Mini Countryman Cooper S Auto 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The power of this model is impressive, delivering 184 bhp at 5500 rpm with torque figures of 177 lb-ft at 1600-5000 rpm. In total, the car manages to reach a top speed of 130 mph and acceleration is also improved from other models: the car taking just 7.9 seconds to travel from 0-62 mph.

In terms of driving comfort, the handling of this 4x4 is not as good as perhaps you would have expected. The Countryman Cooper S Auto 5door lacks the agility of other models and this is a real disappointment for buyers: you can expect body roll during corners and bends and steering is heavy.

The vehicle can also make a lot of noise, particularly at high speed. On the inside, this translates to considerable wind and road noise whilst driving.

As you would expect from a Mini, the Countryman is a good looking car, from the outside at least. On the inside the car does lack a certain something when bought with just standard features. Adding additional features could see costs mount up rather quickly.

Standard equipment includes: power steering, central locking, stability control, air conditioning, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, rear parking sensors, alloy wheels, an advanced stereo with CD and MP3 connectivity as well as Bluetooth connectivity.

Air conditioning can be upgraded to climate control for an additional £345. If you are opting for a leather interior, this will set you back £1,250. Cruise control and a built-in sat nav can be added for £210 and £1,345 respectively.

A three year warranty on unlimited miles makes the Mini a practical choice in itself. On top of this the car comes with driver, passenger and front side airbags fitted as standard. An alarm and immobiliser also come as standard features.

The dashboard is well desinged, but a bit too stylised if anything: it can take a considerable amount of time to learn how each of the controls work.

It is a Mini, so you don't buy it for masses of space, but cabin comfort varies depending on the position of the seats. There is enough leg room for most passengers, but at the expense of storage space. A higher driving position improves visibility for the driver and the steering column is easily adjustable.

With the seats in place the boot space is just 350 litres – making it fairly small for a 4x4. Folding the seats down expands this to 1,170 litres which is more than sufficient.

Priced at £22,630 this car is far from cheap but still performs well within its class.

The Countryman Cooper S Auto 5door only achieves 39.8 mpg on a combined cycle. On top of this, carbon emissions are high at 166 g/km. This gives the model poor green credentials and relatively high road tax costs under band H.

It is priced similarily to match those of the Volkswagen Golf range, but this model is considerably more expensive than others in the range and the low economic value will make many buyers feel the additional cost is unjustified, despite the improved performance output. Whilst resale values are high in Minis this is little consolation considering the high running costs of this model: even insurance premiums are likely to be relatively high under insurance group 30.