MINI Countryman Review (2024-present)

What is the MINI Countryman?

Meet the third-generation version of the MINI Countryman family SUV, the car that some folk with an axe to grind dismiss out of hand because it’s too big to be a ‘proper’ Mini. To do so would be to miss the point entirely, though. The fact is that, as the years roll by, families demand ever-increasing levels of space and practicality, which require size increases over the regular hatchback models to fulfil, and there’s no reason why the modern-retro style and the cheeky character of the MINI brand can’t be applied to a larger, roomier vehicle.

And larger and roomier the latest Countryman most assuredly is, being considerably bigger in every direction. In the fullness of time, the range will consist of three petrol-powered variants in the forms of the entry-level Countryman C version, the mid-range S version and the high-performance John Cooper Works (or JCW for short) version, and two all-electric versions in the form of the E and the SE (it’s no longer called the Cooper SE like it was on the previous Countryman). There’s no plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version on the horizon yet, although we would be surprised to see one later on.

Like with all MINIs, the emphasis is on style and fun, but the brand is also hoping to appeal to techies with its new industry-first circular OLED infotainment screen designed to ape the circular central speedo on previous MINI models.

How practical is it?

As we’ve already said, the Countryman has always been the MINI that’s not particularly miniature, and the latest version takes this to new extremes. Compared with its predecessor, the car is 13cm longer and 6cm taller, so by any standard, it’s now quite a big car. Thankfully, that does translate into generous interior space. Set the front seats up for six-footer occupants, and there’s still a huge amount of space behind for those in the rear seats. Headroom is more than adequate, even with the panoramic roof fitted to high-spec cars, but it’s legroom that’s particularly generous, with space for even tall passengers to stretch out. Some models - including the Countryman JCW - come with a sliding rear seat that allows you to sacrifice some of this plentiful legroom in favour of a fraction more boot space, and even when it’s slid all the way forward, passengers still have (just about) enough space for their legs.

Sliding seats or no sliding seats, the boot is a very decent size: not as huge as those in some rivals, admittedly, but there’s enough space for the needs of a small family. The boot floor lifts up to reveal a deep additional storage area that’s handy for keeping items out of sight, but the precise size of this area depends on which version you go for. For instance, the area is massive in the JCW, but in the C we drove, around half the space is taken up by the mild hybrid kit that the car is carrying.

You can fold down the rear seats to free up more cargo space. This happens in a 60/40 split with the fixed seats, or a more versatile 40/20/40 split with the sliding seats (where these aren’t standard, they’re optional). The backrests lie nice and flat, too, although there is a small lip at the boot entrance that you’ll have to lift heavy items over. All in all, though, this is an excellent family car.

In terms of interior quality, there’s an element of smoke-and-mirrors going on in the MINI Countryman. You see, your eyes are immediately drawn to the glitzy bits, such as the shiny circular touchscreen (more on this in a while), the stitched leather steering wheel, the metallic-effect finishes on the air vents and door pulls (although these are actually plastic) and the coarse-mesh fabric covering the dashboard and door tops. The impression that all gives is of a funky and stylish environment. However, when you look closer at the standard of the materials that sit between the glitzy bits, you notice that they’re almost uniformly hard, scratchy and rather unappealing, particularly on the very top of the dashboard and on the lower parts of the doors. Ultimately, then, the Countryman has the fun character you expect of a MINI, but not necessarily the lush quality.

What’s it like to drive?

So far, we haven’t had the chance to drive either of the electric Countrymans (or should that be ‘Countrymen’?), or the mid-spec S model. That means we have tried the entry-level C variant, and the range-topping John Cooper Works high-performance model.

The C uses a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine to deliver 168bhp to the front wheels via a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The performance it delivers will be entirely adequate for most, with the 0-62mph dash coming and going in 8.3 seconds. The gearbox could perhaps be a little bit quicker and slicker in the way it operates, but it’s unobtrusive enough, and while the engine can get a bit too rorty and buzzy when you really extended it, there’s enough punch that you don’t often have to, so it stays subdued most of the time.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a MINI car review if we didn’t refer to ‘go-kart-like handling’ somewhere along the line, and MINI has doubled down on this by naming the sportiest of its driving experience settings as the ‘Go-kart mode’. The go-kart comparison isn’t ultimately as convincing as it is with other MINI models, but it’s not entirely without basis. The steering is very quick, both to respond and to turn, and there’s plenty of grip. The body feels reasonably well controlled through shallower bends, but it’s in tighter ones where the car’s height causes the body to flop over more, while the weight transfer caused by swift switchbacks can have a slightly unsettling effect. The car is generally pointy and alert, without feeling particularly agile.

Nevertheless, the ride in this version of the Countryman is firm. It can jitter a bit over surfaces with high-frequency ripples, and you feel a pronounced thump over larger potholes, but the car stops short of being uncomfortable most of the time.

