The original MINI was released in the 60s’ at it was driven and loved by everyone. Each member of The Beatles had their own MINI.
However, people needed a more practical car, with 5 doors. That’s what also happened in 2010 when BMW decided that it was time to enlarge a the mini car.
The Mini Cooper Countryman was rather a small crossover in direct competition with the Nissan Qashqai.
The dimensions were changed, the Country Man being 10cm wider and 15cm taller, becoming the biggest model Mini ever released.
The Countryman was safer, more spacious and great on longer distances. It kept the Mini’s driving feel with the quick steering and instant feedback.
The perfect 50-50 distribution front to rear made a well-balanced crossover that did well in turns - not as well as the 3-door Mini, but close.
The exterior design was minimal, while everything has been upscaled. The wheels were pushed out to the extremities for better handling.
The Countryman offered a variety of diesel and petrol engines that were mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
The interior design was pretty much the same as the standard Mini, with the chrome tipped switches all clustered together. The center of the dashboard was occupied by a color screen on which you could check several information.
Space wise, the rear seats could easily accommodate grown ups - a rear bench was also available. The reclining rear seats were a plus for the passengers or the trunk space.
Through the middle of the rear seats, an optional centre rail was available, where items could be clipped.
The trunk was double the size of the Mini and the rear seats were also foldable, thus the load area could be increased.
Safety wise, the Countryman was equipped with ESP, 6 airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system and others.
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