[Closed] Mini Countryman - real world reviews.

So, not a popular vehicle then?

All you need to know 😂

It's not a popularity contest kryton - if she wants one and you're ok with with it then get one.
Happy wife, happy life!

(I think they're ok... But big for a 'mini'. Only seen then on the street though so have no useful knowledge).

Mrs Solarider wanted one. The funky and fun branding wears a little thin after a while.

This and the BMW X1 are basically the same car under the skin, but whereas there were no deals to be had on the Mini, BMW were very willing to do a deal and the X1 was significantly cheaper for a more grown up car that whilst more sensible and boring will possibly date better.

Whereas the X1 feels like a smaller relation of the X3 and X5, the Countryman feels like a bit of a comedic larger sibling of the Mini. Nothing about it is Mini, even the enormous badge on the boot.

As for ownership, it drives well and costs very little to run. Can't comment on the Mini, but the X1 has been great and they share so much under the skin that it's virtually a Countryman review.

My old man's got a cooper. Is a nice enough place to be, interior is nice and build quality is good and it does drive nice, but it feels a little "heavy" to me, like it's not the most relaxing thing to drive.

Comparing the entertainment/sat nav stuff to my Skoda it's definitely not the most user friendly, but does have a lot of gadgets.

I used to have the old style clubman years ago and that is one of my favourites out of all the cars I've owned, it was great, so I do like a mini. If I was choosing a car purely for myself, I would consider one of those again. As a family car, I wouldn't have a mini.

We’ve got a new Countryman. Previous car was the Clubman, and wanted a bit more space (2 young kids) and the split tailgate on the Clubman started being a real pain (putting a buggy in needed both open, but you’d find yourself either boxed in, or out depending on how people parked around you).

We like Mini’s generally, build quality is good. I’ve been in quieter cars, but is better than the Clubman, and not quite so manic. Definitely more sedate than the others (also have had 2 3-doors previously, when we didn’t have kids)!

It’s big, but doesn’t feel silly big when driving. Space inside is good, and (unlike the Clubman) is intelligently used. The centre console/mini I-drive is good and pretty intuitive. It’s also got apple CarPlay which was a bonus for us. Not sure if it’s got the android equivalent if that has any bearing.

Seats are comfortable, ride is good. Not pilowly smooth, but quite composed, and is still fling-able (it’s got to have some Mini qualities).

Tried a 2-series Active Tourer (same floor plan as well, I believe) which felt bigger all round, but not noticeably more space.

The 3-pot 1.5 petrols are good engines,really rate them though I’ve found the mpg quite a bit lower in this compared to the Clubman. We’ve got it for about 4 years, and hopefully will be our last ICE powered car...Plus the girls will be a bit older and might be able to get away with a smaller car.

We’ve always got our Minis from Park Lane in London, they’re ‘proper’ Mini, not a franchise, so they’ve got a bit more leeway than some, and have always done well by us.

If you’ve got any specific questions, just give me a shout and I’ll try and help out...

Oh - one thing I have noticed - roof is a lot taller than I’m used to with the Clubman, so it’s more of a hoick-up to get the bike on the Thule rack...

All the best,

Rich

My wife has a countryman which we got just under 2 years ago, I think Mk1, which was the emotive choice for her. In reality it is a good car, plenty of space for the kids in the back, reasonable boot etc. She likes it which is the important thing.

Funnily enough we bought a second (third/fourth) hand Countryman the other week. It was replacing a little Alfa Mito and is used as a second car for when I don't cycle to work etc. Our 2 kids are getting bigger and the 3 door Alfa was getting tight (and at 1.4l was rather asthmatic). We bought a used Cooper S All4 version and its good fun. We had a Mini One Cooper a while ago and this feels a bit like that in terms of the shorter wheelbase relative to size of car and the engine pick up. Short gear throws and a 'tight' clutch vs the Alfa and the interior quality is much nicer. It has a Mini version of the BM iDrive which is simple to use. Eats a bit more fuel but thats expected and I like the look of the thing - the inflated Mini works to my eyes.

Positive comments here

I have a Countryman SE (i.e. the hybrid) as my company car. It is a really clever bit of kit and reasonably quick in sport mode.
The real world battery range is woeful (13-14miles typically). I charge mine at home (the hybrids don't fast charge - takes about 3 1/2h to fully charge). The limited electric range isn't actually a problem for me as it gets me to work and back.
One interesting feature of the hybrid is that that it has a pretty small petrol tank meaning you do have to plan longer journeys (300m+) to include petrol stop!
I've done 20k in it since last March and it has been reliable so far.
Our other car is 53 plate Cooper S we've had since new so I like Mini's. The Countryman captures most of the feel of our 'old' mini.
One last top tip - don't be an idiot like me and get the cloth Sport interior if you have spaniel that sheds hair everywhere...
Before anyone bothers to post how they're not 'real' minis etc - I agree - my proper mini never started in the wet without WD40...

