Item: Used Mini Countryman 2017-present
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

The most direct rival to the Mini Countryman is the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q2/estate/used-review/n17573">Audi Q2</a>, which is a similarly upmarket small SUV that offers a high-quality interior and a range of impressive engines. Because its ride is more controlled and its interior more upmarket, it’s probably the better buy, although it is a little more staid than the Countryman in the styling department.

If you’re prepared to accept a slightly less plush interior than either of those cars’, though, there are huge savings to be had by choosing a more mainstream model. For the price of a year-old Mini Countryman, for example, you can have a year-old example of Seat’s excellent family SUV, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/ateca/estate/used-review/n840">Ateca</a>, which is both bigger and better to drive.

One other option to look at is the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/fiat/500x/estate/used-review/n911">Fiat 500X</a>, which is as&nbsp;style-conscious as&nbsp;the Countryman&nbsp;and might appeal to the fashionista in you. However, its interior isn’t quite as classy and it’s less spacious inside than the Countryman, while its engines can’t match the Mini’s for efficiency.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/mini/countryman?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;yearFrom=2017">Find a used Mini Countryman in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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<h3>Tie rods</h3>

A small number of Countrymans made between&nbsp;29 March to 8 April 2019 have an issue where the tie rods on the front suspension were not assembled correctly. If your car is affected, it&nbsp;will need to be checked by a Mini&nbsp;dealer and have the fault rectified.

<h3>Crankshaft sensor</h3>

A problem with the crankshaft sensor of some examples built from 19 May&nbsp;and 9&nbsp;June 2018 could lead to the engine going into an emergency reduced power mode and limiting performance. A Mini dealer will be able to confirm if your Countryman&nbsp;is affected by this and arrange to have the sensor replaced.

<h3>Swivel bearings</h3>

A manufacturing flaw with the swivel bearings on the front suspension could lead to fractures&nbsp;in the part over time. This affects vehicles made between 24 April&nbsp;and 1 May 2018, and you can find out if your car is affected by contacting your Mini dealer.

<h3>Crash protection plate</h3>

This applies to 1.5-litre petrol models manufactured between 2 January 2017 and 25 May 2018 where a plate to protect the high-pressure fuel pump in the event of a collision wasn't installed at the factory. If your car is affected, it'll need to have this plate retrofitted at a&nbsp;dealer.

This generation of the Countryman did very well in the latest&nbsp;What Car? Reliability Survey and came top of the small SUV class.

Mini as a brand also did remarkably well, ranking&nbsp;fourth out of 31 manufacturers – just behind that bastion of reliability that is <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/toyota">Toyota</a>.

If you'd like to see the full reliability list, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey/n20042">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

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<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Hatchback

Talk about taking an idea and running with it. The big-selling Mini hatchback is still at the core of the firm’s range, but its cute styling and relatively compact dimensions have been spun off into an estate (the Clubman) and an SUV (the Countryman), as well as a convertible.

Despite its small size, the Mini is a firmly premium product, and the three-door hatchback counts the Audi A1 and Volkswagen Polo among its key rivals.

The fact that Mini is owned by BMW brings some big advantages –&nbsp;not least the fact that its infotainment system is based on BMW’s industry-leading iDrive.

MINI

COUNTRYMAN

Are most small SUVs just too plain for you? If so, the fun, fashionable Mini Countryman might be the answer

Used Mini Countryman 2017-present

<h3>MPG</h3>

The most efficient Countryman – the plug-in hybrid&nbsp;– has a combined WLTP figure of 141.2mpg. In reality, you'll only get near that if you charge it after every journey, so the diesel Cooper SD might be a better bet, because it achieves a useful 54.3mpg.&nbsp;

Other than that, there is the regular Cooper model with an economy figure of&nbsp;44.8mpg,&nbsp;while even the more potent&nbsp;Cooper S returns a reasonable 42.2mpg. Avoid the JCW model if fuel economy is a concern, because&nbsp;it only manages 32.1mpg.

