2011 MINI Countryman Cooper S AWD - First Drive

Man, a Country Mini!

Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel
Amsterdam Bureau After my first get together with the Mini Countryman at the Wachauring in Austria in May (Story Here), the driving event that Mini organized for the new crossover vehicle still had to answer many questions. How does it look and behave in normal traffic? Would it be dynamic? Wouldn’t it be too big? And…would it turn heads?

When you see a car on a show floor, in the spotlights, there is not much reference. That also was the case at the test track in Austria, were the only cars in sight were Countrymen. Of course, the Mini crossover is big, larger than a Mini One, larger than a Clubman, but compared to other cars in the street…? The first driving impression we were making in Hamburg and surroundings meant the first outing of the Countryman in a real live environment.

We started from the hotel and walked to the curb, where the Countryman was parked behind a Mercedes E Class T-model taxi. “Boy, that really looks big,” I heard myself say. With 161.5 in. it is 2.6 feet

shorter than the E Class. Admitted, when you have to go on a diet, never wear white. But the Benz was in light vanilla, not in a dark colour either. It must be the boxy design, the respectable height of 61.4 in. that causes the optical illusion.

Contest on the Web
In Austria, we already noticed what a big step the Countryman was for Mini, with lots of head room and more shoulder room offering serious space for four grown ups, with also 12.4 cu.ft of luggage space, exactly the same as of a Volkswagen Golf. When you fold the rear seats flat, there is a volume of 41.3 cu.ft. so it is possible to haul lots of Ikea boxed or some surf boards.. Five people can also be seated by ordering a rear bench that can be split 40/60 and consequently leaving out the center rail in the rear. On that real stuff like a spectacle-cases, cup- or iPhone-holders can be clicked and moved back and forth.

The Countryman has another quality of the classical crossover, the raised seating position, that many people love in order to have a better view on the road ahead. Mini has organized a contest for the Mini Community, a portal for Mini fans on the internet, for the best idea for something, anything, to be placed on the center rail. The winner will be presented at the Paris auto show, starting October 2.

The rear seats, I should not forget to mention can be moved over 5 in. to create more leg room, or more luggage space, or to have the kids sitting closer by mom when she is driving.

The Countryman certainly will find a group of customers who have outgrown the Mini One or the Clubman, of attract people who love the Countryman for its different lifestyle qualities and bold looks, especially the aggressive nose of the Cooper S.

Nothing wrong

The extra weight of the Countryman cannot be ignored. The All4 puts 3042 lbs on the scale and the Mini One only 2281 lbs, a difference of 761 lbs. You feel it when you drive the Cooper S All4. The car is not as agile as the One, does not have the total kart-like feeling. But do not take me wrong, it feels sporty indeed. With a higher center of gravity it speaks for itself that there is more body roll when you go through bends on higher speeds. But with direct steering and good stability and the more than lively engine, the Mini-feel is there. Although the Countryman is not developed for off-road driving, it can handle unpaved roads. The ground clearance of nearly six inches will not take the Countryman through deep puddles, but it can handle sandy, soaked roads.

Mini’s all-wheel-drive system simply offers good traction under all circumstances. All 4 normally drives the front and rear wheels 50/50 and fully variable sends torque to the rear wheels, if needed up to 100 per cent. It changes quickly according to the surface and you hardly notice. When entering a fast bend you have to lift the throttle, the All4 changes into front wheel drive. That makes way you can also drift a bit by braking and pushing the throttle. But that is not what the ‘CountryMini’ is meant for, although it looks nice in pictures…!

The only thing that put my colleague and me on the wrong foot was the Start/stop system. On our route through Hamburg and through the villages in the neighbourhood, the engine never stopped when we waited before a red traffic light. Until we noticed.. was there something wrong? Not really, the heat wave that also hit Hamburg that day caused the thermometer rising to nearly a hundred degrees. Then the engine has to keep running in order to be cooled, and there is also energy needed for the airco. Fair enough! But it’s something you might want to know.

Most efficient
The Countryman will arrive on the European markets on September 18 and in North America in January 2011, with a choice of the three gasoline engines, the 98 hp 1.6-unit in the One, the 122 hp in the Cooper and the 184 hp 1.6L twin-scroll turbocharged I-4 turbo in the Cooper S. Dr. Klaus Draeger, member of BMW’s board says that the turbo-engine is the most efficient in its class, with a fuel efficiency of 6.1 liter per 100 km in the Euro cycle, comparable with 38.4 mpg. The two diesel engines with 90 and 112 hp respectively will be available as One D and Cooper D. The Cooper S and Cooper D can also be ordered with ALL4, all-wheel-drive.

In Germany the Cooper S All4 has a price of 27.900 and I think the dollar price will be over 40,000. But please wait for the first week of October, then Mini will announce pricing of its Countryman models.