MINI Countryman Review & Prices

The Mini Countryman is like a tall friend with an ironic nickname. Just as ‘Tiny’ is really 6’7” and coaches the local basketball team, there’s nothing very ‘mini’ about the latest Mini Countryman.

This is the third generation of the largest of the Mini family, and it has grown even further in size. The new model is taller and longer than the old Countryman, and should be on your shortlist if you're thinking of buying an Audi Q2, BMW X1, or Mercedes GLA. For the first time, there’s also an electric version, dubbed Countryman Electric, but we’ll concentrate on the petrol-powered car here.

Importantly for a family SUV, the new Countryman gets more cabin space than before. There's plenty of room in the front, and even our basketball-playing friend Tiny should have enough legroom in the back seats. As an optional extra, the rear seats can move back and forth to prioritise passenger legroom or boot space as required.

Speaking of which, boot space has also increased. The capacity is now 460 litres with the back seats upright, which is more than you get in the Volvo XC40 and Volkswagen T-Roc, but less than a BMW X1 and Alfa Romeo Tonale.

Mini has added more tech as well as extra space. The new Countryman is the first Mini capable of Level 2 assisted driving. You can take your hands off the wheel at speeds of up to 37mph, so long as you're ready to take back control as needed. You’ll need to opt for the Driving Assistance Plus package for all the most advanced driver aids.

The infotainment has been updated, too, switching to the latest Mini operating system, which looks great and responds fairly quickly to your touch – though the circular shape of the screen takes some getting used to, and the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is awkwardly integrated.

The engine line-up is simple enough, with the entry-level 'C' version getting 170hp and front-wheel drive, meaning it has enough poke for most and better fuel economy than the 218hp 'S', largely because that model gets all-wheel drive. If you want more performance still, there's a Mini Countryman John Cooper Works.

Sticking with the regular petrol Countryman here, it's an easy car to get along with. The suspension is pretty comfortable over bumps and visibility is decent around town thanks to the raised seating position, though the gearbox is easily flummoxed at low speeds, which can make pulling out of junctions a hair-raising experience.

There are few complaints at high speed though, where the gearbox shifts quickly and smoothly and there's not too much in the way of wind and road noise.

That said, the Countryman isn't the most engaging SUV to point down a twisty road. Its suspension deals with bumps pretty well, but there's little of that classic Mini fun when going round a corner. A Cupra Formentor is more likely to put a smile on your face.

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The Mini Countryman might be an upmarket SUV, but it’s actually priced very competitively among similar family cars. Entry level ‘Classic’ cars start at just under £30,000 and rise to £33,000 for the Sport trim. High-performance John Cooper Works models are much pricier at about £41,000, though.

That makes it similar in price to the less spacious Audi Q2 and Volkswagen T-Roc, and more affordable than a bunch of alternatives such as the BMW X1, Volvo XC40, Mercedes GLA and Alfa Romeo Tonale.

There are two petrol engines available, plus the high-performance JCW version at the top of the range. The regular Countryman is offered with three trim levels called Classic, Exclusive and Sport. There are also up to three levels of equipment packs – opt for a Sport model with the Level 3 kit and the price rockets up to about £40,000.

The Mini Countryman is comfortable and easy to drive, but it's not the most fun car on a twisty road

In town

The Mini Countryman might have grown in size but that doesn't mean it's any more intimidating to drive around town. You can sit high so you get a great view of the road ahead, and visibility is pretty good all around, so you can judge the car's extremities.

It deals with bumps pretty well, with none but the most aggressive of potholes sending a judder through the cabin. However, the automatic gearbox can get on your nerves because it's occasionally hesitant to engage when you accelerate. This makes junctions and roundabouts a bit nerve-wracking, particularly if you've tried to dart into a quickly closing gap in traffic.

There's excellent equipment as standard though, such as a system to park the car for you and another that can retrace the path you've just taken in reverse, useful if you come face to face with another car on a single-lane road.

On the motorway

Once up to higher speeds the gearbox's frustrations disappear as it's slick and smooth when shifting, even under hard acceleration such as pulling off overtakes.

Wind and road noise aren't totally hushed but are perfectly acceptable – you won't need to raise your voice to your passengers.

Again, the suspension deals well with bumps in the road, with only sharper jolts really noticeable. However, the Audi Q2 feels a bit more calm and cosseting at 70mph.

Cruise control is standard-fit, and you also get lane-keeping assistance to help stop you drifting out of your lane, but you'll need to pay extra for adaptive cruise, which can maintain your speed and distance to the car in front.

On a twisty road

You might have heard about Mini's 'go-kart' driving experience, but that doesn't really apply to this Countryman. It's perfectly acceptable for a comfortable family SUV – there's a decent amount of grip and the body doesn't roll around unnervingly – but it won't set your pulse racing.

If that's what you're after and like everything else the Countryman has to offer, consider the Countryman John Cooper Works, though the trade off for more fun is that it's less comfortable the rest of the time. Another alternative that's handy on a twisty road is the Cupra Formentor.

Overall space is pretty good, but it’s a bit of a squeeze to get three people in the back

The Mini Countryman has grown in size, and as a result it’s roomier inside than the old model. For those in the front, that means more headroom and space to swing your arms about if the mood takes you. There’s loads of adjustability in the seat too, meaning you can sit really high for the full SUV experience. The wheel doesn’t move much though, so you don’t have as much range to get comfortable as you might think. Fortunately the slim dashboard means you can get quite close without your knees getting in the way, even if you're tall.

