Mini Reviews

The Clubman JCW is the most powerful Mini to have ever launched in Australia, but does capability come at the cost of comfort? Let's find out.

This car aims to be everything to everyone. It's an SUV. It's a hybrid - no, better, it's a plug-in hybrid. It has all-wheel drive. It has space and comfort. It has style. It's the 2020 Mini Countryman Hybrid. Or the Mini Countryman S E All4 PHEV, if you go by its full name.

Mini turns 60 this year and to join the JCW Millbrook special edition is a more restrained celebration of the brand - the Mini 60 Years. Available as a Cooper or Cooper S, it's four grand more but offers more than double that in extra stuff along with proper special edition goodness.

The Mini Countryman is an interesting beast, isn’t it? It’s a Mini, but not mini at all. In fact, it’s a five-seater SUV, for those who love the unique styling of a MIni but want more space to fit the family.It still looks like a Mini, just an oversized one, and is in competition with cars like the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q3 and BMW X1.I was driving the Mini Countryman Cooper S, which is in the middle of the range and retails for $48,900 before on road costs.How does it work with a real family? I drove it with my gang of four over seven days to find out.

Mini is celebrating its 60th birthday with a special edition named after the UK's famous Millbrook proving ground. As the name would suggest, it's sharpened to a fine point..

I’ve never been in a Mini and didn’t know what to expect - besides the fact that I knew it was going to be small. I certainly wasn’t expecting to love the exterior so much, and I sure didn’t know how utterly cool the interior was. The whole week was full of nice surprises.I was in the Mini Cooper five door hatch, in the automatic. It’s the base level Mini and is in a similar category to the Audi A1 and Fiat 500. And sure, it’s not the first thing you think of when you talk family car, but my friend is considering buying one because her family consists of her and her teenage son.So the family thing is relative. And as a second, runaround car, the Mini is hard to beat. But it is pricey for a small car, this one starts at $31,150 with the auto version at $33,650 - and that’s before on-road costs.I put it to the test for a whole week with my family of four.

John Cooper Works is so formal - call it the JCW like everybody else. This is the top grade of the Hatch and Convertible ranges. Prices start at $49,900 for the JCW three-door hatch and step up to $57,900 for the JCW Convertible. You can't get a five-door Hatch in JCW form.  The three-door Hatch and the

So you're thinking of buying a new Mini Hatch or Convertible? You could be about to enter a world of pain or awesomeness. Here's why.

he Cooper S grade sits in the middle of the Mini Hatch (three-door) and Convertible ranges.

The Mini has always been a fun car, to look at and to drive, but it hasn't been particularly affordable since BMW took the reins. The limited-edition Seven version might be the Mini to change that.