Nice automotive engineers are like magicians. Typically, the hand performing the flourish is there to distract you from the one making the trick work.
Till we drive it, we will’t inform you for sure that that’s what’s occurring with the 2025 Mini John Cooper Works Countryman.
However, on paper, it’s possible the aggressive styling, larger energy figures, and enhanced sounds are Penn speaking your ear off. And all of the whereas, just a little further rubber is Teller bettering the trademark Mini go-kart dealing with the place you’re not trying.
Rugged Cute Look
Mini started rolling out variants of the 2025 Countryman in September, beginning with a brand new all-electric variant.
Each bolt and sew is new, however the theme isn’t. That is nonetheless the traditional Mini blown as much as the dimensions of a standard automotive and wearing SUV garments.
It wears the long-lasting Mini proportions however is extra squared off and chunky to emphasise that that is the one you possibly can deal with just a little roughly. Mini calls the Countryman an SUV and the Cooper a hatchback, however the distinction is generally dimension and angle.
Mini says the Countryman “is now categorized as an SUV within the U.S. market” because of dimension will increase — an fascinating be aware as a result of they’ve all the time offered it as one.
John Cooper Works is Mini’s efficiency unit, and the JCW mannequin will get a number of visible variations so everybody round it is aware of it’s particular. They embrace a bigger grille, reshaped entrance and rear bumpers, and indentations that seem like nostril air intakes above the grille.
Elevated Energy
The brand new JCW powertrain sounds the identical because the outdated one on paper — it’s nonetheless a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an 8-speed computerized transmission. The ALL4 all-wheel-drive (AWD) system distributes energy to all 4 wheels.
However the brand new automotive has extra of it, because of a bump from 301 to 312 horsepower. Torque is down barely, falling to 295 lb-ft.
With barely extra energy and barely extra dimension, the precise velocity distinction largely washes out. Mini says it’s good for a zero-to-60 soar in 5.4 seconds, with a high velocity of 155 mph.
Although the engine might not carry out significantly better, it’ll sound higher. Mini has used each trick from exhaust flap programs to “racing-inspired engine sounds” performed by the audio system to spice up the auditory expertise.
Go-Kart Dealing with And The Magician’s Different Hand
However nobody buys a Mini for its straight-line velocity. All of the enjoyable of proudly owning one is within the dealing with. Tossing one into corners has all the time been one of many automotive world’s nice pleasures.
Mini doesn’t clarify any suspension adjustments, so we’re unsure they’ve achieved something to boost how the Countryman JCW handles its weight.
However they’ve achieved the only factor automotive engineers can do to enhance dealing with. They’ve given it extra tire. The brand new JCW rides on tires 245 mm extensive — up from 225 within the final mannequin.
That’s added contact patch, which suggests added grip and friction, which suggests added stability, which equates to added enjoyable. Anybody who’s ever upgraded vehicles has discovered the straightforward lesson you can spend fortunes on engines and transmissions, however the most effective bang-for-buck enchancment accessible is grippier tires.
There’s Penn together with his hood scoops and horsepower shouting about what this automotive can do now. And there’s Teller with 20 mm of rubber truly making it extra enjoyable.
Driving modes embrace a “Go Kart Mode” for added cornering enjoyable, although Mini doesn’t specify what choosing it does mechanically.
Retro-Impressed Inside
All of the 2025 Mini fashions get a cabin impressed by the traditional post-war Mini. They mimic that automotive’s simplicity with just some parts. However they replace it by making them digital.
A single, high-resolution spherical OLED show within the middle handles all info and leisure capabilities. There’s not even a driver’s instrument display screen behind the steering wheel, however a head-up show initiatives velocity and turn-by-turn instructions within the driver’s view. A pill-shaped bar beneath it homes a number of buttons, together with the toggle for driving modes.
The dashboard itself is roofed in recycled polyester. A projector on the again of the round show “can be utilized to wash the dashboard in atmospheric shade schemes and patterns that correspond to the chosen Expertise Mode.” So sure, you possibly can change the look of your dashboard on this one.
Restricted Arms-Free Driving
We are able to’t think about eager to take our fingers off the chunky steering wheel of a Mini with extensive tires. However everybody will get bored with driving in site visitors jams, we suppose. So Mini debuts a brand new Degree 2 driving help system on the JCW Countryman.
Associated: What Is Degree 2 Autonomous?
The corporate explains, “For the primary time, drivers within the MINI Countryman can take their fingers off the steering wheel on highway-like routes at speeds of as much as 60 km/h (37 mph), supplied they proceed to maintain a detailed eye on site visitors and stay able to intervene at any time.”
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