2012 Mini Countryman: Video Road Test and Review

The Mini Cooper Countryman is a slightly larger four-door four-passenger version of the standard Mini Cooper that offers more space for occupants, and with a slightly higher ground clearance as well as the available ALL4, all wheel drive, and turbo charging, has more of a go anywhere attitude as well.

The entry level Cooper Countryman starts out at $22,450 and is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6 Liter four cylinder that makes 121 HP and gets 35 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on the highway, giving the Country man a range of over 400 miles on a single tank.  A unique chrome grill surround sets the Countryman apart from its brethren, while all of the lifted four door coopers feature a unique center rail that connects both the front and rear passengers and seven standard airbags in the event things go wrong.

The $26,050 Cooper S Countryman is upgraded with a turbocharged 1.6 Liter four cylinder cranking out 181 HP and 177 lb-ft of torque, this is good for a 0 to 60 MPH time of only 7.0 seconds, while returning 32 MPG around town and 26 MPG at cruising speeds.  The S is distinguished from lesser Countrymen by a stylish and functional air scoop sitting below a black mesh grill up front and dual chrome exhausts out back, while sport seats are now standard the automatics get upgraded to paddle shifters.

At the top of the heap is the $27,750 Cooper S Countryman ALL4, mainly due to the innovative all wheel drive system that allows owners to go wherever they please, but at a slightly slow pace, because even though the ALL4 has the same turbocharged power plant as the S, the addition of all those extra drive shafts mean that it will hit 60 MPH about 0.3 seconds slower.

A list of cars similar to the Countryman include the 2012 Audi Q5, 2012 BMW X3 and 2012 Infiniti EX35.

See details about the 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman.