As with the other Countryman powertrain grades - which includes the entry-level petrol C, sporty petrol SE, entry-level battery-electric E, and a sporty EV in the SE - the JCW is offered in three distinct model grades.
The Core kicks things off at $67,990 before on-road costs, then there’s the Classic for $70,990 and the Favoured at $73,990.
Interestingly, that opening price is a couple of hundred dollars less than the equivalent grade of the model it’s replacing. And the flagship Favoured is more than $3000 cheaper than the outgoing top-spec JCW Yours.
It’s not everyday that a new-generation model with tech and design advances is cheaper than its predecessor, so kudos to Mini for keeping prices down when everyone else is increasing them.
Spec is fairly generous across the three grades too, with the Core coming standard with the JCW body kit and brakes, as well as JCW steering wheel and seats, adaptive suspension, a Harman/Kardon 12-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, keyless entry and start, a head-up display, digital radio, a heated steering wheel and a power tailgate with kick function.
The Classic adds an interior camera, augmented reality sat-nav, heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof and body stripes.
The Favoured gains a few extras, including ‘Active Seat Functions’ for the driver, power seat adjustment with memory function, and additional window glazing.
In terms of rivals, there are not a lot of performance-focused small SUVs that are in direct competition with the Countryman JCW. There is the mechanical twins under the skin - the BMW X1 and X2 M35i ($90,900 and $92,900), as well the Mercedes-Benz GLA35 ($96,900) that all offer very similar power and torque figures, but are much more expensive. The Volkswagen T-Roc R ($63,490) is another spicy small SUV worth considering and it's more affordable than all of them.