MINI Cooper S Coupe Review

1. Exterior

Ever since the original MINI Hatch was reinvented, each new design has split the critics, while always attracting plenty of buyers. The Countryman has proved a huge success, defying the recession with a healthy increase in sales. Step forward the MINI Coupe, with its backwards-baseball cap profile, less steeply-raked windscreen and spoiler delivering a more aerodynamic car designed to provide the halo for the MINI range and prise buyers away from a Volkswagen Scirocco, Peugeot RCZ, Audi TT or even (according to MINI’s marketing team) a Porsche Cayman. It’s a little lower than a MINI Hatch and the enhanced boot space offered by sacrificing the two rear seats helps create a three-box style design of engine bay, cabin space and boot area.

2. Interior

Huge speedo, chrome toggle switches and steering wheel-mounted controls will all sound very familiar to MINI fans. A little like the exterior, it comes down to personal taste. The main thing you will notice is the absence of two rear seats which brings us nicely on to…

3. Practicality

The MINI hatch may not have the most useable rear seats in the world, but the MINI Coupe goes one step further – it doesn’t have any at all. The boot has become a whole lot more useable. The 280-litre space is easily accessed and able to cope with two people’s luggage for a weekend away. That luggage space can also be accessed via a hatch from the cabin. However, with the exception of the Cayman, all the rivals MINI has identified have more boot space (the TT has 290 litres, the RCZ offers 384 litres and the Scirocco 290 litres) as well as two extra seats. It does beat the Mazda MX-5’s 150 litres though.

MINI Countryman Cooper 4×4 Review

1. Exterior

The MINI Countryman is controversial. Not only is it the first ever MINI with five doors, it’s the first with four-wheel drive and to top it all – the first ever MINI 4×4. So, many big changes in a range which dates its evolution to the early 1960s are sure to cause a stir. And so it proved during our week with the Countryman, as it proved to be a real head turner. Some loved it, others described it as a MINI XXL.

2. Interior

MINI Hatch and Clubman drivers sitting in the Countryman will need a second to adjust. Everything is familiar, from the steering wheel to the toggle-switch controls, and yet the view out gives away its extra size and height. It’s a good place to be, with high-quality finishes which shame some luxury saloons. The huge central speedometer isn’t really for telling speed – it’s more a design feature – which might irritate some. The screen inside it is far less likely to polarise opinion, thanks to its clear and attractive graphics.

3. Practicality

This car is the answer for MINI owners who had to look elsewhere for a more practical car. Now the same brand can provide a car with spacious rear seats – which slide forwards and backwards to increase boot space or leg room – a 350-litre boot and plentiful headroom. Fold the rear seats down and there’s 1,170 litres of space – almost as much as in a Volkswagen Golf. There are plenty of MINI accessories too, from tailor-made bike racks to luggage nets. The Countryman is available with two separate rear seats or a three-seat rear bench for the same price. Models with two rear seats feature a metal rail running through the centre of the car, to which various MINI accessories can be fitted.