Opting for four-wheel drive will dent fuel consumption, so only choose a model with it specified if you really need the extra traction. Winter or all-season tyres might be a more cost-effective year-round solution.

<h3>Road tax (VED)</h3>

All examples of the Countryman registered after 1 April 2017 will incur a flat rate of road tax, and&nbsp;if&nbsp;you happen to plump for a top-of-the-range model with loads of options fitted, its higher list price when new might have taken it over the £40,000 threshold for the 'luxury' supplement from years two to six of ownership.&nbsp;You can find out more about <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs here</a>.

<h3>Servicing</h3>

Servicing costs for the Countryman will be higher than you’ll find for most small SUVs, although they should be broadly on a par with those of its chief premium rival, the Audi Q2.

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Are most small SUVs just too plain for you? If so, the fun, fashionable Mini Countryman might be the answer

The Countryman isn't a really&nbsp;old car, yet prices have dropped to around £14,000 for a 2017 example with high mileage, or £15,000 for something a little less leggy. A more performance-orientated Cooper S will be more like £17,000, while the plug-in hybrid carries a hefty premium and will cost you around £20,000.&nbsp;

You can find an early JCW model for around £22,000, but if you want the more potent 306bhp version from 2019, you'll have to increase your budget to at least £30,000.&nbsp;

Check the value of a used Mini Countryman with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">What Car? Valuations</a>

<h3>Engine</h3>

Choosing between Countryman engines isn’t all that easy. The lower-powered petrol Cooper is efficient and cheap to buy, but it isn’t very fast&nbsp;and can get noisy when pressed hard. The Cooper S is quieter and faster, but it's also thirstier and costlier on tax&nbsp;and has an even firmer ride than the regular versions.

You could choose one of the diesel models, which are certainly very efficient, but they’re noisy, and the Cooper SD is quite expensive to buy. Also quite expensive is the plug-in hybrid, which&nbsp;will require you to charge it all the time in order for it to make financial sense.&nbsp;

The long and the short of it is that if you do less than around 15,000 miles a year, it’s probably worth sticking with petrol, in which case the 1.5 Cooper&nbsp;is the most pleasing to live with.

Unless you plan to drive on muddy surfaces on a regular basis, the All4 probably isn’t worth the extra outlay, in terms of both purchase and fuel costs, so we’d stick to the regular front-wheel-drive car.

<h3>Specification</h3>

It's worth looking out for some of the optional packs with the Countryman. Our preferred one is&nbsp;the Chili Pack, because you get some useful extra kit and increased practicality.&nbsp;

Our favourite Mini Countryman: 1.5&nbsp;Cooper (Chili Pack)

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Running costs that won’t break the bank </li> <li>Generous kit</li> <li>Pokey engine and tidy handling</li> <li>Spacious interior</li> <li>Boot big enough to cope with family life</li></ul>

The car-buying public has fallen in love with small SUVs, or crossovers as they’re often called, with thousands turning away from conventional hatchbacks in favour of something that rides that little bit higher.

The original baby SUV is the Nissan Juke, which remains a popular choice, but there are plenty of better rivals to consider instead. We’d recommend you look at either the Ford Puma or Skoda Kamiq, because they offer&nbsp;a great blend of practicality and value that keeps them&nbsp;clear of the opposition. Equally, if you’ve got more money to spend, the Audi Q2 and Volkswagen T-Roc&nbsp;are both fine choices.&nbsp;

Small SUV

The Countryman will often have found itself pressed into service as a family wagon, so it’s important to check throughout for problems that might have been caused by heavy family use, such as scuffs from small feet against the rear seats and doors, cracked or broken plastics&nbsp;and stains on the upholstery.

Check, too, that four-wheel-drive models haven’t been pressed into service off road too often;&nbsp;the Countryman All4 does offer extra traction on mud, but that doesn’t make it an off-roader, and using it as such will wear it out prematurely. Look for scuffs and scrapes to the lower edges of the bumpers and an underside covered in mud.

