MINI Countryman C Classic 2024 Review

The MINI Countryman currently sits in 10th sales slot in the 45K-plus small SUV segment where Audi’s Q3, BMW’s X1 and Volvo’s XC40 rule the roost.

Like many of its competitors, the MINI SUV offers a range of driveline combinations which includes FWDs and AWDs, regular ICE-based powertrains and pure EVs.

In all, 15 MINI Countryman models are lined up to comprise, more or less in descending order, pure-electric SE and E versions and ICE-powered JCW, S, and C ranges which are then further broken down, in a more complicated way, into Sport, Favoured, Classic and Core versions.

The Countryman C Classic reviewed here is priced at $52.990, not including on-road costs, and is not quite the base model. Below it is the absolute-base $49,990 Countryman C Core and just above it, the not quite so base $55,990 C Favoured.

The most expensive Countryman, not unsurprisingly, is an EV: the $77,990 SE JCW Sport that wields 230kW and 494Nm from its twin motors – one in the front, one in the rear – in unison providing all-wheel drive. The front-drive, single-motor E Favoured EV version is priced at $70,990 and produces 150kW/250Nm.

The circular 240mm high-res OLED centre screen is the dominant feature inside, with a nod to eco-friendliness via the optional “Vescin” vegan leather trim and the use of PET plastic-bottle recycled materials in the dash, steering wheel, headlining and floor mats. As much as 70 per cent of the road-wheel material is “secondary” recycled aluminium.

Included in the creature comforts are heated front seats and steering wheel, a panoramic glass sunroof and a swift-kick power tailgate. As an SUV, the Countryman comes with basic roof rails.

A significant contributor to the Countryman’s green-ness is the fact it’s built in BMW’s new plant in Leipzig, Germany – a claimed leader in sustainable production methods, including the replacement of fossil fuels with hydrogen.

The MINI Countryman C Classic offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with a roadside assistance program that runs for the full term of the warranty. Rather than depending on regular time period/kilometres-travelled intervals to decide when it is ready for servicing, the MIN Countryman uses the same technology as BMW to determine its servicing requirements dependent on how it is being used.

Although it’s a little early for it to have a safety rating, the nine-airbag MINI Countryman C Classic comes with a comprehensive suite of safety technology, and a full NCAP five-star rating is expected when the car is tested.

High and low-speed AEB (low-speed in reverse), pedestrian avoidance, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning with active assistance, front and rear cross-traffic alert, post collision braking, driver attention detection, road sign detection, tyre pressure monitoring, front, rear and side parking cameras, self-parking capability and adaptive cruise control are all standard in the MINI Countryman C Classic.

The MINI Countryman’s super-large centre touch-screen takes care of most things visual, while the rest of the controls are somewhat spread out – from the multi-function steering wheel’s stalks and buttons to the small panel in the centre console that looks after gear selection, engine starting/stopping, and the push-button parking brake.

The Countryman C Classic comes with active see-around-the-corner, self-dipping LED lights, six-speaker audio, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and wireless smartphone charging. An optional Hey MINI command springs the Intelligent Personal Assistant into action to activate many functions – including lowering the driver’s window when entering a car park.

The carry-over 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo engine is familiar but endearingly characterful, reasonably quick and competitively economical.

Like its BMW X1 cousin, it develops 115kW and 230Nm, making it competitive with Audi’s 110kW/250Nm 35 TFSI Q3, but left a bit astern by the 2.0-litre Volvo XC40 Plus B4 mild hybrid which produces 145kW/300Nm.

According to MINI, the throaty three-cylinder powerplant propels the 1520kg MINI Countryman from zero to 100km/h in an even 9.0 seconds and consumes 95 RON fuel at a combined rate of 6.8L/100km, which turns out to be exactly average for the competitive class of four mentioned previously. The quoted CO2 figure of 154g/km performs the same arithmetical feat.

MINI talks constantly about the Countryman’s go-kart-like road abilities and, despite the extra size and weight of the third-generation, which is up by close to 100kg over the second-gen model, this remains an apt description.

With its relatively quick, well-weighted steering and resolutely grippy 225/55R18 tyres it rides well – in most circumstances – and follows a chosen line in the familiar MINI manner.

The three-cylinder turbo, to almost everybody, has just about the perfect level of zesty playfulness that is readily accessible through the seven-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox.

There are some caveats though: The extra length of the Countryman makes the Countryman prone to rearwards weight transfer when powering on in scrabbly road conditions, promoting noticeable wheelspin at the front, while there’s also a bit of unpleasant knocking and thumping from the suspension on loose, sharp-edged rocky surfaces that are otherwise well-handled by the decent 191mm ground clearance.

And there’s more: The transmission, at times, clunks noticeably when taking up the slack between forward and reverse when manoeuvring.

Inside the cabin, the now much bigger Countryman really struts its stuff. Most noticeable is the extra rear legroom that is adjustable to suit back-seat passenger/load-carrying requirements. It offers a versatile 40/20/40 split-fold seat that also slides independently so that all lower cushions, a single-seater on the right and a two-seater on the left, slide fore and aft according to the required configuration.

Up front, although power adjustment would have been nice, there is all the leg space that most passengers would need, and the cushioning and support provided by the so-called “Sport” seats are fine for the long haul, with noticeable extra bolstering to the backrests and lower cushions.

Between the driver and front passenger, there’s a padded centre armrest with a small cubby beneath, and door pockets front and rear to provide space for oddments. There are also the obligatory drink bottle holders front and rear.

Because it matches or even exceeds its competitors in just about every dimension, the MINI Countryman isn’t really a MINI anymore.

If there’s anything about it that approaches negative, it’s that styling excesses have been withheld to the point that the Countryman is almost over-consciously sparse.

The good thing about the Countryman’s growth spurt is the extended capacities that come with it: More room means more comfort, and being bigger means more choices in what can be carried aboard, as well as what can be towed along behind. A two-tonne towing capacity – which is more than Audi Q3, BMW X1, or Volvo XC40 – is not to be taken lightly.

And then there’s the driving.

MINI has made a big thing about the third-gen Countryman’s engaging on-road dynamics, and they’re not kidding: The biggest MINI ever maintains much of the defining character it was born with. It might sound – in an appealingly growly way – quicker than it actually is, but it steers with precision and has the distinct connectedness that has always been a treasured characteristic.

It might no longer be an icon, but the latest-generation MINI, as expressed in the Countryman SUV, retains the brand’s ability to tug at the heartstrings.

2024 MINI Countryman C Classic at a glance:

Price: $52,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 115kW/230Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 154g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

Related: MINI Countryman 2024 Review – International

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