2026 MINI Countryman

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The Countryman's driving experience is a mixed bag of very good, average and not so great. Starting with its strong suits, we like the Countryman's sporty performance. Our Countryman S All4 test vehicle sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds at our test track. That's among the quickest extra-small SUVs we've tested. The brakes are strong for emergency stops, and the Countryman handles curves with confidence.

We're less thrilled with the Countryman's everyday drivability, however. In routine driving, it can be slow to respond or downshift when you push on the gas. Selecting a sportier drive mode makes the Mini too jumpy. Also, the Countryman has a firm ride, meaning you're going to feel every bump and rut on the road.

We do like the Countryman's advanced driver aids. Features like the blind-spot warning and lane keeping system worked well in our testing and weren't overly intrusive. When the car is left to its own devices on the highway, it can travel along for miles without any hiccups.

The all-wheel-drive Countryman S All4, which is what we tested, gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That's average for this size SUV and in line with the fuel economy of rivals like the Acura ADX or Mercedes-Benz GLA.

Interior comfort is good in Mini's largest model. Getting in and out of the Countryman is no problem, as headroom and legroom are plentiful. The cabin is insulated well from road and wind noise. The seats feel a bit firm, especially on longer drives — we'd like them to have more padding. That said, the Mini's door opening is large for its size, so installing a car seat in the back seat isn't too much trouble.

Mini has also worked to give the Countryman a distinctive look and feel. The center touchscreen is a circle, for example, and there's a twistable key-like control for the engine start rather than a pushbutton, as there is on most other cars. But that funky circular screen isn't very usable. Doing something simple, such as adjusting the climate settings, is an annoying multi-step process on the touchscreen that could be much easier if Mini just used regular physical buttons.

There's decent cargo space in the Countryman considering its size as an extra-small luxury SUV. The cargo area is taller and wider than that of some similar cars, making the Mini a better choice for large suitcases on a trip. There's even some useful underfloor storage in the cargo area for seldom-used items. But its small-item storage is a problem. The center console is laughably tiny, and there isn't a good place anywhere else for larger items.

Overall, tech features are excellent, but usability is a concern. The circular center touchscreen is distinctive and has sharp-looking graphics, and tech features are plentiful. But the circular design just doesn't integrate well with features originally meant to display as rectangles. For example, if you connect your phone using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the resulting display interface gets shrunk down to a small square that has to fit inside the circle.

The Mini Countryman S is a good value is you compare it to luxury rivals from BMW or Mercedes-Benz. It's powerful and offers most of the same premium features but for less money. Its distinctive, well-crafted interior also helps set it apart from Mini's more traditional-looking rivals. Build quality is good overall, with a nice selection of high-grade materials on the inside. The Countryman also offers a wide array of customization options, which aren't usually found at this price range. The four-year/50,000-mile warranty is average for the class.