AndyP & Lenore
5th October 2010, 11:23 PM
Lenore and I took a Countryman out for a wee shot yesterday.
TBH, we both expected not to like it. We thought there would be too much body roll, we thought the MINI go-cart handling would have gone and we thought it just wouldn't feel like a MINI.
What we found is that the Countryman is a paradox on many levels. There's been lots of comments on here about how fugly it is, and how "it's not a MINI" etc. And whilst I disagree with the "it's not a MINI" comments, I'm sort of on board with the ugly comments - it's by no means a pretty car. I think the extra grille facing you get with am "S" improves it a bit, but even still, it's a bit like giving Chucky a pair of Ray Ban's and saying... "There, he's cute now" It improves the look, but he'd still make small children cry. We had a ONE in Chilli red - a lot of red paint went into making this car - which sported a set of racing stripes over the bonnet and roof and a set of go faster stripes down the side. They may have broken up the all-red metalwork, but they didn't really make it go any faster.
The ONE engine may be suited to the hatch or convertible, but the countryman is just a bit too big a body and it tended to lumber a fair bit in the mid range. Pulling away it was nippy enough - especially if you stretched out the rev range a wee bit. But the car had only done 500 miles and eventually someone is going to own it so to be fair I didn't "drive it like I stole it".
But the handling is where we were most impressed. It's still a MINI. It still handles like a MINI. It still corners like a MINI and it still gives the MINI grin when you hurl the car round a corner and stick to the road in a way you really have no right doing in a 4X4. But, it wasn't a 4x4, it was just a big(ger) MINI as it wasn't an "All 4". Actually, I don't think All 4 is an option on a ONE anyway.
The Countryman certainly gave me a feeling that I was in a pretty commanding driving position, looking down onto the other drivers, very similar to what you feel in a "proper" 4x4, although not as pronounced as a Freelander 2 for example, it still felt like you were higher than other normal cars on the road. When you open the door to step out you're expecting an X5 style 3 foot jump to the ground, but when you swing your leg out you're likely to need physio for a few weeks, because the ground is actually "just there" and the jolt you get in your knee when you misjudge the distance is painful. It takes a bit of getting used to.
We took the car out round East Lothian for the afternoon and had a bit of fun driving a MINI that isn't a MINI, that sort of looks like MINI and is a MINI and handles like a MINI and feels like a MINI but shouldn't.
If we were to even think about one we'd be waiting until the more powerful engines come out (according to the dealership: first quarter 2011). The 2.0L Cooper S D in particular will no doubt pack a huge punch in this wee(big) car.
Many thanks to Peter Vardy in Edinburgh for throwing the keys at us and letting us take the car out for the afternoon.
Here's a wee pic...
http://www.motorsportphotographic.com/MINI/countryman_nms.jpg
TBH, we both expected not to like it. We thought there would be too much body roll, we thought the MINI go-cart handling would have gone and we thought it just wouldn't feel like a MINI.
What we found is that the Countryman is a paradox on many levels. There's been lots of comments on here about how fugly it is, and how "it's not a MINI" etc. And whilst I disagree with the "it's not a MINI" comments, I'm sort of on board with the ugly comments - it's by no means a pretty car. I think the extra grille facing you get with am "S" improves it a bit, but even still, it's a bit like giving Chucky a pair of Ray Ban's and saying... "There, he's cute now" It improves the look, but he'd still make small children cry. We had a ONE in Chilli red - a lot of red paint went into making this car - which sported a set of racing stripes over the bonnet and roof and a set of go faster stripes down the side. They may have broken up the all-red metalwork, but they didn't really make it go any faster.
The ONE engine may be suited to the hatch or convertible, but the countryman is just a bit too big a body and it tended to lumber a fair bit in the mid range. Pulling away it was nippy enough - especially if you stretched out the rev range a wee bit. But the car had only done 500 miles and eventually someone is going to own it so to be fair I didn't "drive it like I stole it".
But the handling is where we were most impressed. It's still a MINI. It still handles like a MINI. It still corners like a MINI and it still gives the MINI grin when you hurl the car round a corner and stick to the road in a way you really have no right doing in a 4X4. But, it wasn't a 4x4, it was just a big(ger) MINI as it wasn't an "All 4". Actually, I don't think All 4 is an option on a ONE anyway.
The Countryman certainly gave me a feeling that I was in a pretty commanding driving position, looking down onto the other drivers, very similar to what you feel in a "proper" 4x4, although not as pronounced as a Freelander 2 for example, it still felt like you were higher than other normal cars on the road. When you open the door to step out you're expecting an X5 style 3 foot jump to the ground, but when you swing your leg out you're likely to need physio for a few weeks, because the ground is actually "just there" and the jolt you get in your knee when you misjudge the distance is painful. It takes a bit of getting used to.
We took the car out round East Lothian for the afternoon and had a bit of fun driving a MINI that isn't a MINI, that sort of looks like MINI and is a MINI and handles like a MINI and feels like a MINI but shouldn't.
If we were to even think about one we'd be waiting until the more powerful engines come out (according to the dealership: first quarter 2011). The 2.0L Cooper S D in particular will no doubt pack a huge punch in this wee(big) car.
Many thanks to Peter Vardy in Edinburgh for throwing the keys at us and letting us take the car out for the afternoon.
Here's a wee pic...
http://www.motorsportphotographic.com/MINI/countryman_nms.jpg