The iconic British Mini has been a popular car brand since its launch in the 1960s. 60 years later, reading about an SUV by the brand is not something many would have fathomed, yet here we are. It is no secret that SUVs and crossovers are all the rage in today's market, and every single car-maker worth their salt has followed the money. After all, the customers' whims decide the next market trend, and the current SUV wave has made even the most ardent of supercar makers like Ferrari bend to the will of the market and come out with their own SUV, the Purosangue.
Part of the BMW group, Mini has always made compact, small hatchbacks that pack a punch and are high on luxury. Even the modern versions of the Mini, while being bigger than their original counterparts, are still quite compact when compared to the rest of the market. However, with the launch of the Countryman, Mini catered to the SUV segment, delivering a crossover that combines practicality, performance, and luxury.
Modernizing the concept of the crossover, fusing the comfort of a compact car with the versatility and capability of a 4WD, the Mini Countryman is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV that even comes in a convertible variant if you're feeling adventurous. With sleek exteriors, impressive interiors, and a price tag that doesn't immediately make you look the other way, there is plenty to love about the Mini Countryman. In that vein, here are 5 reasons why you should consider bringing home a Mini Countryman, and on the other hand, five things about the car that could leave a sour taste in your mouth.
10 Why You Should Consider: The Mini Countryman Offers Superb Handling And Grip
The Mini Countryman’s All4 (All-Wheel-Drive) System is the star of the show when it comes to the driving experience. The crossover makes light work of any terrain and feels quite at home when handled on city roads, mountainous roads, and even snowy paths. The Countryman excels over twisty roads as well, with excellent steering feedback that is reassuring, setting it apart from other SUV-inspired crossovers in the market.
Despite the stretched wheelbase and added weight from the standard Cooper, the Countryman turns great, and handles superbly, while remaining engaging when driven fast. Body control on the Mini Countryman is remarkable, and the car remains steady and planted even at high speeds.
9 Why You Should Consider: The Mini Countryman Has Impressive Performance
The Mini Countryman Cooper S is fitted with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 189 horsepower with 206 lb-ft of torque. Granted, it might not top the charts, but the brand has managed to make the Countryman give out quite decent performance from such a small engine.
Going from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, the Countryman isn’t going to be getting you any straight-line accolades, but the vehicle can reach 140 mph. The John Cooper Works Countryman All4 edition, housing the TwinPower turbo 4-cylinder engine makes 301 horsepower with 331 lb-ft of torque, which brings the 0-60 time under 5 seconds, being the fastest Countryman trim and quite impressive with the rest of the package.
8 Why You Should Consider: The Interiors Of The Mini Countryman Are Quite Luxurious
The Mini Countryman’s interior offers a host of features that enhance the car's character and overall retro feel. Keeping with Mini tradition, the infotainment screen and dials come housed within a circular surround, and the quality of materials throughout the cabin is premium, such as the leather-trimmed steering wheel and exquisite upholstery.
The high quality of materials employed in the interior continues to heated front seats and other amenities such as dual-zone climate control and passive entry. These make your ownership experience all that more comfortable and breezy.
7 Why You Should Consider: The Countryman Also Has A Plug-In Hybrid Option
If you’re on the fence about driving around in a gasoline-powered crossover, Mini also offers the Countryman Cooper SE, which is a plug-in hybrid variant of the Countryman S. The hybrid comes with 4WD ‘ALL4’ as standard and other benefits as well.
The hybrid even reduces the standard Countryman’s 7.2-second 0-60 time to 6.5 seconds, and a power boost takes the performance figures to 221 horsepower against the standard 189 horsepower. It is in the economy department that the Countryman SE truly shines, with a phenomenal EPA rating of 73 MPGe, and it all comes without the guilt of a huge carbon footprint.
