The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Roomier
- JCW power
- Good cargo space
- Good standard features
- Good warranty
Dislikes
- Not so Mini
- Blends in more
- JCW seat comfort
- Touchscreen glitches
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Mini Countryman loses some charm as it sizes up to other small crossover SUVs.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Mini Countryman? What does it compare to?
The third-generation Mini Countryman grows into the small crossover segment, as Mini’s largest vehicle gets larger. It shares a flexible platform with the BMW X1, which is why it has combustion and electric powertrain options, similar to the Volvo XC40. Rivals include everything from the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class to the Alfa Romeo Tonale.
Is the 2025 Mini Countryman a good SUV?
It’s the roomiest Mini, but in supersizing for a global market (re: North America), it lost some of the brand’s quirky charm and the go-kart-like handling that made it a hoot to drive. It’s still different than most other entry-level luxury crossovers, and Mini loads it with features and personality, earning it a TCC Rating of 6.3 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Mini Countryman?
The redesigned 2025 Countryman gains much in size but loses as much in classic Mini charm. More angles and fewer curves make it look more like a shrunken Land Rover Defender than a Mini. The only circular design elements remaining on the interior are the steering wheel and the work-in-progress 9.4-inch touchscreen; Mini instead opted for rectangles and blocks, and a dash designed for EVs. Overall, it feels more American than British, like Ted Lasso.
It’s bigger in every regard, stretching 5.1 inches longer, growing 2.4 inches taller, and expanding in presence as well as cargo and passenger space. It’s sized like the Volvo XC40. It seats five, though four fit better, and the tiered cargo floor adds secure storage, while 40:20:40 rear seats flip down to open up 51.2 cubic feet of cargo space.
The new platform allows for a battery electric model dubbed the Countryman SE ALL4, though each of the three powertrain options gets the ALL4 designation for standard all-wheel drive. Mini offers no rear-wheel drive, and no manual transmission.
The SE has a 66.5-kwh battery pack and a range of 212 miles. We haven’t tested it yet. Nor have we driven the base S ALL4 and its 241-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4.
For now, we’ve only tested the John Cooper Works and its turbo-4 boosted to 312 hp. There’s a lag from a stop, but once moving small paddle shifters let the driver override the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, though there’s no need to as the automatic is telepathic in its shifts. It zips around with more alacrity than most vehicles in this class, but its bigger proportions trade off the historically fun handling of this largest of Minis.
How much does the 2025 Mini Countryman cost?
The 2025 Mini Countryman can be had in base S All4 model for $39,895, the electric SE All4 for $46,195, and the performance-minded JCW for $47,895. All prices include a $995 destination fee, and every Countryman comes with either the Signature Plus trim or the top Iconic trim for an extra $3,200.
Mini equips it with good features and a good warranty, and its loaded with driver-assist technology such as blind-spot monitors and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection that helped earn the Countryman a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS.
Where is the 2025 Mini Countryman made?
In Leipzig, Germany, marking the first time a Mini has been made entirely in BMW’s homeland.
2025 MINI Countryman Styling
The 2025 Countryman grows bigger and more bloated.
Is the Mini Countryman a good-looking car?
The biggest Mini gets bigger but not better looking. With its flat roof and squared tailgate, and more rectangular lighting elements, it looks more like a Land Rover Defender cousin in the British family than a classic cutesy Mini. It’s different enough, though, to earn a point for trying.
The bigger size broadens out into more rectangular shapes, from the chunky LED headlights and selectable DRL patterns to the octagonal grille surround. That’s reinforced in back, where the Union Jack taillights have been retired for blockier, vertical taillights. Even the door handle cutouts lack Mini’s trademark circle indents. A long flat roof with an integrated spoiler casts a steep vertical plunge off the back, but the roof can be contrasted with the body in kitschy two-tone options.
The interior most prominently scrubs away the circles for vertical rectangles, except for the steering wheel and 9.4-inch touchscreen. Instead of an instrument cluster, Mini uses a head-up display set deep in a dash that’s cut with slat-like vents. Ambient lighting sprays out from behind the touchscreen across a dash textured with something like carpet meets corduroy. Toggles for drive modes and the starter still exist, but the control layout’s reliance on the touchscreen feels like a capitulation to electric vehicle interiors.
2025 MINI Countryman Performance
The Mini Countryman lost some character as it gained size.
The Mini Countryman can be had with two different 2.0-liter turbo-4 engines, as well as an SE ALL4 electric model. Thus far, we’ve only tested the JCW performance model. We’ll update this report when we test the BEV and the base model.
The JCW is quick and spirited, and has a far greater performance bent than a Volvo XC40. It’s a lot like the BMW X1 M35i, but the Mercedes-AMG GLA might be the best performer of this small bunch. Still, ready acceleration and good enough handling earn it a point each to a 7.
Is the Mini Countryman 4WD?
Yes, all three models have all-wheel drive.
How fast is the Mini Countryman?
The turbo-3 is gone, for now. The base S comes with a 2.0-liter turbo-4 rated at 241 hp, and a quoted 0-60 mph time of 6.2 seconds, whereas the John Cooper Works is rated at 312 hp. Both twist out 295 lb-ft of torque at just 1,500 rpm, but off the line it can take a beat unless you press and hold the left paddle shifter to juice the JCW into Boost mode for a 10-second spurt; it firms up the throttle and holds gears longer, like a Sport mode. It’ll get you to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, which not so long was spirited if not quick. The 2024 Countryman JCW hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.
A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic makes for quick shifts, though with the toggle on the lower console you can change the driving “experience” or mode from “Green,” which releases a green hummingbird on the touchscreen, Go Kart that trims the traction control and seems to firm up the JCW’s adaptive suspension, Timeless that appears to be a graphics pattern change, Trail Mode that could complement the 8.0 inches of ground clearance (up from 6.5 inches in its predecessor), to the default Core.
