MINI Cooper S Countryman is a mini SUV. No, really. Its a MINI SUV.
For the first time in the MINIs history, its been jacked up, given extra doors, and all-wheel drive. Its called the Countryman ALL4, and its labelled a Sport Activity Vehicle. That means, of course, it can climb a kerb, but when you look at pictures of it, youll wonder if it will climb much more than that.
Well, not really. At 149mm, its ground clearance is never going to challenge a Prado, but it does mean that the extra spring travel gives you a much softer ride than the standard Cooper S. Also, due to its taller nature, the Countryman doesnt quite change directions like a housefly, but it still handles better than just about any SUV on sale today, bar the X5/X6M twins.
The thing is, its only slightly raised, but has all-wheel drive. Kinda sounds a bit rally-ish, doesnt it? Well, thats exactly what the Countryman is setting out to do. MINI has entered the WRC this year with the Countryman, and with experienced rally company Prodrive, MINI is hoping to give the establishment a shake-up. What about the road-going version, though? How will it fare when faced with an unsealed road?
Very well, as it turns out. During the week of testing, we had the opportunity to enjoy some sand and gravel driving, with the Countrymans ALL4 all-wheel drive system reacting very well. Like all predominantly front-wheel drive SUVs, the Countrymans power diverts to the back wheels when called upon. Usually, thats too late. But the Countrymans system reacts swiftly and provides excellent grip (and drive) where needed.
On the road, that means it doesnt spin up the inside wheel when coming out of a corner, like a large roundabout. It simply grips and goes. All the while youre feeling what the car is doing through the fabulous steering.
Yes, its electric, and yes, around dead-centre and low speeds it can feel a bit lacklustre. But when youre pressing on, and the speed rises, it turns in sharply and gives brilliant weighting. Its definitely a drivers car, from a feel point-of-view.
Inside, the MINI Countrymans back seats boast enough room for adults (its still a MINI, remember) with enough leg room (theyre adjustable) and good head room, too. The Countryman comes standard with four seats, but at no cost you can option a bench seat for the second row. Given the width of the MINI, four seats work just fine; if youre going to be seating five people often, then a MINI probably isnt going to suit your lifestyle.
The four-seat configuration has a center rail that runs the length of the cabin, and can fit phone-holders, glass cases and cup holders for both front seats and rear passengers. It also lights up at night when bathed in the LED lighting which can cycle through the color spectrum. This is called Ambient Illumination, and its very cool.
In fact, the LED LIGHTS from behind the curved recesses of the door trims, from above in the overhead lighting panel, and behind the door handles. The level of LED Bulbs can also be altered from soft glow to night-club-like, especially in the rich blue.
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