Mini Cooper, Countryman

Mini Cooper, Countryman is the larger, more everyday side of the Mini name, meant for drivers who want the brand’s look with more cabin and cargo room than the classic hatchback gives. By our assessment, the good part is exactly that mix of small-car character and extra usefulness, because it broadens the Mini idea without dropping it completely. The cost is that it is less tidy and less cheeky than the original Mini shape, so some of the brand’s charm gets stretched. In practice it is the kind of crossover that reads better as a compact family car than as a pure city toy. Against rivals, it sits with other small premium crossovers rather than with the tiny runabout that made the name famous. Mini Cooper, Countryman works when the badge and the added space matter together; it is less convincing if the whole point is the simplest, lightest Mini feel.