Head to Head Review: 2020 JCW Countryman vs JCW Clubman
The 2020 JCW Countryman vs JCW Clubman. We know which one wins in sales every month, but which is truly the better car as a daily driver? And which one can actually hold more? We dug deep and found a few surprises.
The JCW Countryman is a 301 hp small crossover that is undeniably impressive. We should know. Not only have we driven one recently on the road and track, but we also put 25,000 miles on its 228 hp predecessor over the past year. But there is another four door MINI with the same footprint that is quicker, lighter, and in many ways more interesting.
The JCW Clubman is identical in terms of specification down to the massive brakes, improved chassis rigidity, and of course that 301 hp four cylinder. It is also the same footprint, which allows it to have a very similar interior volume. The big difference is the weight and its location. The JCW Countryman’s curb weight is 3,696 lbs compared to the JCW Clubman’s at 3,564 lbs.
Can you feel the difference? Coming from the our 2019 JCW Countryman (with no sunroof and a manual) there was an immediately noticeable difference in the way these car drive. But some of that was likely down to the improved chassis which allows more direct feedback through the wheel and to the driver. It was not until we go the 2020 cars back to back that we realized just how much a better driver’s car the Clubman truly is.
None of these cars could be considered light, but with all wheel drive, 301 hp and 331 ft lbs of torque they are both plenty quick. But it is the Clubman that has better dynamics and reactions. The work that MINI did in revising the chassis is more evident and pays off more fully in the smaller of the two cars.
JCW Countryman vs JCW Clubman – Utility
Having lived with both of these cars in their previous 228 hp iterations we can tell you there is a clear winner but just barely. The Countryman offers slightly more overall volume due to its height, but more crucially, it does more with its space.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Countryman is just under an 1″ wider and 1.5″ longer. But what that means for passengers is interesting. Up front the Clubman actually has 1″ more legroom than the Countryman and is identical in shoulder room. It’s the rear where the Countryman wins out with 3.3″ extra rear legroom and 1.2″ extra rear shoulder width. In other words the Countryman is a very slightly more comfortable kid-mo-bile where as the Clubman is a bit more geared to the driver and front passenger in its layout.
However the most important difference was the adjustable rear seats. The ability to move them fore and aft gives you more flexibility in packing and/or carrying passengers – something we appreciated a handful of times during the course of our year with the car.
| New MINI Countryman (F60) | Inches | Clubman | F60 is greater by | Previous Countryman (R60) | F60 is greater by |
| Length | 169.8 | 168.3 | 1.5 | 161.7 | 8.1 |
| Width | 71.7 | 70.9 | 0.8 | 66.3 | 5.4 |
| Height | 61.3 | 56.7 | 4.6 | 61 | 0.3 |
| Wheelbase | 105.1 | 105.1 | Same | 102.2 | 2.9 |
| Front track (Cooper) | 61.5 | 61.6 | 2.5 | 60.2 | 1.3 |
| Rear track (Cooper) | 61.6 | 61.6 | 2.5 | 61.3 | 0.3 |
| Front track (Cooper S) | 61.6 | 60.2 | 1.4 | 60.2 | 1.4 |
| Rear track (Cooper S) | 61.7 | 61.3 | 0.4 | 61.3 | 0.4 |
| Legroom (front) | 40.4 | 41.4 | -1 | 40.4 | Same |
| Legroom (rear) | 37.6 | 34.3 | 3.3 | 33.8 | 3.8 |
| Shoulder room (front) | 54.8 | 54.7 | 0.1 | 52.8 | 2 |
| Shoulder room (rear) | 54 | 52.8 | 1.2 | 52.1 | 1.9 |
| Headroom (front) | 40.5 | 40.2 | 0.3 | 39.9 | 0.6 |
| Headroom (rear) | 38.3 | 38 | 0.3 | 37.5 | 0.8 |
| Cargo Volume (rear seats in use) | 17.6 | 17.5 | 0.1 | 17.5 | 0.1 |
| Cargo Volume (rear seats folded flat) | 47.6 | 47.9 | -0.3 | 42.2 | 5.4 |
JCW Countryman vs JCW Clubman – Conclusions
If you are looking at these two, we have some pretty straight-forward advice. Unless you plan on squeezing every last inch out of one of these cars on an ongoing basis, there is no real reason to opt for the Countryman. With the JCW Countryman starting at $41,400 and the Clubman at $39,400, the argument gets even easier. Our strong recommendation would be to save the $2 K and enjoy the drive.
