TEST: MINI Countryman ONE Essential Trim: The biggest among the smallest

The Mini wouldn't be a Mini if ​​it were normal. That's why it's clearly different from practically all its competitors.     

Base price: 31.950 €
Price of the test vehicle: €36.445 (configurator)

Countryman literally means country man. And although, with the exception of the "Terrain" driving program and a slightly higher ground clearance, there is nothing rural about it, there is something true about this name. With a length of 4,43 meters, a width of 1,84 meters and a height of 1,65 meters, it has finally shaken off the label of smallness, sharing the architecture under the sheet metal – now traditionally – with its Bavarian relative, the BMW X1. In terms of design, it moves away from traditional curves and focuses on sharper, distinctly angular features, dominated by the new octagonal grille at the front. In the entry-level Essential equipment package, the exterior is more restrained and free of unnecessary decorations, which gives it a pleasantly clean and almost robust appearance.

The interior is very similar to other Mini models, but at the same time it is different from practically all other cars in this segment. The credit for this can be attributed to the round OLED screen of the infotainment interface, which measures 9,4 inches diagonally. It impresses with its design, graphics and responsiveness, but the interface itself is a bit too crowded. If you do not pay extra for the projection screen, it also plays the role of gauges - there is no screen behind the steering wheel. Since we tasted almost the completely basic Countryman this time, the dashboard is covered in soft plastic instead of fabric, and the steering wheel is left without perforated leather and the third spoke, which is made of fabric on better-equipped models. The seats, which are leather on better-equipped models and even have massage for the driver, are also covered in simple gray fabric here, which I do not blame, but many people will be bothered by the fact that they do not offer lumbar support adjustments. Despite all this, the Countryman has one of the most interesting interiors in its segment – ​​and it should, since it still has a Mini badge on the steering wheel.

Under the hood is a 1,5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine that, with the help of a turbocharger, develops 90 kW (122 “horses”) of power and 230 Nm of torque. Intuition tells us that this is a rather modest figure for an SUV that weighs more than one and a half tons – and this time it does not deceive us. When you are behind the wheel alone, you will accelerate to hundreds in the Countryman One in 10,5 seconds, if you have passengers and luggage with you, then another second or two more. These are just numbers, however – in practice, this means that you will have to move the accelerator pedal quite a lot, and as a result, the engine will be quite loud during acceleration. However, we must admit to the BMW engineers responsible for the development of this engine that its running is much quieter than other three-cylinder engines, and at the same time, the frequency of its sound is not so annoying – in fact, in the era of electrification, it is quite pleasant. Consumption? Around seven liters per hundred kilometers.

Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, which could use a little more responsiveness, and at the same time, the transmission, with its rather long 7th gear, is responsible for keeping the engine noise at highway speeds moderate despite the underpowered engine. However, we were bothered by the engine shaking and throttling that is present when crawling due to the lack of torque. This phenomenon increases with the car's load, and the use of the Auto-hold function greatly limits it. But the problem remains.

One of Mini's trademarks is the go-kart feel behind the wheel. However, since the Countryman is quite large and heavy for a Mini, the driving experience had to be adjusted to this somewhat. For example, the chassis is set softer than expected, but at the same time it is stiff enough to bring out the dynamic character of the brand even in their least sporty model, and due to its setting it can pick up any irregularities in the road quite roughly. The road holding is very good for an SUV, the car follows the set path perfectly, although the lateral body tilt is still present. Compared to other models of the brand, the steering is also quite different, no longer reminiscent of a go-kart, but is very communicative, precise and pleasantly weighted.

The Countryman has many advantages. However, if you ask me, its main advantages are spaciousness and usability. Let's start with the trunk, which is quite large with 505 liters of capacity considering the external dimensions, but at the same time, you can fill this volume well thanks to the correct shape of the trunk. If your passengers are small children who do not require much legroom, this space can be further increased thanks to the sliding rear bench. Speaking of the rear bench - there is more than enough space for adult passengers, and during the test we easily sat down there even three adults, who survived the several-hour drive there without any problems.

When we draw a line under it all, we come to the conclusion that the Countryman actually represents a combination of assets that we rarely see in the modern world of motoring. It is a car that is versatile for families, can also decently drive through bends and is interesting enough to stand out in a segment of otherwise rather generic cars. On top of that, you can drive over a curb or on less demanding off-road roads without stress. If you are interested in buying a Countryman and your terrain extends beyond city streets, I highly recommend that you choose another engine instead of the basic one - the Countryman has many of them, from the most basic three-cylinder to the supercharged 300-horsepower JCW model. There are also diesel and electric versions. The choice is yours.