Mini Countryman Coopers

Sometimes contradictions work; case in point, the new Mini Countryman. It’s both bigger, more comfortable, but still drives like a Mini. Verdict Super combination of practicality and fun.

- Shapur Kotwal

On the one hand, the new Mini Countryman wants to be both, bigger and more comfortable than the car it replaces. On the other, it wants to be just as much fun to drive as a regular Mini.

What is it?

The styling is all Mini, which, of course, suggests that it is tiny and compact; but this car isn’t small by any stretch of the imagination. It stretches the tape at 4.3m, and along with size comes the bulk; it weighs a serious 1.5 tonnes. Under the neo-retro styling, the Countryman is built on the same set of mechanical bits as the BMW X1. Lift up the bonnet and you see a transversely mounted engine (aligned east-West), and power goes to the front wheels only. there's no four-wheel drive for India yet.

Question is, does it still drive like a Mini? Is it as agile and fun to hurl around? And, is it the most comfortable and practical Mini at the same time?

What’s it like to drive?

Low-speed ride on the Countryman is a bit stiff. there’s a restlessness that can sometimes get tiresome on broken roads, and this is despite it's taller SUV-like springs. Go faster, however, and bump absorption improves considerably; the chassis finally settling down. now medium-size bumps can be ridden over without a care in the world, and stability is excellent, too.