I wrote in last month’s Secretary’s Scribbles about a book, the mini Forty Years of Fun, I had found in a charity shop. No sooner had I written it than an article appeared in The Daily Telegraph titled “The new Mini Countryman: not so mini, but a massive improvement”. The article by Andrew English states that myriad versions (of the Mini) are available, but this, the Mini Countryman C, a five-door family SUV, mild hybrid entry-level version of the estate is a fine family hauler. It has a fair turn of speed, good economy and a posh-feeling interior.
Andrew English mentions BMW launching the Mini hatchback in 2001 and their boss at the time, Joachim Milberg, saying that the Mini would eventually be a range of cars rather than a standalone model. So, in 2007, the Clubman estate, which English describes as “attractive” was launched. Then it was followed in 2010 by a family SUV, the Countryman, the R60. The original Mini was 3.05 metres long, the 2001 hatchback was 3.63 metres and the Countryman was more than four metres in length. Built in Austria, English reports that “it didn’t even look like the new BMW Mini let alone the renowned and much-loved original”.
In 2016, the F60 Countryman, appeared. This was built in Holland and was 4.31 metres long. The third-generation Countryman is 4.43 metres in length, that’s nearly half as long again as the original. The “headline cars” are the E and SE battery powered models with ranges of 287 and 269 miles respectively. There are also three petrol-engine choices, one of which, the mild hybrid C model, was tested by the Telegraph writer.
English describes the car as looking huge from any angle and, from the front seats, feeling like a large car. Views out are quite good but the windscreen pillars are enormous and obscure vision when taking tight turns. There’s a modern, spacious feel to the interior and a huge sunroof which allows in plenty of light. It has a dinner plate-sized speedometer, mimicking the round central main instrument of the original Mini. English thinks this, with its animated graphics, feels as though it’s trying a bit too hard, particularly so when you can switch display modes between Green, Vivid, Timeless, Personal, Balance and Trail, each coming with its own graphics, colours and sounds. He goes on to write that “so hidden is the starter button that anyone climbing aboard for the first time and able to start the engine straight away deserves a prize”.
On a brisk run over Cranborne Chase and Salisbury Plain the writer achieved an average of 40.2 mpg against an official figure of 44.8 mpg but thought that a longer journey at a steady speed might have been more economical. He found compliance and responsiveness with the modestly sized 18-inch wheels; it felt quite old-fashioned and hence more suited to our flood-damaged roads than a car with larger diameter wheels or stronger springs that you’d normally associate with BMW suspension.
English concludes by writing that, provided you can forget this is a Mini and is in fact an on-trend family crossover/SUV, with a lot of slightly pointless software doodads, the Countryman is a pretty decent way of conveying your family around the country.
Do you have one of these new Minis or are you contemplating buying one? Let us know what you think about this review.
Gary Whittle