SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


Aggrotude: 2018 MINI Countryman JCW All4

Stuff of dreams

Pics by BMW-Presse
Posted: 11 November 2017

The numbers
Prices including CO2 taxes: R610 612 (manual), R636 516 (auto)
Engine: 1998 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, twin-scroll turbo, four cylinder
Power: 170 kW between 5000 and 6000 rpm
Torque: 350 Nm between 1450 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 6.5 seconds
Maximum speed: 234 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 9.6 l/100 km
Tank: 51 litres
Luggage: 450 – 1390 litres
Maintenance plan: 5 years/100 000 km

The MINI Countryman John Cooper Works All4 could hardly be described as cute. Part of that is because this second-generation model is somewhat bigger than the old one. It is now 17 centimetres longer and three centimetres wider on a wheelbase stretched by 7.5 cm.
 
Another is that the engine has grown from 1.6 litres to 2.0 – we drove one in 2013 – with power up by 10 kilowatts and torque by 50 Newton-metres.  That translates to half a second off the zero-to-100 km/h run and an extra 9 km/h in top speed. Put another way, it’s a step up from scalded cat (7,0 seconds) to scalded cat with chili-burn (6.5 seconds) and 225 km/h to 234.

Aside from more people space inside, luggage room increased from 350 litres to 450, so we’re talking BMW sedan-sized boot volume here. But, more important, ground clearance was raised from a rather embarrassing 135 mm (author’s informal measurement because the firm wasn’t admitting anything back then) to a reasonably useful 165 mm.

That isn’t into BMW X territory yet, but for a MINI it’s pretty good. We drove it a little more carefully than usual along our off-road trail to skirt the deepest wash-aways and biggest rocks and it got through unscathed. And because we were going really slowly, there was time to hear and appreciate every little touch of stone slip and micro-moment of wheel-spin, making the journey even more entertaining than usual.

A further change is that an eight-speed Sport automatic gearbox (six-speed manual is standard) replaces the six-speed auto supplied optionally with the old 1600cc motor. We weren’t thrilled with the eight-speed box when we tried it, coupled to a BMW 318, in March 2016 but the extra power and torque of this 2.0-litre power plant transformed it. It’s always in the right gear, even holding a lower ratio when coasting downhill, changes quickly and smoothly and kicks down without noise or fuss. This is one of few automatics for which we might be persuaded to give up stick shift.

Then there’s the sonic ambience. The PR sheet coyly mentions exhaust flaps, special geometries of tailpipes and “highly emotional sound”. What that means is that this thing barks like a Bonnie doing a ton up the lonely back road before lining up for an echoing blast through the cloverleaf. Okay, that was a different era and another British machine, but you catch the drift. It’s the stuff of which dreams are made.

It goes without saying that, being a MINI, it handles well and, being awd, hangs on even more tenaciously. It’s also firmly sprung but not harsh and should you be a crazy speed freak, you can add electronically controlled dampers for R7200.

Special kit for JCWs includes black, 18” JCW Thrill Spoke wheels with 40-profile tyres, automatic air conditioning, Chili Red paint as a no-cost option or JCW-exclusive Rebel Green at R4250 and the Comfort Access kit that costs R4500 on lesser models. What that fancy wording means is that your key fob can stay in your pocket for all locking, unlocking and starting procedures. An automatic tailgate is standard too.

It opens down to about 67 cm to reveal a flat floor with two lights, four lashing rings, a couple of small side wells and an elastic strap to hold small objects. Beneath the hinged floorboard is an 18 cm-deep cavity containing first aid bag and pump kit. Should you, like most of us who live in Africa, feel that isn’t quite sufficient, a spacesaver spare with jack and tools can be added for R1400.

Appearance items include special doorsill plates and gear knob; stainless steel pedals; leather-bound John Cooper Works multifunction steering wheel; anthracite coloured headlining; sports seats with under-thigh extenders, firm bolstering and mechanical adjustment of height and lumbar for both chairs; rear spoiler; aerodynamic kit; velour floor mats; LED headlights and fog lamps.

The standard music system is called Radio MINI Visual Boost (we don’t get it either) and consists of a fairly basic touch screen setup with four lines of display and Bluetooth phone connection with USB. Add-ons offer wireless connectivity, satnav, music streaming, personal assistants, MINI Find Me and wired packages, in a choice of optional kits.

Apart from that, there is plenty of space inside for grown-ups, lots of storage, decent comfort, loads of safety kit and a bushel-sack of available options. Oh, and did we mention that it runs like a scalded cat with chili burn?

This new JCW Countryman is bigger, boxier and not so cute, but there’s still MINI magic left in there somewhere.
 
Test unit from MINI SA press fleet



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.