MINI Countryman (2024 - ) review

If the sub-£30,000 starting price for the Countryman looks surprisingly affordable brace for a reality check once you hit the configurator, because you can soon send that skyward if you start dabbling in the all-too-tempting extras. And we’d expect most to be closer to a £40,000 bottom line by the time they leave the showroom. But that’s OK, because the new Countryman looks and feels every inch the premium product and its many surprise and delight features genuinely do just that. So, go on, treat yourself! In terms of running costs you have the option of three petrol engines up to and including a high-performance JCW model, all of which are cheaper to buy than the electric versions but will hit you harder in terms of tax, fuel and all the rest. While based on the BMW X1 it’s worth noting the Mini’s starting prices across all models look a little keener, which is nice.

As a new model it’s too early to comment on reliability at this stage, but the new Countryman is built on shared bits with BMW and represents a big investment for both brands, so you’d hope that’s reflected in the quality. You can, if you choose, buy a fixed cost servicing package for additional peace of mind, covering all your regular maintenance for the first four years of the car’s life. In a reflection of how much cheaper electric cars are to service this costs just under £400 compared to a smidge over £1,000 for petrol-engined ones. Every little helps, and all that.

Those shared BMW foundations mean the new Countryman can be specified with all the latest driver assistance gizmos through Driving Assistant packages of increasing sophistication and cost. At the top level this means what’s known in the industry as ‘Level 2’ autonomy, meaning the car can adjust its speed, keep you in your lane, come to a halt if the car ahead stops and then pull away again once things start to move. It’s the first time a Mini has offered this and takes some of the stress out of busy, stop-start motorway driving, though you do of course have to keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times. Whether you actually need all this is another point entirely, but at least you have the choice. And the standard driver aids fitted to all models are genuinely useful, including things like blind spot warnings and alerts if you’re backing out of a space or driveway and there’s an unseen vehicle crossing behind you.

We drove the Mini Countryman back-to-back with the closely related BMW X2 and along exactly the same lumpy, potholed Oxfordshire roads, and the comparison was interesting. And perhaps proves the Mini’s British identity is about more than Union Flag motifs in the rear light clusters. Put simply, the Countryman felt – literally – more at home on these roads, combining that signature sense of agility we’ve enjoyed in all Minis but simultaneously smoothing the sharp-edged bumps. Of which there were many. A neat trick, which combined with the responsive steering makes the Countryman feel a lot smaller than it is, even if we hated the fat steering wheel and its gigantic thumb pads. Tall without being overbearing, and with decent visibility, the Countryman also makes a virtue of its crossover stance, which is more than can be said for many of its rivals. Practicality is also good, with all versions getting a multi-position backrest for the rear seat while on fancier trim levels you can also slide the whole bench back and forth to balance legroom against boot space as required. Bar a slightly higher floor than is ideal the luggage space looks decent as well.

Style has always been a strong motivation for buying a Mini but this new Countryman takes it to a whole new level. The classic circular speedo (a riff on the original 60s Mini) remains but is now the whole screen, rather than a square display in a round hole. A fake ‘key’ for starting and some basic switches remain in place below, including one for the various ‘expressions’ that change the interior lighting and theme for the display from futuristic read-outs to a recreation of a traditional analogue gauge that looks like something out of an old steam engine. All good fun, at least until the kids find the switch and spend the whole journey cycling through the various options… In all seriousness, though, this has to be one of the most stylish and appealing car interiors anywhere. There are hints of ‘big’ BMWs like the iX in the general layout, but the combination of knitted recycled fibres, metallic coloured trim elements, bold colours and clever backlighting look as hardwearing as they do cool. If you think life is too short to be spending time in boring cars this will be just the tonic, though it’s worth pointing out we were driving top of the range models with all the bells and whistles and to bring your Countryman to this level will require deep pockets and some time navigating the confusing range structure of Classic, Exclusive and Sport trims with additional Level 1, 2 and 3 option packs. Prices of which all vary according to engine choice and other factors. These build on a decent base trim, which includes things like a power tailgate, navigation, heated steering wheel and more. But if you want your Countryman to look as fancy as the one in the pictures it’s going to cost.

We’ve not driven the electric Countryman yet so the verdict on that will have to wait for another day. Experience of the iX1 and iX2 using the same motor and battery combinations suggest it will be a competitive option, especially in combination with the looks and handling we have already experienced with the petrol version we drove. This was the entry-level model, which has a healthy 170 horsepower from its compact 1.5-litre engine, this driving the front wheels through an automatic gearbox. It has what’s known as mild hybrid assistance, which can’t drive the car on electric power alone but helps fill gaps in the power delivery and with the stop/start system. For the performance on hand, the starting price and the ongoing running costs we honestly don’t see what more you’d want, though that option is there with all-wheel drive models with a bigger engine and, in sporty JCW trim, a hot hatch chasing 300 horsepower.