The driving experience provided by the JCW model is a bit different, but not necessarily in the ways you might think. Of course, it has lots more power, thanks to a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine sending 296bhp (which is actually slightly down on the previous JCW) to all four wheels for all-wheel drive, and so it’s also a lot faster, dispatching the 0-62mph dash in 5.4 seconds. But while the power delivery is muscular and eager at all times, the JCW doesn’t quite feel as ballistically fast as the power output suggests.

The big difference comes with the suspension, because the JCW - along with cars specified in Sport trim - comes with an adaptive suspension. Like many such systems, the damper settings become a bit firmer when you select the sportiest mode, although it truth, you’ll notice barely any difference, even if you’re really concentrating. However, the system is also adaptive in the sense that it constantly alters its behaviour according to conditions and driving behaviour to maximise the balance between ride and handling, and it’s this bit that’s really effective. It makes the JCW feel a bit more tied down and sharper under more severe cornering loads, but more importantly, it also smoothes out the ride quite a bit. It’s still a firm-but-fair experience, but it is appreciably more comfortable.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The biggest news here is the Countryman’s large circular OLED touchscreen mounted in the middle of the dashboard, the first circular unit ever fitted to a car, MINI claims. Previous MINI infotainment systems have felt very much like BMW ones - the menu structures and operating mechanisms were largely the same - that have simply been MINI-fied with brand-specific fonts and graphics, and they’ve been wonderfully simple to navigate as a result. The Countryman’s system, meanwhile, feels very bespoke to MINI, and this brings with it both positives and negatives.

We’ll start with the positives. The screen looks absolutely brilliant, with its glossy finish and its sharp, funky graphics. The animations are crisp and slick, the screen sensitivity is great and you won’t detect the merest glitch in the software. It also supports all the functionality you expect, including nav, DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice control and various connected apps, while the system can also be upgraded automatically over time via over-the-air updates.

However, there are drawbacks to the arrangement. Unlike in many other modern cars that have a twin-screen layout (this includes MINI’s parent company, BMW), this display doubles as both your instruments and your infotainment interface. A head-up display is available to add as an optional extra, but that doesn’t change the layout of the screen, and with so much information to cram into such a small space, it looks very cluttered. MINI has tried to make things easier by making sure that your important driver information is a permanent fixture at the top of the screen, while the temperature controls for either side of the cabin are always displayed at the bottom, along with a line of shortcut icons. However, the sheer assault of information on your eyeballs is still befuddling.

We’re always bemoaning the tendency of modern cars to replace physical air-con switches with touchscreen menus, and so it is the case here. If you want to perform any ventilation-related task more complicated than adjusting the temperature, then into the submenus you must delve, which is more distracting, if not ultimately all that difficult to navigate. However, some of the menus for the car’s more minor functions are a lot harder to find your way through, and you’ll come across quite a few on-screen icons that are ambiguously styled, so it’s not immediately obvious what they do.

Basic equipment on the Countryman includes LED lighting all round (you can choose between three different lighting signatures through the touchscreen, if you can figure out how to), roof rails, alloy wheels, ambient interior lighting, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, a heated steering wheel, a reversing camera, a powered tailgate, and rain-sensing wipers.

On top of that, there are three trim levels to choose from, named Classic, Exclusive and Sport. These are mainly about the exterior and interior design of your car rather than providing any additional luxury kit, with their varying combinations of colours, patterns and finishes, but it is worth noting that Sport trim does bring the very effective adaptive suspension.

Mini Countryman running costs

The new Countryman range starts at around £30,000 for the entry-level C version, rising to around £35,000 for the more powerful (215bhp) S version, and around £42,000 for the JCW. If you go electric, you’ll be looking at about £42,000 for the E and £47,000 for the SE.

It’s certainly not cheap, then, but it doesn’t feel like a ludicrous amount of money when judged by the standards of other premium-badged midsize SUVs, especially when you factor in the generous amount of space and standard equipment you’re getting for the money.

There’s quite a spread throughout the range when it comes to fuel economy. The C manages a combined WLTP fuel figure of up to 46.3mpg, while for the more powerful S, that drops to 41.5mpg. Go for the JCW, and you’ll be down to an official average of around 36.2mpg.

The zero-emissions all-electric Countryman E has a WLTP range of 287 miles, while the SE will do 269 miles between charges. Both electric cars have DC fast-charging capability of 130kW, allowing them to take on a 10-80% charge in less than half an hour at a sufficiently powerful public charger.

Mini Countryman reliability

Obviously, it’s impossible to gauge the reliability of a brand new car because there hasn’t yet been sufficient time for any recurring reliability issue to come to light.

It’s a very good sign that the previous Countryman came sixth out of the 22 cars considered in the small SUV section of the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, and that MINI ranked third overall (out of 32) in the brand standings. That meant it beat the likes of even Kia and Hyundai, not to mention the likes of Volvo, Ford, Nissan, Peugeot and Volkswagen.

However, that’s no guarantee of reliability with the latest car, as the tech used within is all new.