Mind you, even a Countryman used in town needs a few checks. Make sure the wheels haven’t been smacked into kerbs repeatedly;&nbsp;a little light grazing is okay, but heavy scuffs or chunks taken out of the wheel rim are more serious&nbsp;and could point to damaged suspension components or steering that's been knocked out of alignment.

Let's face it, there are loads of&nbsp;used SUVs out there, but very few have that extra&nbsp;panache to make them stand out from the masses. Apart from the Mini Countryman, which is stuffed with so many retro styling cues that you couldn't mistake it for anything else.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Naturally, the Countryman is an awful lot bigger than the original Mini the designers have tried so hard to imitate, but among SUVs,&nbsp;it's actually in the smallest class of all – and goes head to head with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q2/estate/review/n120">Audi Q2</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/fiat/500x/estate/review/n80">Fiat 500X</a>.

You get a choice of turbocharged engines in the Countryman; pick between a 136bhp 1.5-litre and 192bhp 2.0-litre petrol, or a pair of 2.0-litre diesels in 148bhp Cooper D or 187bhp Cooper SD forms. All were made available with the option of four-wheel drive&nbsp;and an automatic gearbox (although the automatic was only available on four-wheel-drive models).

There’s also a plug-in hybrid called the Countryman Cooper S E, which comes with four-wheel drive as standard&nbsp;and combines the 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor that can operate independently, giving you a short burst of 25 miles of electric-only range if the battery is fully&nbsp;charged.

There aren't many different trim options you can go for with earlier Countrymans, but there are, of course, numerous&nbsp;packs to look out for. The Chili Pack&nbsp;adds dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, LED headlights, additional storage and an adjustable boot floor. The Comfort Pack has heated front seats and rear parking sensors, while Comfort Plus has all this and a reversing camera. The Navigation Pack adds (you've guessed it) sat-nav, while&nbsp;Navigation Plus includes a bigger, 8.8 infotainment screen. The Tech Pack includes Comfort and Navigation Plus while also throwing in&nbsp;an uprated Harman Kardon sound system. The Driving Assistance Pack has automatic emergency braking.

This changed somewhat in late 2018 with the introduction of 'style' tiers to Cooper and Cooper S models: Classic, Sport and Exclusive. Think of them as Classic being the standard version,&nbsp;Sport having the more athletic styling inside and out (and also a firmer ride, because most had sports suspension fitted;&nbsp;it became a no-cost option from the 2020 facelift), and Exclusive being the posh one with a bespoke alloy wheel design and fancier leather seats inside. The various optional packs continued as before.

Minis have a reputation for terrific handling, and the Countryman is certainly sharper than most SUVs to drive, with minimal body lean if you throw it into a corner and a responsive front end that turns in sharply, making the whole car feel agile and nimble.

However, it isn’t perfect;&nbsp;for one thing, the steering doesn’t offer the same incisive feedback as smaller cars, and it’s far too heavy, making&nbsp;the Countryman a bit of a chore when the time comes to park it.

You also pay the price for that tight handling the instant you go over a bump. Well, actually, you don’t even need a bump to tell how firm the Countryman’s suspension is;&nbsp;the slightest imperfection in the road surface will communicate that to you. Even the regular&nbsp;models suffer from a bouncy ride, while the hot Cooper S model is firm enough to jiggle your teeth around.

The sit-up-and-beg driving position won’t be to everyone’s taste, meanwhile, but at least the seats are welcoming and supportive, and there’s a reasonable amount of space for four people, too. Squeezing in a fifth won’t be a popular move with your rear seat passengers, though, because shoulder room in the outer two seats is pretty restrictive.

They’ll be happier to know that you should be able to fit their luggage in the boot, mind you, thanks to a sizeable load area that’s larger even than those of some cars from the class above. This is further enhanced on cars fitted with the optional Storage Compartment Pack, which gives you a lockable, height-adjustable&nbsp;boot floor and some other neat additions such as netting, load straps and tie-down eyelets.

If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/mini/countryman?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;yearFrom=2017">used Countryman</a>, or any of the other small SUVs&nbsp;mentioned here, take advantage of our <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;service to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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Used Mini Countryman 2017-present review

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