With the available 20-inch wheels (245/45 tires) on our tester, the firm ride of the JCW got a little tiresome on a long road trip, but it made up for it with its prodigious grip around town. The discontinuation of run-flat tires also helps here. The JCW borrows BMW’s Adaptive M suspension and tunes it to how John Cooper Works, but it still handles with the leaning compromises of its larger, taller, heavier body, which now weighs in at 3,836 pounds (from 3,688). The steering doesn’t feel as connected to the road as we’d expect in Mini’s sportiest line
How does the electric Countryman SE ALL4 perform?
We’ll update this once we test it, but the 2025 Mini Countryman SE has a 66.5-kwh battery with a 212-mile range estimate. The Countryman can recoup 10-80% of charge at a peak 130 kw in less than 30 minutes. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system makes 308 hp, and has a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 112 mph.
2025 MINI Countryman Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Countryman seats passengers and fits cargo better than ever before.
With more headroom in front and back than most luxury small crossover rivals, as well as 37.0 inches of rear legroom, the Countryman earns a point each for its back seat space as well as a cargo hold that expands from 24.8 cubic feet to 56.2 cubic feet with the rear seats down. Such are the gains of an extra 5.3 inches in length and nearly an inch more wheelbase than its predecessor.
It misses a point for stiff front seats that are supportive but lack road-trip comfort. Cooled seats are not an option, and power front seats only come with the top Iconic trim.
The dash and door materials lack the refinement of BMW, and the JCW model we tested had a carpet-like material covering the dash. A spray of light from the back of the touchscreen covers the dash at night, and even though the red-on-black color combo always looks good, the finish didn’t meet its luxury ambitions.
It handles the prosaic much better, with 40:20:40 split rear seats that can fit a hockey goalie bag behind them. There’s also a deep tiered cargo floor to stuff the stinkiest hockey goalie stuff without infiltrating the cabin. Deep door pockets big enough to fit a fat water bottle suggest Mini had an American audience in mind, and the center console storage consists of a removable box.
2025 MINI Countryman Safety
The 2025 Mini Countryman earns a Top Safety Pick.
How safe is the Mini Countryman?
The IIHS bestowed a Top Safety Pick on the new Countryman, which earned top marks on crash tests as well as its ability to avoid pedestrians with its standard automatic emergency braking system. Also standard are blind-spot monitors, active lane control, and automatic high beams. The TSP and standard features earn it a point each to a 7. The NHTSA hasn’t tested it yet, and we don’t know if it will, so its Safety rating is incomplete.
How does adaptive cruise control work in the Mini Countryman?
Adaptive cruise control costs extra and it does a good job of reading the traffic ahead and the road lanes, but the limited hands-free steering function is very limited; it demands frequent touching to the torque sensors at the top quadrants of the steering wheel. Sensors throughout the wheel would limit this peccadillo. Also, changing the distance between you and the lead car requires a visit within the touchscreen. One other note: even with the bigger, broader proportions, outward vision still remains narrow over the shoulder and in the rearview mirror.
2025 MINI Countryman Features
Offered in three distinct models and two trims, the 2025 Countryman puts personality over price.
Standard features across the Countryman lineup in Signature Plus trim include 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, navigation, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless smartphone charging, a head-up display instead of an instrument cluster, and the 9.4-inch circular touchscreen that is the main interface. It’s well-enough equipped to justify its $39,895 starting price, but even with standard all-wheel drive we can’t call it a value. It earns a point for its standard content, optional features, and good 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with three years of maintenance. It misses points for value and for the over-reliant touchscreen. It’s an 8.
Option up the $3,200 Iconic trim and it upgrades to 19-inch wheels, power front seats, an interior camera to see what the chunky headrests might block, and a Harmon Kardon premium sound system. It also has navigation with augmented reality.
2025 Mini Countryman infotainment
In our testing, the infotainment system often dropped our smartphone connection but the glitchiness might have come from not having a profile established. Or it could be a software update away from resolving the real-world glitches. The cutesy touchscreen has a puppy bot assistant named Spike who needed obedience training, and every climate control resides within the touchscreen, as do some vehicle settings. In ditching an instrument cluster for a limited head-up display, Mini made the everyday controls of the Countryman too reliant on the touchscreen.
Which Mini Countryman should I buy?
It comes down to a powertrain preference. The SE ALL4 electric comes up short against rivals for range, and it’s only $1,700 less than the John Cooper Works. We’d stick with the base model and base Signature Plus trim.
How much is a fully loaded Mini Countryman?
The JCW in Iconic trim breaks the $51,000 barrier. As much as we love the extra boost in the turbo-4, the bigger size invalidates much of the handling charm of past JCW models.
2025 MINI Countryman Fuel Economy
Larger yet more efficient, the 2025 Countryman nets 27 mpg combined.
Is the Mini Countryman good on gas?
Considering its larger footprint and standard all-wheel drive, the 2025 Mini Countryman has an EPA rating of 24 mpg combined, 32 highway, 27 combined. That’s 1 mpg better than last year’s Countryman S with AWD. The JCW Countryman only costs thrill-seekers 1 mpg to 23/30/26 mpg. Either way, it’s a 3.
The Countryman SE plugs into 212 miles of electric range when equipped with 18-inch wheels (204 miles on 19-inch wheels). It’s a fine city and suburban car, with an efficiency of 2.9 miles per kwh, which would rate at a 9 here. It can DC-fast charge from 10-80% in about 30 minutes at up to 130 kw.
Mini recommends premium fuel for the gas versions of the Countryman.
