BHPian suhaas307 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:Driving the Mini Countryman JCW ALL4Engine and TransmissionPowering the new Countryman JCW ALL4 is a transversely-mounted turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine pinched from BMW’s exhaustive repository of engines. Unsurprisingly, it is a derivative of the B48 mill found in BMW’s 30i models, with a generous helping of their secret JCW ingredients that help squeeze about 296 BHP and 400 NM of (peak) torque from RPMs as low as 2000! So, this isn’t just a regular Countryman, lightly seasoned at the dealership with a JCW tune and fruity exhaust. No! It’s the full-fat double-cream version of the 4-cylinder turbocharged B48TU2 BMW mill, built bespoke for the Countryman JCW, code-named ‘B48A20T2′, with some JCW fries on the side. According to the folks at BMW, the JCW special sauce includes a revised and strengthened crankshaft, reworked piston cooling channels, and a revised turbocharger (exhaust turbine design). Thermal and heat management is taken care of by a primary high-temp coolant radiator paired with not one, but two auxiliary coolant radiators – a necessity, given our extreme mix of tropical climate and arid weather, not to mention the general predisposition of your average JCW owner, and their propensity to be, ahem, generous with throttle application. Emissions are kept in check, thanks to a close-coupled particulate filter paired with a heavy-duty catalyst, which explains why the exhaust note sounds rather meek, and BMW understandably felt the need to overcompensate with four tailpipes and augmented / synthesized engine + exhaust notes filtered through the speakers, courtesy Active Sound Design (ADS). Transmitting all that power and torque to the wheels is a 7-speed “Steptronic” dual-clutch automatic gearbox (7DCT400) supplemented by the “ALL4” tech – which is JCW-speak for an electro-hydraulic all-wheel-drive system with a rear differential that sends drive to both axles. Drive is split evenly (50/50) between both axles, whilst it chooses to divert 100% drive to the front axle on demand. Essentially, it’s a front-axle-biased all-wheel-drive system that supplies grip to its wheels/tyres to help it negotiate a variety of surfaces, including gravel, mud, sand, and snow. All this hardware and clever software ultimately translates to pretty respectable performance figures for a “hot” crossover, registering a time of 5.4 seconds to achieve 100 km/h from a standstill, and it will go all the way up to its electronically restricted top-speed of 250 km/h.Suspension and BrakesKeeping the rubber-side down is a single-joint fixed strut axle up front, and a multi-link rear suspension with fixed dampers, supplemented by what they call “weight-optimized” trailing arms. Braking hardware includes massive Brembo ventilated rotors up front, paired with 4-piston mono-block fixed calipers, and proportionately sized ZF-sourced vented rotors at the back, paired with single-piston calipers.Track ExperienceA short walk from the paddock onto the circuit, towards the start / finish line, stood the track-crew, egging on the press to get closer, and peer towards the apex of turn one for signs of hoonery. A moment later, three Countryman JCWs plowed onto the main straight, in a single file, before fanning out into individual lanes to demonstrate synchronized-slalom-negotiation, in forward and reverse gears(!) no less. The peacocking continued for a couple of minutes, as the crew executed J-Turns and indulged in some more skiddy stuff, before eventually pulling up gingerly in front of flashing cameras and whizzing drones. The dust had barely settled before the folks from Mini / BMW stepped onto the tarmac to address the press and wax eloquent about the talents of both man and machine, before proceeding to drop the bomb that we’d all been waiting for – the price tag. Bomb dropped. Brief silence preceded the sound of applause and hushed chatter amongst the press. And thus concluded the song and dance, as we were whisked towards the paddock for an extended press + drivers’ briefing. Wandering around the Paddock, we stumbled upon a carefully curated ambience-specific assemblage… …merchandise for purchase, should you feel the need to remind everyone that you own a Mini… …and these comically large 20″ JCW wheels, available as an optional extra: So this is what mansplaining feels like.. With the drivers’ briefing done, I found myself a helmet and balaclava and slid into the driver’s seat of a British Racing Green Countryman JCW waiting for me in the pit lane. Blipped its throttle only to be met with a conservative rev-limiter, and an equally conservative exhaust note accompanied by the familiar, agricultural engine-note of a four-cylinder motor through the driver’s window, cracked open for the purpose. Even in Sport mode, the only real pops and crackles that I could hear were from the walkie-talkie placed in the cup-holder, transmitting a steady stream of dos and don’ts from the driving instructor seated in the pilot car just ahead of me. A few minutes later, the pilot car set-off and that was my que to get going. The instructions were firm. Follow the pilot car while maintaining 3-5 car-lengths, single-file driving, no