Used Car Focus: MINI Countryman

Combine funky MINI styling with extra practicality and the result is the Countryman. It took the brand into a whole new sector – but was it worth the wait? Chris Randall is your guide.

If you wanted proof that the MINI was no longer, well... mini, then this was it. You couldn’t really blame them for wanting a slice of the lucrative crossover sector, and while it was never going to impress the purists, the Countryman (codenamed R60), was an interesting rival to more established players. The fourth addition to the MINI line-up, and the first with four doors, it debuted at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and went on sale in the UK in September the same year. It was certainly a more style-led offering compared with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, aiming to capture buyers who liked the youthful cut of a MINI’S jib, but who simply need more space. It worked, too, with plenty of orders from day one and the Countryman would go on to carve a decent niche for itself among the brand faithful.

Built at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria (and at BMW’S Chennai plant from spring 2013) it set out to offer the same fun driving experience as the smaller hatchbacks, and while that may have been a tall order it broadly succeeded. It was certainly enough to cement the Countryman’s place in the range, and this firstgeneration car was replaced by an all-new (and even larger) model in February 2017.

Trim and equipment

With the range starting at £16,000, the base ‘One’ model came with a reasonable level of standard equipment, including air-conditioning, a six-speaker CD hi-fi, tyre pressure monitoring and rear parking sensors. Upgrade to the Cooper variants which started at £17,510 and the extra kit included leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, sports seats and stainlesssteel pedals – but naturally there was a lengthy options list to tempt buyers.

Plenty were swayed by the allure of a panoramic roof, xenon lights, bigger

wheels and the £740 Harman Kardon hi-fi system, and then there were the various option packs that were familiar from earlier MINI incarnations.

Prices for the Salt, Pepper and Chilli Packs ranged from £750 to £2595, the latter being the most comprehensive and adding goodies such as automatic air-conditioning and a multi-function steering wheel; that’s the one we’d look for.

That wasn’t the end of it. Buyers could also splash out on the £1500 Media Pack bringing navigation and voice control for the infotainment functions, while the Vision Pack added adaptive bixenon lights, plus automatic lights and wipers. There was almost no end to the ways in which a Countryman could be personalised, and playing fast and loose with the options catalogue could easily see the price climb alarmingly. Most changes over the following few years were of the detail variety with tweaks to equipment levels and trim finishes, though a pair of special editions are worth mentioning: the Countryman

Park Lane arrived in March 2015 with a special Earl Grey/oak Red colour combo along with 18-inch wheels and unique trim, and December 2015 brought the Special Edition model. Just 250 were earmarked for the UK, each featuring special paint and trim, and lots of kit.

Transmission

At launch all models were equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox; petrol engines were also available with an optional six-speed ‘Steptronic’ automatic. Neither have any inherent problems and the test drive should be enough to satisfy buyers that all is well.

The main departure for the Countryman compared to other MINIS was the adoption of an ALL4 all-wheel drive system, a set-up that employed an electro-hydraulic centre differential to provide an infinitely variable front/rear torque split. Operating in front-wheel drive mode most of the time, the system could divert up to 100% of the torque to the back wheels if required, and while it didn’t make the new model a proper mud-plugger it was certainly useful for escaping from a slippery field.

Available as an option on Cooper S and Cooper D models from day one (costing £1065 and £1220 respectively) it could be specified for the Cooper from 2013. The system doesn’t require any scheduled maintenance, but it did raise the issue of premature clutch wear on early examples. According to specialists, Mad4mini, it shared the same unit as two-wheel drive cars and wasn’t really up to the job and they reckon it could need replacing in as little as 40k-50k miles.

Later cars seem better, but do check for any hint of slippage and budget around £1300 for a new clutch and flywheel.

Running gear

Sharing its underpinnings with other MINIS, the new model featured the same Macpherson strut front with multi-link rear suspension arrangement – although it did ride 10mm higher than the sportier hatchbacks. Buyers also got the option of a sports suspension set-up that rode a bit lower, but the added firmness didn’t do a great deal for ride quality so you might want to try it before taking the plunge. It’s all trouble-free though, and just needs checking for tired dampers or bushes on early, high-mileage examples.

