2017 MINI Countryman Review

Powering the base front-wheel-drive Cooper trim is a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine (134 horsepower, 162 pound-feet of torque) matched to your choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. On the all-wheel-drive Countryman All4, the automatic transmission has eight speeds.

You get a lot of features with the Countryman, including 17-inch wheels, summer performance tires, automatic wipers, heated mirrors, a heated windshield wiper system, roof rails, a panoramic sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, adjustable driving modes, height-adjustable front seats, 40/20/40-split rear seats, faux leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, ambient lighting, Bluetooth, a 6.5-inch display screen and a six-speaker audio system.

Our pick is the Cooper S, though. It has a peppy turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (189 hp, 207 lb-ft) mated to a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic. It also gets 18-inch wheels, LED headlights and foglights, and heated front sport seats. All-wheel drive is optional.

Though both Cooper and Cooper S typically draw from the same pool of options packages, the Sport package is unique to the Cooper. It includes the 18-inch wheels, LED headlights and foglights, and sport seats from the Cooper S, along with adaptive suspension dampers. The Cooper's Cold Weather package adds heated front seats and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Every other package can be outfitted to either model. For those looking for additional luxury and storage features, there's the Convenience package (rear armrest, vehicle alarm, cargo divider, and a choice between a cargo area flip-out seating cushion or spare tire) and Premium package (power-adjustable front seats, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, tinted glass and a hands-free power liftgate). The Technology package includes a wealth of upgrades, including an 8.8-inch touchscreen, navigation, a head-up display, wireless phone charging and an automated parallel parking system. The Fully Loaded package includes all four above packages plus satellite radio and the Cold Weather package.

If appearance-oriented upgrades are more your thing, the John Cooper Works Interior package includes a unique steering wheel, sport seats (if not already equipped), a black headliner and JCW-branded decorations, while the JCW Exterior package adds 18-inch wheels, a rear spoiler, additional stability control choices and aerodynamic modifications.

Many of the above options can be ordered separately. Additional stand-alone options include 19-inch wheels, all-season tires, leather upholstery, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters (automatic-equipped Cooper S models only), and exterior and interior styling modifications.