Mini Countryman JCW All4

Extra firepower for the cross-country ski set

- Cameron Kirby

THE MINI Countryman JCW is an odd thing. It’s a small SUV from a brand that continues to cash in on the iconic imagery and racing history of the pint-sized ’60s ‘brick’. Yet despite the ham-fisted historical and visual cliches, this range-topping John Cooper Works version of the newgen Countryman is a neat package that treads the line between tuned performance and everyday useability with finesse.

The JCW handiwork brings with it a more powerful engine for the Countryman, with an improved cooling package and upgraded four-piston Brembo front brakes, along with reworked styling and a sportified cabin filled to its sweatband with equipment (as you’d hope for $57,900).