Nissan Pathfinder vs Mini Countryman

What's the difference?

It looks good, offers benchmark safety and combines strong engine performance with sure-footed traction, particularly on low-grip surfaces. There’s also a spacious, comfortable and practical cabin that can seat up to eight and it can tow up to 2.7 tonnes. Apart from its V6 thirst, based on our at-pump figures, there’s little we can criticise about the latest Pathfinder in Ti 4WD specification, which is certainly worthy of consideration for large SUV buyers.  

My time with the Countryman JCW was brief, but it was enough to confirm that the new-generation model has lost nothing by gaining a few inches.

Mini has ensured that the JCW remains the pinnacle of its range.

When you push the JCW into tight corners at speed, the car’s intentions are clear. This is a dedicated performance model, but it has that duality of being an everyday hauler as well.

The latest Pathfinder rides on a 2900mm wheelbase with an 11.8-metre turning circle. Although it's shorter in overall length with less frontal overhang than its predecessor, it has a wider stance (aka track width) for improved handling plus a height increase for more headroom. There’s also more leg and hip-room.

The sumptuous interior is a tasteful mix of leather accents, piano black and satin chrome with classy exposed stitching along numerous seams including the leather-wrapped steering wheel. It exudes a high-quality look and feel.

The 2/3/3 seating layout can theoretically cater for up to eight occupants, starting with seating for the driver and front passenger which is spacious and comfortable with ample adjustment.

For those in the grandstand-style second row, it also feels spacious thanks not only to the wide-opening doors and increased head and legroom, but also the flat floor with no transmission hump to restrict foot placement for those in the middle. The recline of the 60/40-split backrests can be adjusted for added comfort.

Second-row passengers also have access to their own control panel on the rear of the centre console that allows individual adjustment of seat-heating and temperature/fan speed for vents located under the front seats and in the roof.

The second row tilts and slides forward to provide access to the third row. This is designed to carry up to three occupants, but by our measure only small kids could manage that.

For adults, it’s really a two-seater and that’s only for short trips and only with the second row slid forward at least 100mm to provide adequate knee room.

Even so, the third row offers adequate headroom (even for tall people) and with large glass areas and overhead cooling vents does its best to minimise a claustrophobic feel.

So, we see it as either a seven- or eight-seater, depending on the kid-to-adult mix.

I have already detailed the design of the new Countryman in my review of the Countryman SE, but the JCW has a slightly different look.

The sporty JCW body kit includes elements like stripes, a two-tone roof, some extra visual flourishes and black 19-inch alloy wheels. In black body paint with a red roof, the look is quite cool. But a static example we saw in Portugal in Nanuq White was our pick.

Inside there are unique JCW elements including the sports seat design, steering wheel, and black and red contrast seats and stitching.

None of the JCW styling elements are over the top. They add up to give it a subtly sporty look without shouting it from the rooftops.

The Ti 4WD’s 2044kg kerb weight (unladen and full of fuel) and 2750kg GVM (how much it can legally weigh when fully loaded) provides a load capacity of 706kg.

That limit could easily be reached or exceeded just by eight adults, before you could think about loading their luggage.

So, be mindful of combined passenger and luggage weight, particularly when planning a trip, to ensure you’re not over the GVM limit.

It’s also rated tow up to 2700kg of braked trailer, which is suitably large to cater for many recreational towing tasks.

However, as there’s no published GCM (or how much the Ti can legally carry and tow at the same time) we don’t know if it can haul its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight.

Even so, it offers 205 litres of internal load volume with the second and third rows upright (ideal space for a supermarket shop), which expands to 554 litres with the third row folded flat and 782 litres with the second and third rows folded.

There are four cargo tie-down points and a surprisingly large bin hidden under the rear floor.

In terms of internal storage there’s a glove box, console box, overhead glasses holder and seat pockets plus a variety of bins, bottle holders and cupholders thoughtfully placed throughout the cabin catering for all three rows.

Nissan claims a total of 16 cupholders, but by our measure there are 18. Either way, there’s more than ample storage for drinks and personal items in this well-designed cabin.

Once again, please visit the Countryman SE review for the ins and outs of the 2024 Mini Countryman interior.

But for highlights, the storage up front is lacking somewhat, but there is ample space throughout the cabin, given the new Countryman is 130mm longer and 60mm taller than the old model. 

The toggles are cute, but the engine stop/start and Mini Experiences toggles look too similar and are right next to each other.

The massive new 9.5-inch circular OLED screen is beautiful to look at, and fairly logical to navigate. The various Mini Experiences - basically modes that change things like ambient lighting and more - are cute, if a little gimmicky. 

Rear seat space is ample, too, and the usual amenities are also there, including a central armrest with cupholders, outboard ISOFIX points, knee-level air vents, map pockets, big bottle storage and two USB-C ports.

The boot offers more space than the electric Countryman - the JCW can swallow 505 litres, increasing to 1530L with the rear seats lowered.

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.

