Mini 5D Hatch vs Suzuki Jimny

What's the difference?

That the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works is the most powerful Mini to have landed in Australia isn’t all that surprising. After all, parent company BMW has squeezed the thumping four-cylinder engine from the M135i under its bonnet, and that thing creates a snarling beast of any vehicle it finds a home in.

What is a surprise, though, is that having now driven this angry, crackling, snarling hot hatch, what with its burbling exhaust and properly rapid acceleration, is that it took Mini this long to get around to doing it.

So does the engine upgrade now put the Clubman JCW on the same pedestal as the best European hot hatches?  There's only one way to find out.

The Suzuki Jimny is back with a tech refresh and very minor update after a year-long pause in production.

The line-up now has an updated autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system – so that system is now compliant with Australian Design Rules standards – as well as adaptive cruise control, lane departure prevention, and front and rear parking sensors.

My test vehicle – the entry-level Jimny Lite – also gets a new 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as part of this latest line-up refresh.

So, does the updated base-spec Jimny – which now costs $1500 more than it did before – represent best value for money in this Zook range?

Read on.