Mini Countryman 2019 review: Cooper S

It has all the signature styling of a Mini - the racing stripe, the two-tone roof, the circular lights and fun exterior. It’s bigger, obviously, but hardly looks bigger from the outside. It’s still cute and stylish, though kind of bloated. But it works.

Inside, too, is designed with all the features you’d expect from a Mini. Everything from the circular frame around the touchscreen, which lights up like a rainbow (and amused the children), to the very cool and tactile start-stop button and the circular door handles which feel as great to open as they are to look at.

There are a few things which aren’t exactly the same, and I wish they were - rounded rectangular air vents instead of circular - but that’s a tiny thing on an otherwise well-designed car.

In the Countryman Cooper S you’ll get leather seats with a lovely suede trim, a leather steering wheel and gearshift, plus the old school speedometer is supported by a head-up display in the windscreen which shows your speed in comparison to the speed limit.

My car also had a large sunroof optioned in, which really lets in the light through the whole car.

I tested the Mini Cooper hatch a few weeks ago and found it such a fun car to drive, I loved it.

The Countryman Cooper S is almost as much fun - for a bigger car Mini has really worked on keeping the same feeling while driving.

It has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine which gets up hills really quickly and takes off fast from a starting position.

It has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine which gets up hills really quickly.

It hugs the corners nicely, handles really well and the steering is great. The car is agile so you can weave in and out of traffic if you need to.

It felt great to drive and made me feel confident whether in the city or out on the highways.

Parking is good because even though it’s an SUV and you’re higher off the ground, it’s not very long so you can fit easily into parks.

There’s a clear, high-definition reverse parking camera and it also has park assist, which means it will parallel park itself if you get really stuck.

There are some cool features on the Mini Countryman Cooper S: the boot opens and closes with a touch of the button on the keys. Plus, the rear seats move backward and forward so you can customise your space.

The boot opens and closes with a touch of the button on the keys.

There are two cupholders in the front, a spot to throw keys and a phone, bottle holders in each of the doors, a wireless phone charger (if your phone is compatible) and a centre storage unit.

Rear passengers get two cupholders in the centre armrest, pockets on the back of the front doors and their own air vents, which my girls are always happy about.

You’ll get six airbags, plus a bunch of advanced safety equipment comes standard, like auto emergency braking (with pedestrian detection) and adaptive cruise control.

There are also forward collision warnings and front and rear parking sensors.  

There are two ISOFIX points and three top tether points for kids car seats, and the Countryman scored a maximum five ANCAP stars when it was tested in 2017.

The Mini Countryman Cooper S costs $48,900, before any on-road costs.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 6.5L/100km which is pretty good for a car with this engine.

It’s covered by Mini’s three year/unlimited km warranty which is pretty basic these days.