Thanks chaps that’s really helpful - just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a mess of a car.   She’s doing the school runs / about town mostly hence the hybrid and her longest journey might be once a month 100 miles.   So as long as it scoots around town on Electric and get 2 young kids in the back, speed and sportiness aren’t really an issue, neither is owning a “mini”.

There’s good space in the back for kids, and the bigger windows are popular with my two.

I've got the hybrid one as a company car as it's cheap on tax, 30k miles so far. Got it at the time VW weren't taking orders for the Golf GTE.
Quick if you put it in sport and AWD so reasonably fun to drive. Fairly solid feeling and the interior is ok once you get used to it.
Can fit 4 bikes on the roof but no towbar option.
Pain in the backside with the small fuel tank, woeful mpg, 9 mile electric range if it's cold. Batteries take up some of the boot space.
I'd not spend my own money on one at £35k new, I'd go for a petrol or diesel.

Guy I work with has a hybrid mini (dunno if its a countryman) says he is lucky to get 20 miles from the batteries in the winter. Not really said much more about it.

Been in other mini models before and been disappointed about the feel and quality of the interior, however they’ve driven pretty well so I like them but wouldn’t have bought one and would have talked the wife out of it.

BUT, on Thursday dropped off our bimmer for a service and wanted a lift into town so they ferried me into town in a new countryman hybrid and, from the passenger seat at least, felt like a lovely solid quality thing. Definitely upped their game since the other older models I’d experienced. Of course they’re now based on the Same platform as the 1 series so guess it’s benefitted from that. So take a closer look I’d say.

Mrs R has a Countryman, we bought it last year to replace her 13 year old Mini after it was modified by a French HGV on the M25; the Countryman has a bit more metal to protect against such eventualities. As others have said, it's just a variant on a generic BMW small car platform, and if you can look past the intentional quirkiness it's quite practical and well made. The 1.5l three pot engine ours has pulls surprisingly well and the handling and general driving are ok. It's not particularly economical though, the satnav is a bit pants (the map spinning round in circles on a new bit of the A1 it didn't know about was a particular highlight) and the menu system should have been tried on real people before inflicting it on the buying public. And don't get me started on the "you're about to crash" warning system - definitely a bit of technology that's not really ready yet, also the stop-start that sometimes stops but won't start until you press the starter button; maybe future software updates will improve these. And when we bought ours the options list confounded even the Mini salesman - you want folding door mirrors? £1500, because it comes with the self-parking you'll never use. Tailgate that you can unlock without unlocking the rest of the car (a specific requirement)? No, only if you have an electric tailgate. Overall a good car though.

I really like ours. Goes ok, plenty space, decent equipment. Mrs wanted one after having a proper Mini when she was younger. Tough to compare though as we’ve had Clios and the like and our other vehicle is a van so this is always gonna seem exciting.

Blue with white roof for when your Mrs get to the crunch question.

And don’t get me started on the “you’re about to crash” warning system – definitely a bit of technology that’s not really ready yet, 

Nope. My brand new Cupra Leon has this. Has worked on 2 occasions, but the other day gave me the red light of death with no-one ahead. A bit of a sphincter twitcher!

My g/f had a loan countryman when her 1 went in for warranty work. Neither of us thought it was a good package. Less practical than a 1 series hatch.

Thanks chaps that’s really helpful – just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a mess of a car. She’s doing the school runs / about town mostly hence the hybrid and her longest journey might be once a month 100 miles. So as long as it scoots around town on Electric and get 2 young kids in the back, speed and sportiness aren’t really an issue, neither is owning a “mini”.

This sounds like the ideal scenario for an electric vehicle. If you’re financing it there might be some deals to be had for an EV of some description.

If you’re buying it secondhand or wanting it for a long time then maybe not.

I’m looking nearly new and for 10 years yes.  In 10 years kids will probably have left home so we’ll consolidate into one decent EV.

Yeah, that mini about-to-crash thing. Twice ours has gone red and slammed the brakes on. Once for a bramble that blew across the road and another time just in heavy rain. Car behind swerved to avoid rear ending us. Rubbish.

We have complained to mini and they tested it and said it was fine. Accident waiting to happen imo.

Which is why driverless cars are years from being a good idea!