What a great weekend to drive Mini’s new Countryman. Old Man Winter had finally puked out enough fluffy white stuff to turn Toronto into the winter wonderland Christmas had promised.
Countryman is Mini’s SUV. SUV might be stretching the definition for even the most hyperbolic of BMW Canada’s marketing campaigns, but it is definitely Mini’s contribution to the crossover segment that is currently the rage in North America.
ot only does the Countryman’s body feature four doors, but its chassis has been raised 30 millimetres for more ground clearance and the entire plot is driven by Mini’s first all-wheel-drive system. Think of it as the maximum Mini.
he end result is a more versatile vehicle that can more easily fit four non-super-sized adults in comfort, scrambles for traction when precious little is available. The key to this is the ALL4 permanent all-wheel-drive system.
this is a front-biased system that can transfer up to 50% of the engine’s maximum torque (177 pound-feet) to the rear wheels when the front ones are spinning. Nonetheless, the ALL4 system is essentially a front-drive system that transfers torque rearward when the front tires lose traction.
The turbocharged S tester certainly did not lack for steam. It’s powered by the same twin-scroll turbocharged 1.6-litre four as in the rest of the Cooper S lineup, with 181 horsepower and the aforementioned 177 lb-ft of torque (192 lb-ft available for short bursts, when BMW lets the turbo boost reach an improbable 20.3 psi).
The extra drag of the AWD system also has a tardying effect in throttle response. The main distinction is off the line where the little turbo’s paucity of low-end grunt and the heftier curb weight makes the initial sprint a little more lethargic. Nonetheless, few will complain about the Countryman’s performance, at least in turbocharged S guise.
This last part of the Countryman’s appeal may prove more controversial, however. The strength of the Mini brand these last 10 years has been that, along with its outsized performance and incredible handling, the styling has been universally admired. Many will disqualify themselves from Mini ownership on practical grounds, but hard-pressed is the self-deluded macho man who can’t at least admit Minis are the cutest things on wheels.
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