Driving the Mini Countryman today – the Mini brand part of the BMW group and
today enjoying strong growth, up 80 percent in the first half, the larger and longer
five-door Countryman the big sales mover, available in petrol or pure electric,
each in several grades. I drove the 2.0-litre turbo petrol 7-speed dual clutch
automatic Countryman S all-wheel drive in the mid-spec Favoured grade –
$61,990 plus on road costs. The Countryman five-door, based on BMW’s X1
platform, a really interesting estate wagon as the name implies, individual and
designed for the adventurous spirit – a go-anywhere compact SUV with premium
finishes, fabulous seats and some novel touches. Step inside and your met with a
round central touch screen and a head up speed display – both of which are
extremely practical and user friendly. The air vents and door handles vertically
aligned and different in an interior that has a lot of character with nice finishes.
Novel touches too like the start/stop toggle switch, parking brake push button
and gear selector set the Mini Countryman apart. It’s not an SUV for everyone, it’s
a little different even quirky but as a compact premium model offers a point of
difference with nice cabin and luggage room.