Mini Countryman 2021 review: Cooper S LCI

Objective value judgements generally fly out the window when a Mini is involved. This brand is steeped in very specific nostalgia-fuelled ‘60s Carnaby Street-themed fashion sphere, and so is often purchased with the heart, not the head.

This is especially so in the Countryman’s case – which starts from $44,500 before on-road costs and any of the myriad personalisation options for the Cooper – since it is essentially the size of a $26,000 Kia Seltos, and sails well past $70,000 if the flagship John Cooper Works (JCW) pocket-rocket is requested.

With all this in mind, our muscled-up Cooper S automatic – kicking off from $52,900 but tested in loaded-up Signature guise with no added options from $58,200 before ORC ­– must instead be assessed against equally salubrious sporty small SUVs, where it actually starts making fiscal sense. These include the closely-related BMW X2 sDrive20i from $55,900, Audi Q3 40 TFSI quattro from $54,450, Jaguar E-Pace P250 R-Dynamic S from $63,900, Lexus UX200 F Sport from $55,750, Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 from $66,500 and Volvo XC40 T5 R-Design AWD from $56,990. A riches of choice.

Objective value judgements generally fly out the window when a Mini is involved.

This is a fertile hunting ground for the iconic Brit, and it must be said, the Countryman Cooper S Signature really makes a compelling case for itself when you dig further into its specs. 

For starters, being an ‘S’, it junks the normal Cooper’s 100kW/220Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo for a 141kW/280Nm 2.0-litre four-pot turbo, driving the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto. If you want an all-wheel drive Countryman, you’ll need to find $60,900 for the mouthful (and somebody’s future password) Cooper S E Classic ALL4 PHEV plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Or another $1K on top of that for the JCW Pure ALL4. Both smash the S for torque, FYI.

Even the cheapest Countrymen includes a powered tailgate, digital instrumentation, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay, digital radio, adaptive cruise control with stop/go, keyless entry/start, AEB with pedestrian detection, speed-limit display, traffic-sign recognition tech, a rear camera, sat-nav, dual-zone climate control, auto high beams, light-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, sliding/reclining rear seats (a rarity in this class) and auto parking with front and rear sensors.

The S adds a trio of driving modes (Green/eco, Mid/normal and Sport), forward collision warning and braking pre-conditioning, pleated-look leather trim, heated front seats, a JCW sports steering wheel, piano black interior trim, 18-inch alloys on run-flat tyres (so no spare) and – not least of all – heaps more oomph.

Even the cheapest Countryman includes digital instrumentation with Apple CarPlay.

Finally, selecting Signature for another $5300 (that’s 10 per cent of the total price, folks) doubles the number of colour choices (to eight) combined with four rather than a single (black) interior hue options, as well as a Nappa leather steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, illuminated interior trims, contrasting exterior mirrors, a Harman Kardon audio upgrade, electric front seat adjustment, a panoramic sunroof, heavier glass tinting, an alarm and those evocative 19-inch alloys dubbed ‘Turnstile Spoke’.

Unfortunately, for a Cooper S with adaptive dampers that promotes better ride comfort, you need to – rather ironically – choose the Sport Package from $59,700.

Our feeling is that Signature (in particular) is more in keeping with the spirit of Mini’s trend-setting personalisation capability, but it’s a mistake not being able to configure adaptive dampers only on the Cooper S’ Sport Package.

By the way, beneath that Mini styling is BMW’s UKL2 architecture that also underpins the X1 and X2 SUVs, as well as the latest front-drive/AWD 1 and 2 Series (coupe/convertible excepted).

If you’re an owner or a fan of the earliest Countrymen, you might ask what became of its novel/gimmicky front-to-rear rail system that allowed for options like an armrest, storage cubby or even sunglasses holders to be slid back and forth. Interesting in concept but cheap and tacky in practice, it was largely discarded by the R60’s 2014 facelift.

The F60 falls in no such trap. The twee cartoonish elements of previous BMW-era Minis are thankfully being diluted with each successive update. For 2021, a 5.5-inch digital cluster with a matt finish look takes over from the old analogue dials, for a more contemporary appearance. But don’t worry, post-modern traditionalists, rows of toggle switches have survived this round of cultural culling.

Speaking of culture, if British label Burberry stylised a Mini interior, then surely the Signature’s would be it.

