All-country MINI

MANILA, Philippines - Believe it or not, there was actually a bit of a lag in the automobile world’s slew of launches (which has been steamrolling since early 2010). This lag occurred not too long ago, and it accorded us the time to stage what could be considered a Philippine STAR MINI event. Well, sort of. Our good friends over at British United Automobiles (BUA), local distributors of MINI vehicles, actually got the ball rolling when they offered to lend this writer the top-of-the-line Countryman S All 4 test unit (as opposed to the Countryman and the Countryman S).

In a moment of inspiration, I thought we could actually transform what was initially meant to be a typical test drive into a much bigger MINI event (Did that last phrase make any sense?) by including the two other previously mentioned Countryman variants and conducting a more extensive photo shoot/fun run along with a few other Philippine STAR regulars. Thus, I invited our photographer Robert Urbano, contributor Eggay Quesada and several members of the MINI marketing staff over to the Magsajo rest house located in Baras, Rizal over for a weekend test drive of all things Countryman. Our little soiree yielded this Philippine STAR exclusive story which highlights the go anywhere capabilities of the MINI Countryman. Hey, if there is no event, you make one for your own publication and your own readers, right?

First things first... What exactly is the MINI Countryman? That’s quite a complicated question to answer but simply put, it’s a MINI with four doors, much more legroom and a vantage point that’s just slightly above that of the average MINI. For all intents and purposes, it’s a MINI crossover that expands the traditional MINI’s otherwise limited capabilities. To ensure all of this, a few goodies were thrown in along the way…

The MINI Countryman is all of 4,110 millimeters long and 1,561 millimeters high. Compared to the average MINI Cooper, which is 3,714 millimeters long and 1,407 millimeters high, that’s quite a jump. Ingress and egress rearside is made much more convenient by two rear doors that lead you to seats with much more legroom than the smaller MINI Cooper. The added height also necessarily translates to more headroom.

A few highlights like sports seats for the front passengers, a sport driving mode, a better entertainment interface module, some leather highlights in the upholstery, a couple of directional indicator lamps, xenon (as opposed to halogen) headlamps, a rear spoiler and a steering wheel mounted with a cruise control function separate the Countryman from the Countryman S. The “S” runs on a more performance enhancing 205/55 R17 rim/tire combination compared to the base model’s 205/60/ R16. The ”S” is also blessed with a heftier output compared to the base Countryman (184bhp @ 5500rpm vs. 120bhp @ 6000rpm). Torque is also noticeably more generous at 240Nm throughout the 1600-5000rpm range against the base Countryman’s 160Nm from 1600-4250rpm. As its nomenclature suggests, the Countryman S All 4 features all the belles and whistles of the Countryman S but runs on a full time four wheel drive system, thus providing better off-road capability and balance.

Subtle and not-so-subtle differences notwithstanding, what we found out was that all of the MINI Countryman’s variants are highly capable soft roaders that can attack well-paved roads and slightly worn down ones with just as much fervor – which I feel is what makes the car much more practical than the average MINI Cooper (Having much more luggage and people space might just be icing on the cake). Oh, and it’ll turn heads like no other vehicle in its size or class can!

As a weekend lifestyle vehicle (Hey, it is a lifestyle vehicle. If you’re seriously eyeing it as a daily drive, then you’re one lucky chap!), the MINI Countryman kicks competitor butt. Unless you’ve got a whole entourage of kids (in which case you’d need something much, much bigger), you’d be hard-pressed to find a vehicle that can tackle nearby mountain ranges and resorts or rest homes with as much style and aplomb. We love the darn things because they allow us to indulge in the best of most worlds. The MINI Countryman (in whatever guise) is big enough, fast enough, comfortable enough and pretty enough to satisfy even the most discerning of motorists. Now if only I had at least 2.38 million smackeroos... (The Countryman retails for P2.38 M, the Countryman S for P2.89 M and the Countryman S All 4 for P3.15 M.) Hey… we all can wish, right?