2025 MINI Countryman C Sport in British Racing Green
2025 MINI Countryman C Sport in British Racing Green
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MarkJS

Original Poster:

1,977 posts

165 months

Tuesday
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Our Volvo V40 D4 had been starting to throw up a few problems recently and my better half decided that she (reluctantly) wanted to replace it. The remit was that the replacement must not have a bigger footprint and that the boot be no smaller than the V40. It also had to be an automatic with a similarly high spec to the Volvo and preferably less than 6 months old. A car that snuck under the higher road tax threshold would also be a bonus. I was also keen to avoid Diesel this time. It sounded pretty easy and I started searching along with us both arranging test drives. Cars that were looked at & driven included:

Audi Q2
Audi Q3
VW Tiguan
Skoda Karoq
Cupra Formentor
Mercedes GLA
Kia Sportage
Volvo XC40
Renault 4
Renault Symbioz

All of the VAG contenders were dismissed mainly because they are all based on very old platforms now and they felt it. The Karoq ticked a lot of boxes but it felt like an awful lot of money for a pretty old car. The Kia was good but ultimately, the dimensions couldn’t be ignored. We thought the Volvo XC40 was relatively poor VFM – especially next to the XC60. The Renault 4 was excellent and we were very close to doing a deal on one but the lead time would have made things awkward and we ultimately decided that we weren’t really ready to make the move to electric.

The Mini had never really been on my radar at the beginning as I just thought it would be too small – even the Countryman. But I was wrong and it’s actually pretty bl**dly big, especially height-wise but the footprint is virtually the same as the Volvo. I’d obviously not really clicked that most cars are now trying to be SUV’s in one way or another.

So, the Mini has a lofty driving position and you don’t feel like you’re sitting an awful lot lower down when next to things like Range Rovers & X5’s etc at traffic lights. But despite its height, it still handles really well and its actually quite fun on twisty B roads. It has loads of grip as it has 245 section tyres all round on 19” wheels but the ride isn’t crashy at all – it’s way better than its predecessor which was on 18” wheels with less rubber.

This car is the lowly 3 cylinder 1.5 petrol version along with a tiny electric motor but it’s surprisingly brisk for what it is and it sounds pretty good as long as you don’t delve into the top end of the rev range. There is a bit of delay when stepping off at a junction which I think is exacerbated when the auto hold is engaged but you soon learn to drive around it. The Magna gearbox is quick and seamless and feels a bit like a DSG. I’m not keen on the toggle switch on the dash which is the drive selector but that’s probably just me. You can also use manual mode with the steering wheel paddles – if you pull the left hand paddle (boost), you get 10 seconds of extra performance with everything going a bit mental and the huge central screen turns into a countdown timer etc. There’s also different driving ‘experiences’. Go Kart mode changes the displays with different sounds etc and even has a G Force meter. It’s all very fun orientated – I noticed the other day that on the Power Meter, if you’ve lifted off or you’re coasting, a tiny spinning daisy appears. If you accelerate sharply, a tiny little rocket with flame appears.

Despite the fun side of things, it’s a very refined & grown up car to live with – possibly even quieter than my 440 at motorway speeds. It’s also very grown up in terms of practicality with the rear seating area/space being pretty massive and plenty of storage everywhere.

As usual, virtually everything being buried within a screen is annoying/frustrating but I’m starting to find that voice control/hey Mini gets you to most things so that’s getting easier. But it’s still a shame that things have gone that way. I also hate the ‘logging in with your profile’ set up.

This car has the Level 2 pack which gives you HUD but instead of this being projected onto the inside of the windscreen, another little screen appears from the dashboard in the driver’s line of sight and retracts when not in use. This of course means that you’re not constantly looking at the central screen as impressive as it is. Theres also a 12 speaker Harman Kardon system within the pack which sounds really good along with a fully opening panoramic roof.

Some of the other tech is pretty impressive like the adaptive cruise control which also has a steering function above a certain speed. You also get corner severity information & a parking assistant etc.

The car puts on an impressive exterior light display at night when you unlock it (front & back) and also projects a huge Mini logo onto the pavement as you approach. This maybe sounds very gimmicky but there are lots of neat little touches & it also feels like a lot of thought has gone into the design of the car (apart from virtually everything being controlled through the screen of course…).

I also appreciate that the looks of the latest Mini family are quite challenging but it’s growing on me

Overall, despite some foibles, we’re really liking it so far.








limpsfield

6,383 posts

271 months

Tuesday
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I never really liked these in the beginning as I thought they looked a bit ungainly, but I do think the latest shape is well resolved, and that is a fantastic colour!

Look forward to the updates.

MarkJS

Original Poster:

1,977 posts

165 months

Yesterday (13:06)
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limpsfield said:
I do think the latest shape is well resolved, and that is a fantastic colour!

Look forward to the updates.
Thank you. It really was the only colour to go for and I think it really suits the car (and being a Mini etc).