So, after reading the posts on here regarding Mini Countryman I went and had a test drive yesterday. I’m due to put my order in for a Volvo XC40 this week, but the Mini was ‘on the list’ before it was taken away, so I thought why not have a go? So here’s what I thought, obviously only personal opinion ?.
Dealer was very accommodating with test drives. At short notice provided me with a spec very similar to the one I was most interested in and let me have it for 3 hrs. Car was the outgoing model because they don’t have any of the new ones yet, and was a countryman sport cooper s, with a comfort pack. It was in the standard Mini colour of light grey, with black alloys, and looked really good. As with the Volvo the height was ok for me at 5’10” but the seat needed to be back to allow me to park my bum and then swing my legs around. I think I’d want electric seats if it were my own car, and that’s not a cheap option on a mini! The sport model had no lumbar support on the front seats (there is an option as noted by Noel, in that if you choose the exclusive trim level or spec leather seats in the sport you get manual lumbar. I had a seat in one that had this, and whilst it was more comfortable I couldn’t reach the manual control as it was quite high on the interior edge of the seats), but other than that they were comfy and supportive. They have a moveable front seat cushion so you can get it right under your knees for support.
The interior of the car is really nice! It didn’t feel like ‘cheap bmw’ at all. Very premium feel to it. I’ve watched too many CarWow YouTube reviews to not test the scratchy plastics and it passed my test ?. The infotainment set up was easy, and has a rotary dial for control down where a handbrake used to be, a Minified version of the BMW iDrive. Works so well, why don’t all manufacturers do this!? And while they’re at it, they can return the knobs for climate control! The Mini also has these ?. In comparison to the Volvo, it felt slightly off the pace in terms of quality, but redeemed itself with ease of use. The hifi is fine quality wise, but not as good as the Volvo. Apple CarPlay is now standard too.
I drove around 30 miles in the car, using various road types. In the right mode this car was properly fast (the 192bhp version), and the auto gearbox was good (but I felt the character of the engine would suit a manual better). The steering is fantastic when you’re giving a B road some stick, but less so on the motorway where that really direct nature made me feel like I was constantly having to make tiny corrections. Where I really didn’t get on with this car was the suspension set up. Whilst I concede it would be great for some, and whilst it makes the car handle like a proper go kart, it just wasn’t comfortable enough for me. I used the same test roads I’d done the Volvo in and it was substantially harder. On returning to the dealer we had a talk about this and the Cooper S and Cooper D models all come with this suspension, you have to move to a Cooper to get softer set ups, or add adaptive damping at significant cost. The cooper drops the bhp into the 130’s and I’d prefer more just for easier overtaking.
So, in summary, a design masterpiece that makes you feel like you’re having fun before you even get in. Fabulous looks, great spec, easy enough to get in for those of limited mobility, and of course BRG! Who doesn’t love a bit of British Racing Green? Not for me, but for others I can definitely see the appeal!
One final note. When back at the dealers we discussed pricing. The numbers used by the dealers to order are changing, currently they begin with a 6 and the new models will begin with an 8. The dealer can no longer order with a 6 which is how they all appear on the motability site. She said that they had been advised of a £500 increase across the board when this new number system is released (imminent apparently). I questioned whether the increase had already been applied as that makes sense when considering the price rise when it reappeared, but she didn’t know and couldn’t find out. I won’t be progressing with a mini, but if you are this might be worth checking. Personally I think Mini has its wires crossed a bit, their configuration tool on line shows the new bits of kit but still shows 192bhp for the Cooper S! So I think they’re mid change and it’ll even out over the next week or two, and I think that price hike is already on there. Hope so ?