK (for buying and running cars) we’re more likely to own only 1 car, or the MINI’s our most expensive car. Then I can see why it should be more than just something for fun!</p>
<p>The point here Mike is that a car doesn’t have to have rock hard suspension to handle well. The Golf R’s handling is superb, and yet it can carry four full sized adults quickly, comfortably, and serenely across vast continents. The same journey in an F60 JCW would be painful.</p>
<p>I understand the handling issue well, I was just suggesting why Gabriel thinks Brits like silky smooth rides.</p>
<p>The hardness of the suspension in my R53 actually made it worse at times, as I’d lose traction over bumps, and I sometimes wished I’d not ticked that option box.
I was a pleasure to go to my wife’s car which had softer suspension, but then I’d be longing for the firmer ride again!</p>
<p>There are much better cars out there than MINIs in terms of performance, ride and handling, and many at a significantly lower cost. Ultimately I choose MINI because I think they look great and I can find them in a car park.</p>
<p>Freedom of choice is a wonderful thing :)</p>
<p>Unfortunately there are fewer choices in the performance hatch market in the US than in Europe, especially at a lower price segment. Off the top I could name the Peugeot 208 GTI and VW LUpo GTI as cars that would interest me. We have the 500 Abarth here but Fiat seems to be barely hanging on.</p>
<p>I think it might look pretty good if it wasn’t in green and red, had a blacked out grille, had sport stripes instead of the dual hood stripes and black out light housing. but we shall see! Still looks better then the x1 I guess?</p>
<p>A Sad Clown is exactly what the front end looks like. The Clown lips don’t look good on the Aston Martin & they look even worse on the Countryman. Looks like I’ll be keeping my R60 JCW for awhile. <a href="https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b74417ded858c407de34d4dd3df6d8983607485b3a5bcb2e0225bdd8f40714ce.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b74417ded858c407de34d4dd3df6d8983607485b3a5bcb2e0225bdd8f40714ce.jpg</a></p>
<p>IMO, I think this JCW version should have been more off-road targeted, given the Countryman’s rep in the DAKAR. There seems to be not much separating this from the Clubman JCW other than the ride height.</p>
<p>Great idea. The issue there is the cost of developing the JCW Countryman was spread to the Clubman. If they were different there likely wouldn’t have been a JCW Clubman. But I personally would love to see a lifted and more rugged Countryman. And given a rumor I heard, we may someday see that.</p>
<p>MINI missed a HUGE opportunity by not using the BMW i8’s hybrid awd powertrain.</p>
<p>They could of but there were two issues.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The component cost was slightly higher.</p></li>
<li><p>The research they did showed that people expected a four cylinder engine in performance models. I get the feeling they would have loved to have gone with a three for the entire MINI range but they were a bit gun-shy.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I briefly glanced at the small photo gallery, thinking wow it looks great in White with blacked out lights. Then I realized that’s the R60.</p>
<p>Now that the US configurator is up for the base & S Countryman, will the JCW follow soon, now that it’s been noted that the JCW will follow to the dealers by late Apr….within a month after the base & S?</p>
<p>Comparing the Clubman S All4 price with the Countryman S All 4, the latter is priced about 2+K US more than the Clubman. Is that a good indicator that the Countryman JCW will be at least 2K US more than the Clubman JCW…meaning a start at over 37K??? With misc packages & other options, it could easily surpass 45K US!!!!</p>