MINI Countryman Review

Practicality and Space

Boot space in the electric Countryman is very decent, with 460-litres of room – or over three times that if you fold the 40/20/40 split seats. There’s underfloor cable storage, too. Yes, a Tesla Model Y or Skoda Enyaq are roomier still, but they don’t have the Countryman’s premium finish and the Mini will still be a great family car.

Rear seat space is also good, and a couple of adults will be able to lounge about comfortably, although the Kia EV3 is a bit roomier in general, while the Skoda Enyaq is more spacious than both. It’s also a shame that you don’t get the sliding seats that you can have in the petrol versions of the Countryman, though, as more seating flexibility is always a good thing. 

One thing that’s not so impressive with the Mini is that you have to add the optional head-up display to get the speed showing in the driver’s eyeline. Without it, you rely solely on the speed readout that stays permanently at the top of the dinner-plate sized digital readout in the middle of the dash - not dissimilar to the setup that the Tesla Model 3 and Volvo EX30, both of which we also find really annoying! Otherwise, the Countryman’s driving position is good and will likely be comfy for most drivers.

With a towing capacity of up to 1200kg, the Mini’s a reasonable option if you have a light trailer to tow, but caravanners and horse owners will have to look elsewhere for more heavy-duty tow cars, such as the Tesla Model Y and Volvo XC40 Recharge. 

Interior and Design

It’s not often that I can talk about a knitted interior, but the Countryman really does have recycled polyester fabric that’s knitted into a tactile material to finish the dashboard. While knitted polyester sounds about as appealing as a bowl of fish eyes for breakfast, in practice it does look properly modern and appealing, and is very tactile, too. Mini assures us it’s also easy-care and durable. 

The rest of the dash is also pretty cool, with the trademark round display that harks all the way back to the original Issigonis-designed Mini. The display has got a lot bigger, though, even since more recent, modern Minis, and it now houses a 9-inch OLED screen – the first time an OLED screen has appeared in a car. It has really vivid colours and graphics, and it also uses BMW’s latest Operating System 9 software. I wish it responded a bit more quickly, is the main niggle, and you have to swipe around to find some of the settings, but the main features are up front on the configurable home screen and easy to access. 

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, of course, as is in-built sat-nav with a charger search function that will show you a live update of how many chargers are free at any given location. You can even load your own photos onto the screen’s background, and choose from a selection of games to play to keep you entertained while you charge. There’s also natural voice control, and you can add various apps to the system for additional subscription prices.

Dashboard

As we’ve said, the Mini Countryman’s dash is totally dominated by the huge, round touchscreen that echoes the iconic original Mini. Other than needing that optional heads-up display, it’s a really cool, funky-looking interior that sets the Mini apart from its rivals. You can get some interesting colours and finishes to make it feel a very youthful and even a bit extrovert, if you fancy, or there are some calmer tones and themes if you want to keep it a bit more traditional. 

One thing to note is that you start the car via a keyless twist-and-turn starter that’s in the middle of the dash, just underneath the touchscreen. Not on the steering column, where I scratched around initially looking for the button… 

Technology and Equipment

The entry-level Mini Countryman E gets adaptive cruise control, climate control, roof rails, alloy wheels, and all those touchscreen features that we mentioned as standard, while the SE All4 also includes keyless entry, heated seats and adaptive LED headlights - all of which are part of a ‘Level 1’ pack that you can add to the E for £2,500. Level 2 extends to the panoramic sunroof, heads-up display and Harman Kardon sound system, and we’d definitely recommend you add it, if you can, as it makes the cabin much nicer and that head-up display is a godsend given the lack of any other readout behind the wheel. 

There are also three ‘Styles’ to choose from – Classic, Exclusive and Sport – which affect the exterior style cues, interior colourways and trims of the car. In fact there are many – and we do mean many – ways of personalising the car through colour schemes and extras, even after you’ve selected the model, style and level that you may want.

Safety

Euro NCAP hasn’t yet crash tested the Mini Countryman (petrol or electric versions) so we can’t talk about how it stands up in an accident. The BMW X1, which uses the same platform as the Mini Countryman, achieved a full five star Euro NCAP rating when tested in diesel form back in 2022, so it bodes well for the Mini Countryman being generally very safe. 

It has six airbags including front, side and head airbags, two sets of ISOFIX fittings, and a full suite of driver aids including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control, which combine for a semi-autonomous drive mode. You even get blind-spot warning on every electric Mini Countryman, which is great as this feature (which warns you if there’s a car or object in the rear three-quarter blind spot) is often an optional extra.