MINI Countryman – Cooper & Cooper S tested
BMW’s management of the MINI brand can only be described as a massive success. While accusations of the modern MINI being a fashion accessory is difficult to argue against, the BMW Group’s engineering prowess has also ensured that actual substance is injected under that cutesy shell.
The MINI’s potent combination of a trendy image with potent driving dynamics ensures its simultaneous popularity amongst enthusiasts as well as trend chasers. With such a strong brand image to build upon, no manufacturer worth its weight in gold will be content with just a single model in its lineup to milk profits.
With such overwhelming success, the natural progression for the MINI brand was to grow its product line-up. First attempt was the MINI Cabriolet, followed by the Clubman. The latest attempt is the Countryman, the first MINI with all-wheel drive and four-doors. Essentially MINI’s version of a crossover SUV, the new model has just made its official entry into the Malaysian market.
To experience what the new car is made of, we recently embarked on a two-day getaway from the Klang Valley to Penang and back.
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| Cooper S Countryman crossing the Penang Bridge. |
Opening Impressions
Outwardly, the Countryman looks simply like an inflated MINI blow-up doll. The brotherly resemblance is unmistakable, and the same proportions are maintained, albeit in a slightly bigger scale to fit a bigger footprint. Crucially, however, the expanded waistline did not make the Countryman appear bloated or ungainly to this writer’s eyes.
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| Countryman essentially carries enlarged proportions of the MINI |
That resemblance continues inside, where the cabin is carbon copied from the MINI with its strong motif of circles – large central speedometer flanked by two circular air-con vents and steering column-mounted tachometer among the obvious carry-over cues. Certain elements of its ergonomics, however, are questionable, with some crucial controls not particularly intuitive to use.
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| Questionable placement of some pretty crucial switches. |
Locating controls for the foglights, traction control, and Sport mode right near the foot of the dashboard is a bizarre move and complicated access to them when a standard mineral water bottle occupies the cup holder. The unlabeled gear shift paddles utilize a setup similar to the one favoured by Mazda, pulling either paddle to upshift, and pushing to downshift. BMW cars so equipped use the more intuitive left-paddle-downshift / right-paddle-upshift setup; one wonders why didn’t they raid the parts bin for this one.
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| Steering column-mounted tacho. Gear shift paddles not intuitive to use. |
A much-touted feature of the Countryman’s cabin is its Centre Rail which occupies the traditional position of the centre console. A variety of storage compartments and accessories can be mounted on the rail and freely slide along its path. In some markets, but not ours, the Centre Rail stretches all the way to the back, making the Countryman a pure four-seater.
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| Centre Rail is the cabin’s main party piece. |
Test Route
Our two-day getaway with the Countryman started off in the Klang Valley heading up to Cameron Highlands for lunch and then off to Batu Ferringhi, Penang, where we spent the night before heading home the next day. The test route featured an even mix of highway and trunk road driving.
The convoy consisted of five Countryman test cars – one unit of the Cooper and the rest being units of the more powerful Cooper S. None of the test cars were fitted with any optional extras, which consist of only the panoramic glass roof (RM9,988) and MINI Connected entertainment package (RM14,988).
Journalists were paired two to a car and rotated amongst all five cars. My drive partner, Mr Daniel Fernandez of Asian Auto, and I started off with the Cooper Countryman…
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| Our convoy of Countrymen journeying along some of our most beautiful backroads. |
Cooper Countryman
Based on our experience in attending multiple-car media drives, it is always a good idea to start your day off in the least powerful car and work your way up. The tamer Cooper Countryman that we started our day in can be yours at RM248,888 before insurance, and that money gets you the naturally aspirated version of the 1.6-litre BMW-PSA Prince engine.
Here in the Cooper, the engine’s rated output is a modest 120hp @ 6,000rpm and 160Nm @ 4,250rpm, an identical state of tune with its application in the Peugeot 308 VTi. It is front wheel driven, with a 6-speed automatic transmission tasked to send engine power to the forward axle.
Its kerb weight of 1,295kg is comparable to Japanese C-segment sedans of similar power, so the Cooper does not feel underpowered; not unless you’re trying to keep up with four turbocharged Cooper S test cars which enjoy not only a substantial output advantage, but also boast the added traction of all-wheel drive. Serious motivation from the driver allows the Cooper to hang on to the S’ coat tail, but only just.
While there’s a sizable performance gap between the Cooper and Cooper S, visual differentiation between the two are a bit more subtle. Externally, the Cooper gets smaller rims, a less aggressive grille, and one tailpipe less. Inside, the Cooper receives most of the Cooper S’ toys, with Dynamic Traction Control and MINI’s ALL4 all-wheel drive being the only omitted items of note.
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| MINI Cooper Countryman |
Cooper S Countryman
Jumping from the Cooper to the Cooper S, the latter’s added urge was immediately felt even when taking off from standstill, as we were swept along in its relentless wave of torque. There is actually a slight lag when you mash the throttle, but once the turbo gets on song, the Cooper S gathers pace with unerring ease. It was also remarkably economical; trip computers of the Cooper S test cars were all showing between 10 and 11 l/100km despite hard trunk road driving.
The Prince engine once again occupies the engine room up front, but armed with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection, the 1,598cc motor now serves up a beefy 240Nm of torque from 1,600 to 5,000rpm. An overboost facility enables momentary access to 260Nm between 1,700 and 4,500rpm. Full power of 181hp is produced at 5,500rpm. Like the Cooper, the S similarly gets a 6-speed auto transmission, but with slightly revised ratios.
Its suspension setup is also noticeably stiffer than the Cooper’s, which turns out to be a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it sweeps corners with greater poise and confidence, though we might also attribute this to the all-wheel drive system; but on the other hand, it also makes the Cooper S ride feel a little bit more jittery, as it gets a little upset with less than perfect surfaces.
We had a chance to blast the Cooper S on a light off-road course at the end of the media drive. It was a ‘rally challenge’ of sorts designed to simultaneously demonstrate that the Countryman goes a bit further than the urban jungle and afford us some fun before parting ways. Here, we found the Countryman’s suspension and all-wheel drive system up for the task, but its traction control was less than hesitant in stopping our fun.
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| Stickers remind us of MINI’s return to the WRC |
Verdict
Those not needing the Cooper S’ performance advantage should find the Cooper Countryman quite satisfactory, as it already has a half-decent turn of pace, well-sorted dynamics, and crucially, a minimal deficit in equipment against its more expensive sibling – the Cooper S Countryman. With a price of RM285,888 before insurance for the S, the maths add up as such – 61hp, 80Nm, AWD, Dynamic Traction Control, and one extra inch on the rims for an additional RM37k.
As a concept, the Countryman goes against everything the original Mini designed by Sir Alec Issigonis stood for – a compact and space-effective package. However, being a four-door and boasting comparable luggage and passenger volume to a C-segment hatchback, the Countryman allows MINI fans to extend their affiliation with the brand even as they take on family commitments. Most importantly, however, the MINI’s renowned fun-to-drive nature remains undiluted in this grown-up package.
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