Similarly, the brakes are entirely conventional – the Cooper S got slightly larger front discs – and the steering was via a Servotronic electrically-assisted set-up. The brakes just need a fluid change every three years, costing around £50. As you might expect, there was the full gamut of traction control and brake assistance systems which contributed to the Countryman’s reassuring 5-star EURONCAP safety rating. It is worth checking what wheels are fitted, though, as there was plenty of choice. One and One D models featured plain-looking 16-inch steel items as standard with Cooper variants getting alloys of the same size. Dipping into the options catalogue provided various styles and sizes, bigger rims not doing the ride any favours. It’s really just a case of checking for kerb damage along with any signs of peeling lacquer and corrosion.

There wasn’t much change over the years although the fairly thorough revision in 2014 did see the introduction of lighter wheels and efficiency tweaks in the form of lower-friction wheel bearings, and tyres with improved rolling resistance.

Body, trim & electrics

The rugged looks were certainly a departure for the brand, and the Countryman grew in every dimension compared to the sportier hatchback; 398mm longer, 316mm wider and with 170mm added to the height – the result was a more practical, family-oriented offering.

There was also 350-1170 litres of luggage space, and while that fell short of more traditional family hatchback offerings it was spacious enough for most buyers. Whether you approve of the looks is a matter of personal taste. The 2014 update brought a new front grille design and under-guards for ALL4 models, along with LED foglights and daytime running lights, yet the styling didn’t change substantially – there are certainly no bodywork issues to worry about.

Scuffed bumpers and dinged panels are the likely extent of any problems, and with so many personalisation options (no two cars are likely to be the same) more time is likely to be taken up by finding a colour/trim combination that suits.

Head inside and buyers were presented with the usual funky appearance, the dashboard featuring the large centre dial/ display common to other MINIS.

It certainly couldn’t be accused of being bland, even if ergonomics and trim quality weren’t quite as good as hoped; at least the former was improved in late2012 by sensibly moving the electric window controls from the centre console to the doors.

UK models were five-seaters with a sliding three-person rear bench seat as standard. A four-seat layout was a nocost option, while the novel ‘Centre Rail’ replaced a conventional centre console. Running the full length of the cabin it allowed all manner of storage units to be clipped in and slid fore and aft.

The cabin looks interesting, then, but rattles from the dashboard and door cards can be an annoyance and it’s worth checking that the seat trim (especially plusher leather) hasn’t succumbed to family abuse, and the chrome-effect coating hasn’t peeled off the switchgear. There are also reports of the cabin lighting remaining on after the car has been locked, and it’s wise to check

that everything is working as it should, especially infotainment systems.

Lastly, replacing the Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) battery with the correct item is crucial, and with costs ranging from £200-300, be wary of one that’s ailing.

What goes wrong

Benefitting from the updated ‘N18’ range of petrol engines, it seems the Countryman was less troublesome than earlier incarnations of the R56 MINI. That said, it’s still worth checking for signs of oil and coolant leaks – while sluggish performance, smoke or warning lights point to problems with the turbocharger or EGR valve.

Many of the first owners stumped up a few hundred pounds for the TLC servicing package that looked after scheduled maintenance for the first five years, and there are numerous specialists that can look after them today,

so we’d steer clear of cars with a patchy service history. Speaking of which, the Countryman relied on a variable servicing regime that could see up to two years or 18,000 miles pass before attention. Specialists advise ditching this for annual checks, and regular oil and filter changes will certainly help stave-off the likelihood of timing chain problems (none of the engines used belts). It was failure of the tensioner that caused trouble, especially on early diesels, so any rattles from the top of the engine should be treated with caution.

Renewing the chain is an engine-out job and a specialist will charge around £1400; that’s much cheaper than repairing the carnage that will ensue if the chain breaks.

Servicing isn’t particularly expensive either, with specialists charging around £90-300 depending on the inspection required. Ultimately, an example with a record of religious maintenance should prove decently reliable.