<p>If the door pockets on the JCW variants are the same as the Cooper S variants, I’d go with the Countryman every time. I found the Clubman pockets were unusable whilst driving. The shorter door meant I couldn’t get my hand in without bending it at an extreme angle!</p>
<p>I also found that being over 6′ (with a long body and shorter legs) means I hit my head getting into the Clubman. It’s not an issue with the Countryman.</p>
<p>The doors are the same length between the two cars. I think you’re thinking off the five door which is smaller and has substantially shorter doors. I’m 6’2” and never have had an issue in over 50,000 miles on the current Clubman. However I have never not hit my head on the five door every day I drove one.</p>
<p>I was actually talking about the door height. With a bigger gap from the top of the door pocket to the door “arm rest” the Countryman made it much easier to use.</p>
<p>Interestingly, I never hit my head on my R53 when getting in. but did nearly every time on the Clubman I had on loan for a week. Even my wife and friend (both much shorter than me) did as well. Maybe it’s just getting used to the smaller opening again…</p>
<p>My ordered/special built JCW F60 is within about 10 days of arriving my dealership. I can see where you’re coming from re the 2K lower cost, 130+ lbs less weight, lower height, quicker by .2 secs to 60mph, etc. etc. But as the stats show, more of us will still opt for the Countryman over the Clubman due to its taller easier entry, rear capacity, overall higher visibility, etc.</p>
<p>My wife & I at 80 & 79 yrs of age prefer those physical aspects yet, despite our age, still want the performance & handling of the F60 JCW as do our younger counterparts. To lessen the weight very slightly, I opted for the moonroof delete & manual JCW Sport seats as I’m the primary driver (my wife has her own Subaru Crosstrek) & I seldom need to change the seating position.</p>
<p>Very viable reason for choosing the F60. I loved my JCW F60 lightweight (sans sunroof and manual seats) – I’m sure you’ll love yours!</p>
<p>This 2020 JCW F60 will be my 5th MINI. Current one is a ‘17 F60S All 4, & former ones were a ‘15 5 door S hatch, ‘12 JCW Coupe, & an ‘08 S hatch. First 2 were manual trans then went to AT. So have had a wide variety of models over the past 11-12 yrs. Have enjoyed my current F60S with its versatility usage so am familiar with its capabilities and just couldn’t resist going for the JCW F60 and many upgrades over my current S….especially the added power, larger brakes etc over my F60S.</p>
updates on your baby and experience? had my clyde since nov 2019 and yea.. zero regrets!! utility for new life needs is amazing and lets be honest.. we need higher speed limits here in the usa.. 60-70mph comes WAY too fast and 100 seems to feel just fine 😉
<p>That extra 3 inches of legroom in the rear seats sold me on the Countryman. We have to cart around my in-laws and grown children often and really find the extra space essential. And, although I might be an outlier, I actually prefer the proportions of the Countryman’s exterior. Too bad it’s got the extra weight, but there are always trade offs to be made when choosing a car for daily use.</p>
<p>I recently test drove them both, and although the JCW Clubman performed slightly better, it wasn’t enough of a tradeoff for the greater utility of the JCW Countryman. I will say that I was inspired by the 19 JCW long term vehicle you had and will ordering mine in Rebel Green.</p>
<p>I bought a ’17 F54 JCW and the driving dynamics sold me over the countryman. It’s also just my wife and I so the extra rear seat room was null. For the utility aspect I appreciate the wagon design but also have an old jeep cherokee for dogs and lumberyard trips. So it really came down to the Clubman vs. a GTI/R rather than the Clubman vs. Countryman.</p>
<p>as a countryman owner (2020 JCW), the rear seating was my main reason for going that route. life needs. 😉 and i gotta say after 3K miles.. its been a blast still… that torque and power is so so nice to have and the all4.. a champ in the snow/slush/rain</p>