2017 Mini Countryman Cooper road test review

Winding back the clock for a moment, it's fair to say Mini's first Countryman SUV missed the mark.

The high-riding wagon had little of the driving charm offered by the compact Mini hatch and lacked features such as a reversing camera, rear air vents and rear airbags surely more important to SUV buyers than multi-coloured ambient lighting or exterior stripe packages.

It wasn't a great Mini, and it wasn't a great SUV.

So the manufacturer's second attempt to entice people away from a mainstream Mazda CX-5 or prestige Mercedes-Benz takes a different approach, righting the wrongs of its predecessor.

What do you get

This second-generation Countryman now comes as standard with the reversing camera, rear airbags and air vents missing from the previous model, along with an upgraded safety suite that now features autonomous emergency braking as well as speed limit readout, forward collision warning, self-parking and high beam assistance features.

Mini has made sat nav and DAB+ digital radio connectivity standard, along with active cruise control, a hands-free powered tailgate and 18-inch wheels that would have cost previous-generation customers thousands in added extras.

Naturally, the new machine does cost a little more than its predecessor.

Now available exclusively with an automatic transmission, the Countryman is priced from $39,900 plus on-road and dealer costs, around $3400 more than the equivalent 2016 model.

Mini moved to simplify its range for 2017, bundling together options into key packages such as the $1500 Chilli pack that brings adjustable driving modes, LED foglights and LED headlamps, the $2400 Climate group that lands a panoramic sunroof, tinted windows and heated front seats or the $2400 Multimedia Pro package which replaces the standard 6.5-inch infotainment screen and six-speaker stereo with an 8.8-inch display, 12-speaker Harman Kardon hi-fi system while adding a head-up display.

You can get also a John Cooper Works pack with spoilers and 18-inch wheels for $6000, metallic paint ($900), an off-road styling package ($700), upgraded leather ($2200) and more in an options list that can add $15,000 to the bottom line if you get carried away.

Mini backs the Countryman with a three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and customers can pay $1240 for the first five years or 80,000 kilometres in maintenance through the Mini Service Inclusive scheme.

What's inside

A significant increase in space, thanks to more generous dimensions that include an additional 50mm of rear legroom, 50mm more shoulder space and an additional 9mm of overhead clearance. 

The three-way split/fold second row offers 13 centimetres of sliding adjustment and can now be reclined to make life a little more luxurious on long trips, and there's an extra 100 litres of boot space in the rear.

The interior is trimmed in a mix of cloth and leather as standard, though there are a suite of options that can swap the regular upholstery for something that stands out.

Mini's infotainment system is housed in a circular bezel in the centre of the dashboard, a tribute to the clock-like central speedo of early Mini models. The standard stereo is a six-speaker affair with sat nav and digital radio as standard, along with USB and Bluetooth connectivity. There's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration, but it gets the job done.

There are retro-style toggle switches, funky semi-circular door pulls and multi-coloured LED ambient lighting elements that make it feel more interesting than mainstream rivals.

The Countryman has a higher seating position than most Minis, offering excellent outward vision thanks to its boxy body shape, high roof and thin pillars.

Under the bonnet

We're testing the car in entry-level form, which uses a three-cylinder petrol engine to drive the front wheels through a conventional six-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit offers 100kW and 220Nm outputs, along with respectable 6.0L/100km fuel economy. Mini's entry-level engine feels more than adequate in the standard cooper hatch but a little undernourished here because of the Countryman's big-boned frame.

That little motor lugs the Countryman to 100km/h in 9.6 seconds, feeling perfectly fine around town but ironically a little laboured in the country, where the engine's modest outfits are exposed on hills and when overtaking.

Though its six-speed automatic transmission is fine in isolation, it loses ground to other Countryman models that feature an additional two ratios, putting more demand on the least grunty engine in the line-up.

Buyers keen for a little more grunt can pick up a Cooper S for $46,500, swapping the three-cylinder unit for a four-cylinder turbo petrol motor with 141kW and 280Nm outputs that help it reach 100km/h in 7.4 seconds.

Diesel options include the $43,900 Cooper D, getting hold of a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine that uses 5.8L/100km to make 110kW and 330Nm, and the top-end Cooper SD that sends 140kW and 400Nm to all four wheels for $51,500.

But the standard Cooper's off-bat three-cylinder burble, strong standard specification and competitive price make it the pick of the range, and the most likely option for customers stepping out of a mainstream brand into something a little more interesting.

How it drives

Mini engineers tasked with sorting the Countryman's ride and handling balance did an impressive job of making it feel like a Mini. Granted, it's significantly larger than a conventional Cooper hatch, and the added weight is felt in every element of the driving experience.

But it still has the hatch's reluctance to roll when cornering, retaining the little car's precise steering, quick reactions and fidgety ride that form key elements of the Mini experience.

While it's not the most comfortable compact SUV on the road, the Countryman remains much more engaging than a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 , even if it can't quite match the cheekiness of the 1.5-litre Mini hatch.

There's decent noise suppression, the ride is taut but not unbearably so, and it does a good job keeping its mass in check. We didn't test the Countryman off-road, as we expect very few customers to venture beyond light gravel running.

Verdict

Spacious, sensible and well-equipped, the Countryman does an excellent job in addressing the flaws of its predecessor.

As the motoring world rushes toward SUVs of this size, the Countryman represents a break from the norm that deserves to drag drivers away from mainstream brands.

2017 Mini Countryman Cooper pricing and specifications:

Price: $39,900 plus on-road costs

Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 100kW at 4400rpm

Torque: 220Nm at 1250-4300rpm

Transmission: Six-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Fuel use: 6.0L/100km

Rivals:

Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport AWD

Price: $37,390 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 140kW at 6000rpm

Torque: 251Nm at 4000rpm

Transmission: 6-spd automatic, AWD

Fuel Use: 7.5L/100km

Audi Q2 1.4 TFSI

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Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 110kW at 5000-6000rpm

Torque: 250Nm at 1500-3500rpm

Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, front-wheel drive

Fuel use: 5.6L/100km

Mercedes-Benz GLA220d

Price: From $50,400 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel

Power: 130kW

Torque: 350Nm

Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, FWD

Fuel use: 4.5L/100km

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