2011 MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 Review

[ahmed_7erzon]

A few weeks back, I travelled to Québec City to get a taste of what MINI gets involved in these days; Red Bull Crashed Ice. This got me to thinking about BMW's purchase all those years ago and if they had ever imagined where the brand would go and take them.

My guess is that their principal interest was in the Range Rover name, and not Rover (the cars) or MG. Remember, at the time, there was no such thing as an X1, X3, X5 or X6. Their intention was to insert some luxury SUVs in their portfolio, and they did, but at a great loss. Lessons were clearly learned from the Range Rover days as proven by the Xs. Moving along...


Minis and MINIs are among a handful of cars that transcend time and space, much like VW's Beetle and Fiat's 500. You see a MINI, you know it's a MINI. On this fact alone, BMW should not have to put a dime in marketing but they are'a spending a bundle. But, BMW is building a MINI army.

Enter the latest MINI, the radioactive spider-bitten MINI Countryman, soon to have its spotlight stolen by the Paceman (I'm such a party pooper). The Countryman is MINI's first crossover but I prefer to call it a station wagon. MINI peeps will contend that a) wagons are not cool and that b) the Countryman is too tall and bullish to be a wagon. I disagree.

A wagon with special skills, that is. Yes, the Countryman is only MINI's second offering ever equipped with AWD. The Mini Moke it was called and was available ('64-'89) for purchase only in Europe and Australia. But like all cartoon characters created in the 60s, the Moke was scrawny, lanky and wouldn't scare a squirrel off a street. Nowadays, our superheros are buffed and powerful, like the Countryman.

On the subject of bullishness, the Countryman earns this comment from its stout front end, tall rounded shoulders and overall compact size. It has 4 doors, an extended roofline and a hatch and so, it's a wagon. I win. And, it reminds me of a Pug puppy and so, yes, it's cute. There, I said it.

On board, the MINI drops cute for disco, funk and a little rock & roll. The centre console is loaded, much like those that attended Studio 54. There are toggle switches midway down for the windows and numerous other functions. Above, you'll find a MINI logo which doubles as the HVAC controls. Funky. Below are more buttons, this time controlling fog lights, stability control and the very important “Sport” mode. Rock & roll!


This small unassuming piece of plastic manipulates the Countryman’s full potential. It permits the mini-like 1.6L turbo 4-pot's 181 hp to be unleashed. Unleashed may be a bit much to describe the Countryman's go. In S ALL4 trim, the Countryman tips the scale at nearly 150 kg (330 lb) more than a Cooper S. Acceleration times remain brisk but not as snappy as a Cooper's.

Mending the gap betwixt the wheels and the engine is a chunky 6-speed manual gearbox. Its shifter's action is heavy and requires a firm hand to coax into each cog. After a day or two, the synchronization between brain, feet and right hand perfects and a real bowl-full of pleasure can be had.

Every German car offers up a spot-on driving position. ‘Tis the case here. The perches hug and hold the occupants in comfort, everything falls into place and in no time at all, all I ever wanted to do is go for a drive.

In a week's time, I covered close to 1,000 km. Impressively, and despite my best efforts at doing the opposite, the Countryman did very well at the pumps. In 60/40 highway/city driving, the car cared only for 9L of fuel per 100 km. A more reasonable person could probably knock off nearly 1L per 100 km.

It's not that I abused the MINI, it's just that when you yank on the wheel and the car tucks and rolls, you just want to keep doing it over and over again and, at a higher rate of speed. On the topic of T & R, the Countryman is, once again, not quite like a regular Cooper. Being taller, longer and heavier has its advantages, such as more head and legroom, but by the same token, weight transfers are further laboured and slower. Still good fun though.

Driving a MINI is always a blast. I had been looking forward to trying out the ALL4 all-wheel drive system but my luck ran out; spring got here before the car. The ALL4 system splits torque 50/50 front rear at all times, which is more effective in troublesome driving conditions than a conventional front-wheel biased AWD layout. As well, up to 100% of the power can be directed to the rear wheels. Given this, no surprise then that MINI is back in WRC.


On top of taut steering, strong brakes and a good overall feeling, the MINI is easy to see out of. The beltline is at a decent height and all windows are nearly vertical. In closing about the interior, I would have liked more storage spots to empty out pockets in. My road trip had phones, iPods, bottles, wallets and keys strewn all over the place including the back seat.

The Countryman should be a hit, at the very least, it should be a solid blip on the radar of those looking for a smallish versatile family car that stands out in a crowd with youthful appeal. Come to think of it, that's who nearly all manufacturers are aiming their new hip products at. Plus, this MINI can climb walls like a spider...

I love this quirky piece of German-British auto-motion. It may not be for everyone but the clever expansion of the MINI brand, although horrible to some, and the addition of more variants brings more attention and visibility to this make. It has rapidly become more pertinent as gas prices continue to soar and as consumers look to downsize. There's nothing boring in this showroom.

By the way, ever wonder why MINI is spelt in capital letters? Easy: Simply to differentiate it from the original Mini, not that anyone would confuse the two cars...