MINI Countryman 2014 Review

About as far from Sir Alec Issigonis' original 1959 Mini as Jupiter is from Earth, the MINI Countryman represents a quandary. It retains the soul of the new generation MINI with its agile handling and cheeky attitude, but goes against the grain in some ways – it's an un-MINI like SUV after all. But for all the philosophical arguments, the facelifted Countryman is much improved.

BMW-owned, British car-maker MINI argues that the Countryman was a necessity; a response to customer demand. Hatch buyers were demanding more room or were starting families but wanted to stay with the brand.

Hence the Countryman was born in 2010.

And it's not like other brands lost street cred building SUVs. Read Porsche and Bentley, and Lamborghini and Maserati are also heading down the well-worn SUV path too. But I digress…

It’s been three years since I first tested the MINI Countryman on local roads during my weekly routine. And I came away nonplussed. It was the $40,950 Cooper D turbo-diesel model, and it didn't float my boat.

Too expensive, too fiddly, too try-hard.

Fast-forward to late-2014 and my feelings have changed somewhat. I quite like this vehicle.

For a start, it's more affordable. The updated Countryman Cooper on test is almost $7000 less, priced from $34,150 (add $2350 for the auto). It gets loads more standard equipment, such as satellite navigation, reversing sensors, 16-inch alloy wheels, auto climate control, auto headlights and auto wipers.

These convenience features make it a lot easier to live with too.

Launched here in September 2014, this refreshed MINI Countryman has been to the plastic surgeon, for a (very) subtle nip and tuck, front and rear with new bumper designs incorporating LED foglights and probably some of the coolest driving lights this side of a Kia Pro_cee'd GT.

The car drives well, if a little firmly over bumps, and is lots of fun in corners. It's easy to park thanks to the reversing sensors, although the lack of a reversing camera is not ideal.

The ageing 1.6-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol engine gets a bit breathless when you rev it hard but does a reliable job of propelling the car's relatively low 1265kg mass. This comes as a surprise considering its paltry 90kW/160Nm output; it hustles traffic easily and dispatches the 0-60km/h dash with unexpected swiftness. The six-speed automatic is not perfect, sometimes 'hunting' for the right gear in vain (usually when dropping the hammer at 60km/h) but does a good job in general operation.

The small engine and gearbox also conspire to deliver excellent fuel economy. While I couldn't attain the claimed 6.5L/100 I was happy with 7.2L/100km, especially considering the stop-start inner city traffic encountered every day.

Improved value is obvious once you step inside the quirky cabin. There’s the large 6.5-inch colour screen masterfully integrated within the (redundant) oversized speedo, incorporating satellite navigation and an intuitive input system not dissimilar to BMW's iDrive or Mercedes COMAND. It looks fantastic with clear, colourful and well animated graphics. The sat nav is a BMW system, and naturally quite modern.

The Bluetooth streaming system is easy to decipher and USB and AUX inputs are good to see.
Better yet, the electric window controls have been moved from the centre stack to the door inserts. The interior also has a higher quality look and feel thanks to upgraded plastics and materials, not to mention front sports seats as standard. Even the instrument panel is new.

Some of the annoying interior quirks are still there however.

The useless central speedo (it's a talking point says MINI, and apparently customers love it), the tiny and confusing heating/cooling controls, the unwisely-located sunglasses holder that cannot be accessed when the park brake is engaged, and the pulverising rear seats, which can snap painfully onto your head if caught unawares.

In my 2011 appraisal of the car I noted "…many of the MINI's quirks that made it cool back in 2001 are not quite as cute and adorable today". With a little more thought in the placement of controls and addition of the high-resolution sat nav screen things are much improved. Lump in funky interior lighting, velour floor mats front and rear as standard and things take on a rosy glow.

As a day-to-day compact SUV the Countryman is generally very good. The baby seat fits easily in the back seat and safety systems such as six airbags, stability control and anti-lock brakes are reassuring.

Adult occupants won't find the rear seat capacious but there's more room than the MINI hatch, and having five-doors is another boon – although one wonders if the new five-door MINI will eat into Countryman sales?

Retained value is not as good as the hatch, roughly 55 versus 60 per cent over three years, but the updated capped-price servicing regime is one of the most affordable in the small car segment. It'll cost $850 for five years/70,000km, although it’s an upfront cost, rather than a pay-as-you-go scheme.

The three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty isn’t class-leading but par for course in the premium small car market.

The Countryman takes the idea of the modern era MINI (already much larger than the original 1959 model) and grows it to deliver more interior room and cargo space while increasing ride height for a better view.

On paper it was a good idea but poorly executed when originally launched. Today, with sensible changes and big improvements added to the value equation, the Countryman is a better proposition.

Also consider:
>> Audi Q3 (from $42,300)
>> Mercedes-Benz GLA (from $47,900)
>> Subaru XV (from $28,490)