As for the Countryman cabin basics, they’re as conventional and functional as any BMW-era Mini’s has been.

Pleated stitching, patterned textured dash trim, brushed metal door spears – it’s as opulent as it is garish if you decide to forego black for no-cost cream, caramel or (a personal favourite) blue.

As for the Countryman cabin basics, they’re as conventional and functional as any BMW-era Mini’s has been. Big doors open wide into an interior that’s cosy yet roomy, aided by lofty seating and deep windows providing ample light and airiness, backed up by a solidity to most touch points that corresponds with this Cooper S’ premium pricing.

While the multimedia system’s buttons look a little childish, they function beautifully – it’s basically BMW iDrive rebranded. The centre circle is actually a thin touchscreen with a narrow view of maps, multimedia and vehicle settings, but it’s colourful, configurable and of quality substance.

Both front and back have excellent seat comfort, support and adjustability.

Kudos, too, for excellent seat comfort, support and adjustability –both front and rear, since the 40:20:40 back bench splits, folds and slides for added versatility – as well as superb ventilation and heaps of storage options.

The view over the bulbous bonnet is redolent of classic-era Coopers too – a nice touch – as are the various toggle switchgear in the lower console and overhead ceiling areas.

But the upright windscreen pillars block vision out as mentioned earlier, the offside door mirror doesn’t seem to have a dip function to stop alloy kerbing, the Signature’s standard twin sunroof set-up (the forward bit opens) has a blind of insufficient sun-blocking capability, and for some people, the whole car’s solid, heavy feel and bulk are off-putting.

Further back, the 450-litre (VDA) bi-level boot layout makes for a deceptively big cargo area, and of course that’s expandable via those sliding and reclining rear seats, as well as a sizeable under-floor storage compartment. It’s all very pleasingly finished and presented as well.

A rock-solid cabin from Mini, then, and one worthy of the premium BMW charges. Because, as we’ll see a bit later on, everything other than what you can see is pure German.

The Cooper S employs BMW’s award-winning B48 1998cc 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo, and is part of a modular family of engines that also includes the B38 1.2 to 1.5-litre in-line three-cylinder and B58 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder petrol units. The diesel-powered alternatives of these are coded B47, B37 and B57 respectively.

It features an aluminium block and head, a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection, variable valve lift (Valvetronic) and variable valve timing (Double VANOS), to deliver 141kW of power at a heady 6000rpm and 280Nm of torque from just 1350rpm, right up to 4600rpm.

The Cooper S employs BMW’s award-winning B48 1998cc 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo.

In the Mini’s case, the B48 is mounted transversely, and drives the front wheels via a seven-speed DCT. Along with a floor shifter, there are paddle shifts mounted to the steering wheel.

Followers of the Countryman may notice that BMW ditched the excellent old eight-speed torque-converter automatic for the DCT in 2018. The main reason was that the latter transmission is considerably more efficient, resulting in lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions – vital in the carbon-tax-driven EU markets.

Running on 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, the Mini displayed an indicated 9.4L/100km, though at the pump we managed a more credible 8.6L/100km.

Such fuel economy justifies BMW’s move to a DCT, especially as much of this was driving in urban/heavy traffic scenarios – though there was also a bout of performance testing and fast rural-road driving, that tends to slurp the juice.

Still, officially, Mini says the combined average is 6.7L/100km, for a CO2 figure of 153g/km. Theoretically, with a 51-litre tank, that would give the Cooper S a range of over 760km.

Not bad for a hot-performing small-SUV – as you shall see.

Like BMW and Audi, Mini offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which trails Mercedes-Benz’s five-year item and is well behind the industry-best seven-year unconditional warranty pioneered by Kia.

Additionally, the car tells the owner/driver when it needs servicing, meaning it is condition-based rather than time-based scheduling. In the UK, it is generally recommended every 12 months or 10,000km is a good rule of thumb, just to be safe.

Owners can also purchase up-front a five-year/80,000km service plan to help save money. This is structured as either a ‘Basic Cover’ or ‘Plus Cover’. The former costs $1595 and includes oil top-up, replacing filters, fluids, spark plugs and such, while the latter at $4155 adds the renewal of brake discs and pads, hoses, wiper blades and clutch disc and plate and other perishables.