MINI Countryman 2017 Review

We welcome our newest long-term test car
Launched locally in March this year, MINI’s second-generation Countryman arrived with one very big drawcard: it’s now big enough to be a genuinely useful, family-sized SUV.

On the other hand, some may find the larger Countryman no longer acceptably ‘MINI’ enough. Clearly the Countryman’s move away from its Cooper hatch-based origins – it now shares the modular UKL2 architecture with the BMW’s X1 – has paid dividends, at least in terms of cabin packaging and passenger accommodation.

For these reasons, the motoring.com.au ‘family’ was keen to see if the Countryman fits the bill. Our shiny Chilli Red Cooper S variant will serve as weekend runabout and family truckster in equal measure, much the same as it might in any real family.

I was fortunate enough to spend time with the Countryman in its ‘home’ market earlier this year, giving me a fantastic overview of the range, particularly the all-wheel drive, turbo-petrol Cooper S ALL4. Now, it’s time to familiarise myself with the front-wheel drive - also turbo-petrol - Cooper S model, which I hoped would be more fuel-efficient than the car I sampled at the launch in the UK.

The combination of higher road speeds and only a little off-road use saw an average of 9.6L/100km during the British launch. MINI says the front-drive Cooper S Countryman should achieve 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle, so with idle-stop and Green mode employed, I set about seeing how frugal ‘our’ Countryman could be, leaving subsequent road testers the chance to explore its many other attributes.

Lean machine
At first glance, the MINI Countryman mightn’t seem an economical commuter. Its upright windscreen and bulldog nose hardly cheat the air, and let’s not forget the chunky 1460kg (kerb) weight.

But, with BMW’s modular B48-series 2.0-litre twin-cam ‘four’ - combining all-aluminium construction, twin-scroll turbocharging, direct injection, plus variable valve timing and lift – driving only the front wheels via a far smarter eight-speed automatic transmission, it has a lot going for it.

Not that the gas-brake-honk (thank you, Homer Simpson) trek to and from Melbourne’s outer south-east helps things. The Monash Freeway has become more curse-word than commuter corridor, and the mix of ‘rat run’ back streets I’ve worked into the mix hardly promotes efficiency. Let’s call this a real-world test.

To determine a base line, I drove two days to the office and home with the car in its standard setting and the transmission in ‘drive’. The round trip is 90km and, at the end of the second day, the MINI’s trip computer indicated an average of 6.3L/100km for the journey, thus beating the claimed average by 0.2L/100km.

Let’s go fishing
No stranger to economical driving (check out my Top 10 tips for saving fuel here) the challenge of a frugal commute is familiar ground.

In this case, my efforts get help from MINI’s green-driving coach, dubbed ‘MINIMALISM ANALYSER’, which promotes better driving habits by displaying a fish in a bowl on the 8.8-inch central screen. Keep the water from splashing and the fish is happy. If the fish is happy, your rating goes up. Very cute.

There’s also a green horizontal bar graph set on the MINI’s instrument panel to guide brake (anticipation) and throttle (acceleration) applications. The smoother these become, the better your rating, and the more fuel you save.

Using the system over the same commute for a further two days, according to the ‘MINIMALISM ANALYSER’, I saved the equivalent of 10.7km per trip – or nearly 12 per cent. Every little bit helps and, at that rate, after a week I would accrue an extra 3.3L of fuel (or 53.5km of extra range) to use over the weekend.

Over a year that equates to a saving of 175.2 litres – or $210 at today’s fuel price.

Pump it
For the record, MINI’s official Australian Design Rule stats for the Cooper S Countryman are 5.7L/100km on the Extra Urban cycle and 8.0L/100km for the Urban cycle.

Checking the math by refilling the tank against the odometer, the MINI Countryman finished its time with me at 6.2L/100km – 0.3L/100km under the ADR Combined average – which, all things considered, I reckon is pretty decent.

We didn’t don our lab coats and undertake a scientific measure, but we have shown the so-called ‘gimmicks’ manufacturers include to help drivers save fuel do have at least some merit… even when the traffic refuses to co-operate.

2017 MINI Cooper S Countryman pricing and specifications:
Price: $46,500 (MRLP, plus ORCs) / $51,750* (as tested, plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 141kW/280Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (ADR Combined) / 6.2L/100km (as tested, see text)
CO2: 149g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

*Options fitted:
>> Cross Punch leather in Carbon Black - $1700
>> Dynamic Damper Control - $700
>> MINI Yours sports steering wheel - $200
>> Multimedia Pro Package - $2400
>> Roof and mirror caps in white – no cost option
>> Tyre pressure monitoring - $250

Related reading:
>> MINI Countryman International Launch Review
>> MINI Countryman Australian Launch Review
>> Audi Q2 v MINI Countryman Comparison

Long-Term Tests
motoring.com.au aims to make your vehicle selections easier. Our editorial team does so via a mix of news stories, international and local new model launch reviews and comprehensive seven-day tests.

From time to time we also take the opportunity to spend extra time with a vehicle. Previously these longer-term tests could have been as short as a couple of weeks, but recently we’ve settled on a three-month period as indicative of ‘normal’ ownership.
Long-term tests give our staff writers and contributors the opportunity to get to know a car like an owner. While the car is with us, we pay for fuel and servicing, wash it frequently, have different passengers on-board, and generally use and live with the car as a new owner would.

We believe long-term tests give prospective new car buyers a deeper insight into the vehicle on test, but also the qualities behind the brand and nameplate. The extended period in our garage also allows motoring.com.au to touch base with various dealer networks.

Not surprisingly, manufacturers tend to have a love-hate relationship with long-term tests. Three months can be sufficient time to fall out of love with the latest and greatest, and start to nit-pick — just like real owners do.