When a Mini Cooper goes maxi

WHAT'S THE TRADITIONAL adjective that springs to mind when you think about a Mini? There's really only one. Like the words that appear together with people such as 'gorgeous' George Clooney or '[unprintable]' Chris Brown, Mini's overwhelmingly popular feature is that it is little. So what happens when it's not? The Countryman, since its inception, has always been marketed as a family-size Mini. True, since the '60s, every Mini has always been purposed for four people, but this incarnation is for a more modern family, possessing four-doors, a largish boot and sufficient leg space throughout. Surely that is counter-intuitive, you may ask yourself? What's the point in having a Mini if it's large? Will it retain the joie de vivre we expect from the marque? Having driven the latest Cooper S Countryman this week, the answer is a resounding positive. This Mini maybe slightly on the bigger side (actually it's the grandest model ever produced), but it's still just as quirky and fun as ever.

First off we've got the way it looks. From the front, you wouldn't think anything were out of place. The Countryman possesses the same good-looking face all Minis are blessed with. It has the chirpiness of Jiminy Cricket mixed with the coolness of its iconic forebears featured in Michael Caine's The Italian Job. Its front is moulded in the Mini way to such an extent that you don't really notice the length of the chassis. That is until you get inside.

There's plenty of room is all we can really say about the interior. Whereas other models may be a tad diminutive, especially concerning headroom at the back, no part of the car feels pokey. It fits five people, for crying out loud! Throw in a lovely appointed leather trim and all the cool gizmos - rearview parking camera, decent SatNav and a high-end media centre - that usually come in a Mini and you've got yourself a party.

Under the bonnet (of the Cooper S version) lays a four-cylinder petrol engine producing 192hp. Now this car may be larger, but that doesn't mean it's enormous. The motor produces more than enough power to make sure the sportiness shines through, particularly accelerating up to 100km/h. Put it in manual and it's a laugh. Manoeuvrability is also definitely in the compact car level of ease and fun and, guess what, this even has all-wheel drive. The Coutnryman will go round corners as if it's on rails. Can you tell we love it?

Source: .khaleej Times