I Test Drove a Countryman (and I Liked It!)

My husband has wondered if I would really enjoy driving one, since he got one as a loaner car when he took my MINI to the dealership in May. He got his answer today. This afternoon, I took a test drive of a Countryman S All 4 and all I can say is “Holy Jesus, I want that car.”

The handling was better than I expected for a vehicle of this size. I expected it to really lean in the curves, like my husband’s SUV, but I was pleasantly surprised by how little it leaned. It is heavier than the base model Cooper that is my current daily driver, but it really seems to compensate for that elegantly. The steering is nice and crisp, the wheel turned exactly as I thought a MINI should.

When I got my MINI originally, I didn’t even bother test driving an S. I really felt at the time that I didn’t “need” the extra zip, but it was so nice to put my foot on the gas going uphill on a 20 degree incline and have the car just go. The Countryman did not whine. It did not complain. It just went. I loved that, and now I’m wondering why I ever thought that the S was more car than I needed or wanted. As far as the Countryman is concerned, that line of thinking is dead wrong. It’s exactly what I want. It’s everything I ever wanted a MINI to be.

I think I might have to have one.