The Pathfinder is powered a lusty direct-injection 3.5-litre petrol V6. It produces 202kW at 6400rpm and 340Nm at 4800rpm.

It’s paired with a nine-speed torque converter automatic transmission which offers the choice of manual sequential-shifting using steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The full-time 4WD transmission offers seven different drive modes via a rotary-dial on the console, which optimises performance in each selected mode. These include 'Standard', 'Sport', 'Eco', 'Snow', 'Sand', 'Mud/Rut' and 'Tow'.

Under the rather sculpted bonnet of the Countryman JCW is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

Power and torque outputs of 233kW and 400Nm is up and down compared to the previous model’s 225kW and 450Nm. Australia also gets a more potent tune than Europe. Because of stricter emissions regulations, it only pumps out 221kW in Europe. The new Countryman’s figures match the X1 and X2 M35i, given it’s the exact same powertrain.

The 0-100km/h dash time for this model is 5.4sec. That’s just 0.4sec quicker than the all-electric Countryman SE.

Nissan claims combined cycle average consumption of 10.5L/100km and the Ti’s dash display was claiming 12.9 at the completion of our 213km test, which was mostly city and suburban driving with some limited highway running and from one to five occupants on board at different times.

Our own figure, calculated from actual fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in higher again at 14.5L/100km which exceeds the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between manufacturer figures and our own.

In other words, it drinks more than a diesel but is about average for a powerful six-cylinder petrol engine of this size under test conditions.

So, based on our ‘real world’ driving and at-pump consumption figure, you could expect a driving range of around 500km from its 71-litre tank. And it requires premium unleaded.

Mini says the JCW consumes 7.8-8.3 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle, but an Australian figure is yet to be confirmed.

Given my brief time behind the wheel I did not record an on-test fuel use figure.

A good example of its comfort range is that I’m 186cm tall and my wife is only 165cm, yet we both managed to find comfortable seating positions. However, she said that ideally the range of seat-height adjustment could be a tad higher given her smaller stature.

Even so, she liked the Ti and found it easy to drive, particularly in negotiating busy shopping centre car parks with its various cameras, parking sensors etc.

She also appreciated how easy it is to fold down the trio of headrests on the third row of seats when not in use, to provide a clear view through the rear window.

We encountered heavy rain at times during our test, when the superior traction of its 4WD system was most noticeable and appreciated when cornering.

It also ensured no wheelspin from standing starts, which is reassuring given the V6 engine’s vigorous low-down response. This engine has excellent performance.

We also liked the ride quality, steering feel and braking, along with the nine-speed automatic thanks to its near-seamless shifting and good all-round response. We did try manual-shifting using the paddle-shifters for a more ‘engaging’ driving experience at times.

It also makes a comfortable highway cruiser given its low engine, tyre and wind noise and suitably long gearing, that requires only 1500rpm from the V6 to maintain 110km/h and optimise fuel economy.

So I had a bit of a taste of the Countryman JCW the day prior to driving it when I was behind the wheel of the BMW X2 M35i. The two models share a powertrain, but in the same way that the electric iX2 differs from the mechanically related Countryman SE, they have different characteristics.

Mini does its own tunes for things like steering and suspension, and the two models differ in size. Other elements like tyre choice and even the feel of the steering wheel further differentiate the models. 

I have driven a few recent JCW products, including the adorable but recently discontinued Clubman JCW at a previous job. There’s something special about a Mini JCW model, and the brand has worked hard to preserve that with the new, bigger Countryman.

For starters, that 2.0L turbo engine is a sweetie. There is a bit of turbo lag accelerating from a standing start, but once it kicks in there’s plenty of power to hit that 5.4-second 0-100km/h time. And it just keeps going. It’s responsive, willing and just plain fun!

It has a lovely engine note, but I suspect some of that is amplified sound.

As with the electric SE, the JCW’s steering is sharp and tuned for dynamic driving. As is the suspension setup, which has a firmness to it without being uncomfortable, even on pockmarked backroads. Mini has struck a nice balance here.

What about the go-kart feel Mini is known for? Fear not, because the JCW’s dynamism hasn’t been blunted by the additional size of the new-gen model. It carved through bends without a hint of body roll and maintained an impressive amount of grip.

The Countryman is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP.

All JCW grades come standard with autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot and lane change warning, an exit warning, ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’, rear collision prevention, rear cross-traffic warning with braking, a speed limiter and tyre pressure monitoring system.

Nissan covers the Pathfinder with a five-year/unlimited km warranty including five years roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first.

Capped-price servicing for the first five scheduled services is $2581 or an average of $516 per service.

Like its Mini stablemates, the Countryman is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and like its BMW relatives, Minis don’t have a specific term for a service schedule. Rather, the servicing is ‘conditions-based’ meaning the vehicle will tell the user when it needs to be booked into a dealership.

A six-year ‘Service Inclusive’ package from Mini Australia will cost $3092 for the JCW, which is about $80 less than the BMW iX2 twin, but still not cheap.