Introducing the New MINI John Cooper Works Countryman. All the Power. All the Fun. February 29, 2012

The MINI Countryman is the perfect sporty accomplice for those roads less travelled. A trip to the cottage on the lake or your favorite ski slope just wouldn’t be the same without it. Now that MINI mountaineer is bulking up — John Cooper Works style — so you can travel as the crow flies when trekking from point A to point B. With more muscle, more speed, and more track-gripping control, the new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman is a beast on the road. Meet the newest and most powerful model in the MINI family. The MINI John Cooper Works series is of a very special breed. John Cooper was an innovator in car design, but first and foremost, he was a racer. When asked during a television interview how he would like to be remembered, he answered simply: “As a racing engineer.” MINI pays tribute to his legacy with the John Cooper Works series with its unequivocal tribute to rallying. Built to maximize the exhilarating MINI driving experience, a John Cooper Works is for those who need an extra kick — or three — when they hit the gas pedal. Jolting 0-60mph (100kph) in just 7 seconds and finishing the “5th gear sprint” from 50-75mph (80-120) in just 7.9, the juiced up and state-of-the-art 218hP/160kW engine of the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman puts the very heart of rallying right inside your own garage. And should that need for real speed ever present itself, just take advantage of the TwinScroll turbocharger. The new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman is ready and willing to top off the speedometer at 140mph (225 km/hr). And its performance brake system and sports suspension — 10mm lower than the original MINI Countryman — are both in place for optimal handling and maneuvering. But despite all the muscle left to your disposal, its remarkably economical fuel consumption will still get the “green” light flashing. Getting 39.2 mpg (7.4 L/100 km), you can think less about your carbon footprint, and more about blazing the trail ahead! Sporty genes passed down directly from rallying make the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ready for whatever the road throws at you. Mud? Ice? The MINI ALL4 variable all-wheel drive system — the first MINI of the John Cooper Works series to flaunt it — ensures it doesn’t just grab every square inch of surface beneath your tires. It does so smartly, distributing the impressive output to the front and rear axles as required. When the going gets tough, its whopping 300Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque* is efficiently driven to the wheel that’s got the best grip on the road — or whatever else you might be traversing. Add to that the specialized John Cooper Works alloy wheels that are both lightweight and highly robust, and you’ll understand why it’s got such a ravenous appetite for mountain passes and off-road scenic shortcuts. All the power of the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman is at your fingertips sitting in the stylish and notably spacious cockpit. As the roomiest of the MINI John Cooper Works series, it’s got all the power with plenty of legroom. The optional leather lounge sports seats and signature John Cooper Works Carbon Black interior with Chili Red accents and chrome pedals remind all in tow what kind of spirit resides in this vehicle. Listen to the throaty growl coming from the twin-pipe sports exhaust, and you won’t mistake the new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman for anything but a force to be reckoned with and one to go toe-to-toe with the elements. Its aerodynamic design, front and rear aprons, imposing side skirts and track-style air intakes, announce its John Cooper Works rally pedigree. Have the great outdoors been beckoning? Let the roar of the new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman answer that call.

 

*Torque: 280 Nm (207 lb-ft): sustained from 2,000 — 5,600 rpms.
300Nm (221 lb-ft) achieved with overboost function

*All statistics based on 6-gear manual transmission. Also available in automatic.