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2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review by Autos.ca

Up until now everyone was focused on the Paceman and its high-end version, the JCW model, reviewing it from every possible angle. In all this haste to talk about the newest addition to the MINI family some people forgot about the car it was based on, the Countryman.
2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review 8 photos
Photo: Autos.ca
2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review2013 MINI JCW Countryman Review
Autos.ca didn't though, at took one for a quick spin to see what's what. When MINI first announced that it will be releasing a 4-door car, everyone thought they went mad and the company is doomed to be bankrupt in a couple of years.

However, a few years later, the Countryman proved to be a success, showing all the non-believers that the MINI spirit keeps on living on inside a car with 4-doors instead of 2.

At this point we're guessing it's pretty obvious what the JCW is. It's the John Cooper Works model, more precisely, the most powerful Countryman you can get. As usual, the JCW is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that produces 218 HP and 280 Nm of torque (300 with over boost).

The interior is done in typical MINI fashion, with the big speedometer, navigation and everything else you need and it proves to be quite spacious, a thing that MINI worked on really hard.

The car was fitted with the automatic 6-speed gearbox that works pretty well in any conditions, except when using the paddles on the steering wheel that might be a bit confusing at first. Weighing around one and a half tones, the Countryman ate up 10.4 l/100 km (22 mpg) on the short test drive they took.

Get the car in sport mode and you'll see a completely different face. It sounds meaner, throttle feels sharper and everything is livened up. Through the corners, the Coutryman feels exactly like a MINI should and has outrageous amounts of grip.

In the end, the Countryman is what it's supposed to be: a 4-door MINI that stays true to its DNA as much as possible in the given conditions. That being said, check out the full review at Autos.ca.
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