Mini Countryman - Duality

THE COUNTRYMAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE PRACTICAL ONE IN THE MINI RANGE. BUT IF YOU WISH IT, IT’LL SHOW YOU A SIDE THAT’S BONKERS TOO

- Samarpan Bhowmik

The Mini Countryman has never found the kind of fan following its Cooper siblings have. A lot of people think it’s too big to be called a “Mini” and they’re also the kind of people who are strictly against having usable rear seats in a Mini. But for me, in our country with our kind of roads, the Countryman is probably the pick of the lot. Yes, there’s also the Clubman for practical purposes but with its oddball looks, it sticks out a little too much from the crowd.

The Countryman is truly the most rounded (no pun intended) model from the Mini stables. When I picked the car up from the showroom, it looked quite at home in the middle of flashy buildings, with people riding in big sedans and SUVs leaning out their windows to get a better look at this new car. As I had planned to drive out of town and give the Countryman a taste of the err, country, next morning, I still had the evening to cruise around town. And everywhere it went, it turned heads, if not with its retro-cool looks then with the sporty exhaust note. So, check the box for attention grabbing; the Countryman gets quite a bit and then some.

This is the JCW Inspired trim and that means there are some cosmetics and features on this car that the Cooper cousins and diesel sibling miss out on. There are the 18-inch alloys which look nice (the others get 17 inchers), the JCW Aerodynamic kit and that rear spoiler.