Storage is okay but nothing to write home about. The door bins are quite narrow but have a cutout for big bottles in the front. The armrest slides to give easier access to a small tray beneath it, and ahead of this is a covered bin that’s really nicely made and is possibly the first premium-looking bin you’ll have seen in a car. Quirky. There’s also a couple of cupholders, a shelf for wirelessly charging your mobile phone and two USB-C slots.

Space in the back seats

The back seats are just as spacious, with loads of headroom and legroom even if you have a tall passenger in front with their seat pushed back. Shoulder room is a touch tight beside the door, and it’ll be a squeeze to get three in the back, but it’s plenty spacious enough for two.

Storage is, again, so-so, with narrow door bins, a pair of cupholders in the armrest and pockets in the back of the front seats. You also get two more USB-C slots in the back.

All that room means that it’s easy to fit a bulky child seat, and the ISOFIX mounting points are really simple to access beneath flip-up plastic covers. However, the doors don’t open very wide and the aperture is quite small, so it can be a little fiddly to get large seats in in the first place.

Boot space

The boot is a bit bigger than in the old model at 460 litres, but it’s still nothing special, sitting around the middle of alternative offerings. The BMW X1 has a huge 550 litres, while you could also consider a Peugeot 3008 (520 litres) or Alfa Romeo Tonale (500 litres) if space is key. The Mini has more space than the Volvo XC40 (452 litres), Volkswagen T-Roc (445 litres) and Audi Q2 (405 litres), though.

Despite its middling capacity, the space should be enough for most families, and has a useful square shape that’s easy to make the most of. You can also fold the rear seats into a more upright position to free up a little more space and make your game of luggage Tetris a bit easier. There’s some useful under-floor storage, too.

Fold the seats flat and you free up 1,450 litres, which is about average among alternatives. There’s no ridge when you do so, making it easy to push long items through, but the seats don’t fold fully flat meaning there’s a slight ramp that items could slide back down.

A responsive infotainment system and solid build quality are good, but the circular screen and odd textile materials could take some getting used to

You want your Mini to be a bit quirkier than your average SUV, and the interior delivers. The first thing you’ll notice is that massive central display, which is circular in homage to the central speedo seen in the original Mini. Here it’s a high-tech OLED display that’s quick enough to respond to touches and has a satisfying feel when dragging items and maps around, though loading between menus is a touch sluggish.

The high-definition system also comes with ‘experience’ modes. Some are similar to traditional drive modes that can make the car feel more sporty or comfortable as desired – for example ‘go-kart mode’ replaces ‘sport’ and improves throttle response – but some just change the vibe in the car. This includes things like the ambient lighting and the design of the display. It’s a bit of a gimmick, but a fun one, at least.

It's less fun that switching between these 'experiences' takes you away from Android Auto or Apple CarPlay if you're using it. Speaking of which, neither of these are optimised for a circular screen, so they display as a square in the centre. It works fine, but it looks really awkward and doesn't maximise the space available.

That central screen also includes your driving information such as speed, because there’s no instrument display behind the wheel. On the plus side, only the base Classic trim goes without a head-up display, which projects that information onto the screen ahead of you (and is available as an optional upgrade if you want it), but otherwise you’ll be constantly glancing left at the screen to see how fast you’re going.

Something else that could take some adjusting to is the dashboard material. It’s a sustainable textile that looks great but has a rough texture. It doesn’t feel cheap, but it doesn’t feel like a typical premium car, either.

What does feel suitably premium, though, is the synthetic leather upholstery. It’s soft and really comfortable to sit on. If you didn’t know it was fake you would never guess it wasn’t real cow.

There are two petrol engines available on the regular Countryman, plus a third in the form of the Countryman JCW performance car, as well as the zero-emission Countryman Electric.

The petrol range starts with the 170hp C-badged car. This has front-wheel drive and the best fuel efficiency in the range at up to 47.9mpg, as well as the lowest CO2 emissions at 138-155g/km. The 218hp S comes with all-wheel drive, official fuel economy of up to 42.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 155-169g/km.

At the top of the range is the high-performance John Cooper Works model, which has all-wheel drive and a 300hp engine. Fuel economy drops to an official 36.2mpg and CO2 emissions are fairly high at 177-188g/km.

Company car drivers will be best-served by the electric version because it has the lowest benefit-in-kind rate by a long way. Mini is no longer offering a plug-in hybrid engine with the Countryman, which would have otherwise also been a tempting company car option. The C offers the lowest Vehicle Excise Duty rate (besides the EV), with road tax rising fairly steeply to the S and JCW models.

The new Mini Countryman has not yet been safety tested by Euro NCAP. However, recent BMW models, with which the Mini shares much of its construction and technology, have scored well.

You get all the expected driver assistance kit as standard, though the inclusion of a lane-keeping assistant with a blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, and a reversing camera, are nice to have on all models. Upgrading to the Level 2 and Level 3 option packs brings extra driver assistance technology, such as the ability to keep up with stop/start traffic using the cruise control system.

Mini doesn’t have a great reputation for reliability, but it does seem to be clawing that back in recent years – though it came 20th out of 32 manufacturers in the latest Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, which isn't hugely impressive.

You get three years of warranty cover, which is about standard for the industry, but with the added bonus of being unlimited mileage. However, the likes of Hyundai, Kia, MG and Toyota offer longer cover.