overtaking under any circumstance, and take it easy on the “sighter-lap” of what we were told would be the condensed tour of Hermann Tilke’s masterpiece that is the Buddh International Circuit. The sighter-lap gave us a sense of just how technical some of the corners are, and how serious the change in elevation can be, not to mention the sheer magnitude of the circuit. It’s an absolute roller-coaster of a track, as we found out on the second tour while negotiating the parabolica and the sweeping, flowing turns and switchbacks, some corners leading to blind crests and others seemingly unending whilst demanding further lock from the steering. The perched-up driving position and jacked-up ride height also became apparent, as did the sharp steering ostensibly calibrated to keep you on your toes at all times. In the midst of admiring this gorgeous yet sadly neglected circuit, and having barely gotten my bearings with the car and track, we got the call through the walkie-talkie on the third tour to get a move on, and move on I did! The initial cautious approach left me significantly trailing the pilot car around the first few turns. Thoughts, by the dozens, raced through my mind, frantically attempting to analyze the car’s steering response, braking performance, and general behaviour, while simultaneously trying to cover lost ground to the pilot car. This was the perfect opportunity to give this car’s 10-second boost function party trick a whirl. Unsure if this party trick delivered maximum boost or simply recalibrated the throttle, but a quick flick of the left paddle on the next straight section catapulted me towards the pilot-car quicker than I’d anticipated. Speaking of party tricks, the Active Sound Design (ADS) made its presence felt whilst the car was on the boil. Synthesized engine and exhaust notes filtered through the speakers, as I slowly got to grips with the car’s limits, listening to the controlled squealing of rubber and developing a better understanding of the car’s dynamics on track. On the main straight and on the back straight, the car easily achieved 200+ km/h indicated on the speedo. Straight-line punch and performance aren’t lacking from this motor, and I can say this with some conviction. However, in my quest to explore the ceiling of this car’s dynamics, I discovered a certain amount of body-movement around the faster corners, and the slightest hint of nose-dive when the anchors were called upon at the hair-pin turns. The playful, frisky, and mildly nervous characteristics baked into the Mini’s DNA rose to the surface on this Hail-Mary lap, all while sawing at the wheel around the technical sections and sweeping corners. Although largely predictable, judicious throttle and steering inputs are advised while driving this car close to, or at, its limits of adhesion. It has the potential to feel supremely twitchy if you aren’t smooth with your inputs. Throttle response is crisp for a turbocharged car, as is the gear change, both up and down! But there’s no getting away from the synthesized engine and exhaust notes that could feel overdone and a touch boomy through the mid-range. Whilst negotiating the first half of the fourth lap, tentatively flirting with the apex at just the right moment and exercising controlled commitment with the throttle and steering, I’d finally found myself right up the keister of the seriously brisk pilot car. Just as I’d figured out the sweet spot with the controls, hot on the heels of the pilot car, brimming with newfound confidence in my strictly average track-day abilities, we were radioed to ease off the throttle on the next and final tour. The cool-down lap allowed me to reflect on my experience with the car, through the seat, steering, and pedal box. The steering is sharp, as are the pedals. There’s enough power and torque on tap to keep you entertained on a large Grade-1 FIA circuit like the BIC, let alone the public road. Despite being sufficiently bolstered, the sports-seats will not keep you firmly in position through sustained lateral forces around this circuit in particular. It is a streetcar, after all, equipped to deal with expressways, B-roads, and perhaps the odd estate-trail. And for that, the sports seats, the perched-up driving position, and the taller ride height are more than acceptable. Although significantly superior to most public roads in India, the BIC’s mildly abrasive and admittedly neglected surface simply isn’t rough or undulated enough to verify the Countryman JCW’s ride quality. Perhaps the BIC may not have been the right venue to demonstrate the Countryman JCW’s talents, where the weaknesses of sports-cars and purpose-built race-cars are often routinely exposed in the hands of competent drivers. This two-hour and 6-lap smash-and-grab experience around the BIC was fun, undoubtedly, but I’d be keener to experience the Countryman JCW ALL4 in the real world – smooth expressways, undulated highways, B-roads, and on broken city streets, where most of these cars and their owners are likely to spend a majority of their time. Disclaimer: Mini invited Team-BHP for the Countryman JCW ALL4 test-drive. They covered all the travel expenses for this driving event. Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
