Mini Countryman review

Strictly speaking, ‘countryman’ means someone born, or at least living, in a rural area. Well, take a long, lingering look at the Mini Countryman. Does it look to you like it’s ever tasted a good ploughmans or smelt the waft of a thickly manured field? No, it doesn’t to us, either, but that’s not its remit.

Just check out those aggressively sculpted bumpers and its glitzy, Union Flag-style taillight design and, if they were clothes, this car’s dressed from head to toe in urbanite Nike, not tweedy Barbour. If you want a small, go-anywhere off-roader, have a look at our Dacia Duster or Suzuki Jimny reviews instead.

The Countryman is more about looking good on-road, and as if to prove the point, there’s the usual and massive array of Mini personalisation options to stamp your mark on your new Mini Countryman – so (hopefully) you’ll never pull up next to one that’s the exactly the same.

It may not be a true off-roader, but it is still a small SUV, which means it’s bigger and far roomier than the Mini 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks or the Mini Clubman estate. And it’s in the mix with a multitude of rivals, all vying for your cash, sitting at the pricier end of the class alongside the Volkswagen T-Cross and T-Roc. If you like the thought of spending a bit less, then the Ford Puma, Seat Arona and Skoda Kamiq all deserve a place on your shortlist, too.

Along with the personalisation options we touched upon, the Countryman is available with a good line-up of petrol and diesel engines, and there’s also a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option. With its pure-electric range and company car tax breaks that could end up saving you a packet.

We’ll tell you which engine we think is best if you keep reading. Just remember, if you decide that it's the car for you, check out our hassle-free New Car Buying service for amazing discounts on the Mini Countryman and hundreds of other cars.