6 Why You Should Consider: The Mini Countryman Stands Out Wherever It Goes
There is no denying that the Mini Countryman is eye candy. Its looks set it apart from all its rivals, and despite being a car on the smaller side, the Countryman has a remarkable road presence. The Countryman’s exciting exterior design is to thank for that, with chrome-lined LED headlamps and the large hexagonal grille being the star of the front fascia.
The design also pays homage to the original Mini in several ways, from retaining the original circular headlights to the helmet roof that contrasts the rest of the body paint, all the while adding practicality to the roof through bars. Even the rear light with the Union Jack design makes the car pleasing to look at as it drives away, and its multiple alloy-wheel options spoil customers for how they want their crossover to look.
5 Why We Wouldn't Buy One: Rear Seat Room And Comfort Aren't The Best
While the Mini Countryman’s stretched wheelbase does allow for a full-grown adult to sit in the rear seat, what is unimpressive is the cushioning on the rear seat. Despite a high-quality cabin that uses great leather all-around, the uncomfortably firm rear seat and backrest don’t make the Countryman the best option for long drives on full occupancy.
If one needed to move four adults all the time and the Mini Countryman was on their list, the rear seat’s uncomfortable nature would most definitely strike the crossover off that shortlist.
4 Why We Wouldn't Buy One: The Mini Countryman Isn't A Daily Driver
This is one of the problems of the Mini Countryman that work against it being a great choice for customers. The British-German crossover is simply not practical or comfortable enough to be a daily driver. Rivals such as the BMW X1 or the Volvo XC40 trump the Countryman in both everyday usability and rear-seat comfort and occupancy.
However, if you’re seeking a high-quality cabin that screams character and a fresh design, a capable vehicle that doesn’t give up the minute you take it off the tarmac, and a weekend toy to drive around just by yourself or another partner, the Countryman could definitely prove a good choice. For families, the Countryman just can't be a viable option.
3 Why We Wouldn't Buy One: No Android Auto Alienates A Huge Customer Base
This is a huge gripe that customers and critics, us included, have with the Mini Countryman. For all the luxuries and high-quality materials used in the cabin, the infotainment misses out on Android Auto functionality, and only offers Apple CarPlay. It doesn’t take much to understand how that would completely alienate a huge segment of the potential customer base for Mini.
Even though the brand has stated that they are working on adding Android Auto to the Countryman’s infotainment system, there is no word on a specific date or time when these might be implemented. Even the 2023 Mini Countryman does not offer Android Auto, so if the crossover impresses you, you’d either have to wait and hope for the next yearly iteration to hopefully support Android Auto. There’s also the option to retrofit the Google-powered operating system to the Countryman externally.
2 Why We Wouldn't Buy One: The Crossover Is Not A Five-Seater
Despite its crossover SUV credentials on paper, no one should presume that the Mini Countryman is a five-seater. Sure, the interiors are great in quality and feel, but they simply are not fit for housing five full-grown occupants in any way, and even with a couple of children, the rear seat room would be cramped.
Even with four adults seated with ample room in the Countryman, the rear wouldn’t be too comfortable a place, with the aforementioned problem of rear seat comfort, or lack thereof. The firmness and stiffness of the backseat would be detrimental to longer rides in the Countryman for anyone in the rear.
1 Why We Wouldn't Buy One: High-Priced Base Variant Fails To Deliver Impressive Power
While the top trim of the gasoline-powered Mini Countryman, the John Cooper Works (JCW) model gets great power figures with 301 horsepower and 331 lb-ft torque, the standard variants of the car are simply subpar on the performance front. The 2WD and 4WD trims of the Countryman Cooper start at $29,100 and $31,000 respectively, and both configurations churn out a meager 136 horsepower, which, for that price tag, is atrociously underpowered and overpriced.
Even the Cooper S doesn’t manage to cross the 200 hp mark despite the even higher asking rate of $31,900 and $33,900 for the FWD and 4WD trims respectively. Even though the Cooper S trim of the Mini Countryman does manage to be preppy and drive well, the base Cooper Countryman is simply a bad deal for the low power figures it delivers along with the price tag they come attached to.