When you think of MINI, what comes to mind is a small, compact, go-kart like car. When you think of an SUV, what comes to mind is large, off-road capable, and slow. The two would never come together -- but then you see the MINI Countryman.
Introduced to North America in 2011, the MINI Countryman is the largest MINI on the market, though still small enough to be considered MINI.
The Countryman is a first for MINI in many ways -- first SUV, first model to offer all-wheel drive and first model to come with four doors.
Starting at $25,500, the Countryman comes in three model lines: Cooper, Cooper S ALL4 and John Cooper Works ALL4, also known as the JCW. The ALL4 is what MINI calls their all-wheel drive. I drove the 2013 JCW Countryman ALL4, which was powered by a 208HP 1.6-litre 4-cylinder Twin Turbocharged engine, and was paired up with a 6 speed automatic transmission. Though you can save $1,300 and get a 6-speed manual transmission in the car.
Other features on the model that I had included: MINI Navigation System, Glass Sunroof, Harman Kardon Sound System and Park Distance Control, to name a few features. All totaled, the JCW Countryman ALL4 was $49,285, excluding freight and taxes.
MINI packed the Countryman with as many safety features as they could fit without making the car feel heavy. This included 6 standard airbags, Runflat tires and Cornering Brake Control 鈥� so that you could take the corners without worrying about rolling over.
Fuel economy wise, MINI says that the JCW Countryman ALL4 can do 8.7L/100KM in the city and a combined 7.7L/100KM. On my city drive, I was able to get exactly 8.7L/100KM and on my driving to and from work which includes some city driving, I was able to get 8L/100KM, and that鈥檚 with keeping up with traffic on the 401.
Like driving a go-kart, bumps and all
With the push of the start button, the turbocharged Countryman was ready to go, and it handled unlike any other SUV.
The Countryman could handle the corners like a sports car, and stop on a dime. And if the smooth acceleration of the automatic is not something you want, then just simply switch it over to the Sports mode.
Adjust the shifting the speed, and with using the paddle shifters, you can get Countryman to move like its smaller brethren. Quick and nimble.
And though the automatic was quick, I can confidently say that if you want some real fun, then go for the manual transmission 鈥� it鈥檚 very smooth.
Parking the Countryman, because of its MINI design, was very easy. You barely needed to use any of the optional sensors to get the car parallel parked. And backing it up is a breeze with its higher height.
Another design feature 鈥� most of the controls were toggles instead of buttons or knobs. You wanted to open the sunroof? Use the toggle. You wanted to activate the sport mode, use the toggle. Fog lights 鈥� toggle them on.
Another toggle for interior accent lighting but the switches weren鈥檛 for dimmers 鈥� they were to change the colour of the lighting in the car.
If you're not used to a MINI, like myself, getting used to the speedometer located in centre of the car took a bit of getting used to. The centre of the large speedometer was the navigation screen, so the speed was surrounding it, making it a bit hard to read. Thankfully, MINI also put a digital display of your speed in the driver's information centre in front of you, so that you can maintain your speed.
The seats were very comfortable and the front seats held you in place for every little quick maneuver you made. And headroom was very good. The rear-seat legroom could fit an adult comfortably, even for a MINI.
There鈥檚 plenty of cargo space in the hatch, and you could remove the floor panel where the spare tire would be, and have either a way to put a taller item in the back without folding down the back seats, or have a hidden storage compartment so that people wouldn鈥檛 find something of value.
And if you needed that extra space, you could fold the back seats totally flat, giving you more cargo space than a compact hatchback.
If you鈥檙e looking for the practicality of an SUV, but the compact size of a hatchback, and the fun of a MINI 鈥� the Countryman awaits
Fast Facts:
2013 MINI JCW Countryman ALL4
Type: Compact SUV
Price Range: $49,285
Engine: 1.6-litre, 4 cylinder Twin Turbocharged Engine
Horsepower: 208 hp
Transmission: 6 speed Manual/6 Speed Automatic
Drive: All wheel drive
Competitors: BMW X1, Nissan Juke, Subaru XV Crosstrek
