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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
And they should be. Here in Canada Mini sold 2,018 Cooper Countryman models in 2014, resulting in the model’s second best year. It didn’t miss toppling its old record by much either, 2013’s Countryman sales the highest on record at 2,067 units, while 2012’s deliveries reached 1,731 and 2011 the lowest at 1,563, not unusual for an all-new model’s first year. If you compare its success to the regular Mini Cooper it doesn’t look quite as popular at first glance, that model selling 3,365 units last year, but what the Cooper sales statistic doesn’t tell you is that all models based on the new three door hatchback, and even those still running on the
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Changes for this latest model year include a new chrome strikethrough across the grille, classy new satin-silver underride guard elements on the front apron, side sills and rear apron (I really like these), new exterior paint finishes in Jungle Green metallic, Starlight Blue metallic and my tester’s Midnight Grey metallic, plus new optional contrasting colours for the roof and exterior mirror caps, bonnet stripes, sport stripes and a new piano black exterior upgrade. Other than the chrome strip across the grille and underride guards I needed to look more than twice to notice the other modifications, the supposed new alloys wheels that Mini’s global press release spoke of looking identical to the 17-inch five-star double-spoke
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
In last year’s review I dubbed it Mini XXL, and while it’s large by Mini standards the Countryman is still diminutive within the compact CUV class. It spans 4,108 mm (161.7 inches) from nose to tail, which makes it the shortest CUV on the market. It’s even more condensed than Nissan’s oddball Juke, Fiat’s even quirkier 500L, GM’s Buick Encore and Chevy Trax twins, Jeep’s new Fiat-based Renegade and the upcoming Fiat 500X that shares the Renegade’s underpinnings. Compared to a regular compact CUV like the Honda CR-V, the Countryman is downright exiguous
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
It looks great in new Midnight Grey metallic, an understated yet classically sporty shade. The white hood stripes on bright True Blue metallic paint covering last year’s Cooper S Countryman ALL4 tester might have pulled more eyeballs, but that’s not necessarily a good thing when trying to fly under the radar with something as fun to drive as the Countryman. To be clear, all Countryman trims are
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The 2015 Cooper S Countryman ALL4’s engine hasn’t changed one iota from last year’s mill, which while not as rip-snortin’ fun as the new upgraded 3 and 5 Door Cooper S four-pot mill it’s nevertheless an exciting little engine, the direct-injected and twin-scroll turbocharged 1.6-litre four producing a satisfying 181 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, not to mention up to 192 lb-ft of twist on overboost. An exuberant
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
All these numbers in mind, I’m going to go out on a limb while taking a stab in the dark by guessing most Countryman buyers don’t have straight-line performance as their collective key goal, but quite possibly will be more interested in the 12 digits and six decimals that followed. After all, if you’re buying a Countryman there’s a reasonable chance you’re trading in something smaller like a Cooper 3 Door in order to make more space for an expanding family, or at the very least you have plans to stick a larger paddleboard on top while packing more of your “active lifestyle” gear in the back. In other words, getting off the line quickly probably doesn’t matter as much to you now as it did in years’ past, as long as you’re
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
This is where Minis shine, no matter the model. Put the Countryman up against any compact CUV competitor on any stretch of serpentine roadway and it’ll make you proud while leaving a grin plastered across your face. Such was the case with my Cooper S ALL4 tester, not that I was foolish enough to race it. Just the same I enjoyed every minute behind the wheel, whether weaving my way along a mountainside road or zipping in and out of heavy downtown traffic, it’s the go-kart of SUVs yet it’s absolutely rock stable on the freeway too, easily capable of ramping up long comfortable road trip miles to wherever life’s highways take you, your partner, and whoever or whatever you stuff in behind.
Stuff
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
That’s the best spot to view the entire instrument panel, mind you, which is mostly unchanged yet still a feast for the eyes. Mini talks about “refined details” and “optimized acoustic comfort”, and of course we all appreciate a bit of the good life, but the line “reinforced premium characteristics” tells the tale best. Reinforced is one of those words marketing folks like to use when telling us the vehicle they’re pitching hasn’t changed much at all, like “proven”. Again, this wasn’t
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Yes, nobody does details like Mini, the rest of the cabin kitted out with retro-chic chromed toggle switches, pod-like analog instrumentation that can now be had with dark grey dials to match optional piano black lacquer accents, all surrounded by premium-level soft-touch synthetic surfaces just about everywhere. The Countryman, like all Minis, comes pretty close to upper crust luxury status, with fewer hard plastic surfaces than most competitors, although the dash top-mounted
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The Countryman doesn’t include cloth-wrapped pillars, however, a bit of a disappointment for a car that does everything else so well, while the sides of the centre stack and lower console are made up of a harder plastic. Of course the armrests are padded and soft to the touch, as is the substantive parking brake’s handle.
Now that the base Countryman wears a red “S” badge (or more specifically four of them) its standard equipment list is even more generous than last year’s entry-level
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
My tester was fitted with a nice complement of options, starting with black mirror caps and roof at no additional charge, the aforementioned $1,400 automatic transmission with paddle shifters, the $1,450 Essentials Package that includes LED fog lamps, heated front seats, a panoramic glass sunroof, and a button for sport mode; the $1,150 Loaded Package that adds white turn signals, proximity sensing keyless
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
You can add yet more extras if so inclined, a $550 Style Package with Chrome Line and Piano Black enhancing both exterior and interior trims, or the $2,900 JCW
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
There are so many options that it’s unlikely you’ll ever see an identical Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 pulling up beside you, especially when factoring in its 11 exterior colour choices, myriad wheel styles and sizes, various stripes for the hood and sides, optional decals for the mirror caps and roof, and much more, the ability to customize seeming endless.
While some might have been looking for more from Mini in this fifth-year mid-cycle makeover, the Countryman remains a totally unique and particularly wonderful offering in its ever-burgeoning subcompact crossover segment, and will likely continue to enjoy strong sales.
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