Mini Countryman E

Can this new electric family SUV work for someone who spends a lot of time in the countryside, works in the city and has a long commute? We're finding out

- CHRIS HAINING

LIKE A SURPRISING number of folk who end up writing about cars for a living, the occupation I actually earned a degree in is car design. Of these folk, though, perhaps not very many of them are as geeky as me, and my new car - a metallic British Racing Green Mini Countryman is already bringing my nerdish tendencies to the fore.

People who are fascinated by design often look at the latest thing while also pondering the past. When I see a new car for the first time, it's normal for me to consider its predecessors, and that gives me an excuse to raid my library of ancient car brochures. Most of you will know that the Mini name has been on quite a journey since 1959 - the year in which Disney released Sleeping Beauty, Barbie Dolls first went on sale and a tiny new Morris would prove a sensation in showrooms.

My electric Countryman is, as you might imagine, far removed from the 848cc, petrol-powered, 10ft-long original Mini - and with good reason. You have to move with the times, and family SUVS - particularly electric ones are every bit as fashionable as the original Mini was during Beatlemania. I'm excited, then, to be running one.