We review the Mini Cooper Countryman from price to economy and all its features

Rob Gill

Published: 14:41, 1 Oct 2016
Updated: 11:59, 8 Feb 2017

YOU go to McDonald's and they want you to "go large".

All the service station crisps are "grab bags". KitKats are the size of house bricks.

Now Mini, famed for being compact and small, is going the same way.

There's nothing mini about the new Mini Countryman. Nothing at all. It's now just a gnat's whisker off a Nissan Qashqai.

Put one next to an original Mini and it's a whopping 125cm longer and 21cm taller. Even compared to the current Countryman, it is 20cm longer. Size matters, darlings. Everyone wants a crossover/ SUV. And this Mini has slept in a grow bag.

But I must confess I like it. Unlike the Fiat 500L. That was designed in the dark and looks nothing like the 500.

Whereas this super-sized Countryman still has the Mini DNA.

Yes, it's a rugged looking thing — highriding, with five full-sized seats and a bigger boot than the Qashqai. It also comes in 4WD and can tow up to 1,800kg. But it's still a Mini at heart.

The Countryman arrives in February, priced from £22,465.

That's something else that's been pumped up. The price.

It's nearly £4,000 more than the current Countryman. But Mini argues it has "moved up" a level — meaning it's posher and has more free kit.

It sits between the Audi Q2 and Q3. New options include an 8.8in touchscreen, wireless phone charger, sliding rear seats and a fold-out picnic bench in the boot.

Another Mini first is the plug-in hybrid returning up to 134mpg — yep, 134mpg — with just 49g/km CO2.

It uses tech from BMW's i range. The petrol/electric motor has a total output of 224hp and can do 25 miles and up to 78mph on pure electric. There's a "save battery" mode for zero-emission driving in the city and it can be charged with a household socket in three hours and 15 minutes — less with a wallbox.