Mini's bigger iteration fits in a small niche
Countryman All4 PHEV may be the right choice for those looking to avoid conventional SUVs
What a quirky little SUV. It’s hard to review this vehicle as a family-friendly ride, because I wouldn’t call it my-family-friendly, nor is it meant to be. That said, my neighbour has a Countryman and two young kids and he seems to make it work for them. So, what I’m trying to say is, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Its quirkiness is clearly designed to attract a specific audience that won’t be defined as simply adventurous, or family-friendly, or even marketed towards a specific age group. It just is what it is — and you either like it or you don’t.
This tested 2022 Mini Cooper SE Countryman All4 adds an extra layer of awesomeness with its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) capabilities. Unless you’re trying to save some money on the initial buy, this PHEV seems like an absolute plus if you’ve done your research and are in the market for one of these quirky vehicles.
My initial idea for reviewing the Countryman was to ask my cousin — who has two teenage children — to help test whether it is a vehicle that’s worthy of a stereotypical Canadian family (before realizing it’s not super family-friendly), one that requires ample space for large hockey bags and equipment, and travels long distances for tournaments. However, my cousin took one look at this Mini and said, “Nope, too small.” She added that she wasn’t even sure her 18-year-old son’s hockey bag would fit with the seats down.
I don’t know how big that bag is, but I will say that there’s quite a bit of cargo space with the back seats up — though I’ll admit it’s more ideal for a typical grocery run.
There’s lots of horizontal space as opposed to the useless vertical space in the trunk of three-row SUVs. Though the Mini isn’t tall, I much prefer this trunk to that of the typical mid-size seven-seater.
The trunk space, in my opinion, may be the best part of this vehicle, but that’s because I can’t stop looking at it from a big-family perspective, though we’ve established that’s not the intended purpose of a Mini.
When thinking of it from the driver’s perspective, my husband found the driver’s seat to be a bit squishy and felt it didn’t go back far enough for him to get comfortable (he’s six-feet). Meanwhile, at roughly a foot shorter than him, I found it to be a comfy fit for myself. If you’re used to bigger SUVs, then this will definitely feel different; it’s more like driving a sedan, though it’s easily smaller than some of the bigger cars.
There’s not a ton of legroom in the back, but it works for the kids. In turn, you’d think that makes it family-friendly, but it doesn’t. My youngest daughter is in a forward-facing car seat and if the front passenger isn’t super tall then her legs have space to dangle, otherwise the back of the front passenger’s seat is dirtied with shoe prints within seconds. Behind me, my seven-yearold daughter sat in her booster seat and her legs comfortably dangled behind the seat, but again, with someone taller, she would have no room. At one point during the week with the Mini, I had my youngest in the back with my mom and dad. My dad was not happy with the minimal space back there, especially on a long drive. (My two car seats and booster do not fit all together.)
Small isn't all bad — since it doesn't need as much room as bigger vehicles, it's extremely simple to park in small places; a decent backup camera helps. I'm not a fan of the side mirrors automatically tilting when the vehicle is in reverse, but there's a simple switch on the driver's door that can turn off that feature.
I found that highway driving was fairly smooth, but city roads felt extremely bumpy. Driving around the neighbourhood felt bouncy, a bit like the car was continuously rocking side to side. If you do a lot of local driving, then you could probably get away with rarely filling up the small gas tank — it holds only 36 litres of fuel. However, on a full charge, this PHEV gets up to 29 km of electric charge, which is more than enough for school drop-offs/pick-ups and grocery runs, as long as you remember to charge it throughout the week. The Mini website boasts up to 479 km of combined electric and fuel range, but I never got close to that number. The average fuel consumption at the end of the week was 7.5 L/100 km.
When it came time to refuel — which didn't take very long since I wasn't diligent about recharging every 29 km or less — it was odd to see the tank full for $60 of premium gas, especially at today's high prices. That said, if I'm refuelling the 36-litre tank more often than once a week, then I'm already spending more than I'd like.
For someone who works more than 15 km from home — assuming you're back to the office — this might not be the best vehicle for you. However, for those who might live just a few minutes from their workplace, this is a great option, as long as you consistently charge it over night at off-peak rates and drive it the way it's intended to be driven. Plus, you'd have the simple option of going longer distances without needing to search for a fast charge station.
Speaking of charging, the wireless charger won't fit big phones. My iPhone 12 Mini fit in the Mini's charger, but my husband's Samsung Galaxy S20 FE didn't fit, not even without the bulky OtterBox case. The infotainment system took a little while to fully understand, but once you play around with it, it quickly gets easier. And if it doesn't, there's always wireless Apple CarPlay that can be easily used on the 8.8-inch touchscreen that has awesome feedback and adequately-sized icons.
This tested SE Countryman has a starting price of $44,990. The added Premier+ package costs $9,100 and includes a heated Nappa leather steering wheel, heated front seats, panoramic sunroof, centre armrest in the rear, Harmon/Kardon sound system, a Mini head-up display, and a wireless charging device that doesn't fit larger phones. The paint option, British Racing Green IV Metallic, costs an extra $590 but it really is an awesome colour that makes the vehicle stand out even more than usual. The total cost of this Mini is $55,180 before fees and taxes.
If you're someone who doesn't often have a carload of humans to lug around (kids or not), this could be the vehicle for you. If you often drive within proximity to your home and can charge this nightly, or alternatively, you don't mind filling up the gas tank often, this could be the PHEV for you. If you're looking to stray from a typical-looking SUV — one that's bigger than the 5-Door and Clubman — this could be the Mini for you.
I know this is the perfect vehicle for a very specific someone, but that someone isn't me.