MotorMouths

The Countryman performs with aplomb, and can make any driver feel like a hero – even in mundane tasks. It’s an entertaining crossover that will appeal to Mini aficionados who need more space than a Cooper hatchback can offer.

MINI Coopers have long had a reputation for providing the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on. The new MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 (a mouthful) continues that practice and can take you more places to boot.

With more space throughout the cabin and more visibility for all occupants, the Countryman does much to persuade you that it’s the better choice for the more urbane Mini buyer.

The Countryman S ALL4 performs like a bigger, top-heavy Mini Cooper Hardtop with controllable grip, uncanny soft-road capability, four full doors, and interior space capable of housing four American adults.

The 2011 Countryman has every bit of the distilled goodness found in Mini’s other cars. It drives well, gets good fuel economy for the class, and answers customers’ concerns for more passenger and cargo space.

The Countryman is a hip car and there are many Mini fans who would love to move up in size without leaving the brand. Beyond that, it has that all-important impishness to its personality, and it romps through a corner as well as any self-respecting Mini.

With its Countryman, Mini expands its offering of fun, stylish and affordable cars for the hip, young and fabulous with a four-door for the young and hip when they become less fabulous — settling down and spawning kids.

People looking for a small crossover with an emphasis on style will likely be quite happy with the Countryman’s blend of space, features, and driving characteristics.

The Mini Cooper Countryman features functionality, with four doors, comfortable room for good-sized people in back, and available all-wheel drive. It’s the practical Mini, a more all-purpose vehicle than the other models.

The 2012 MINI Cooper Countryman manages to offer a lot, including a healthy dose of practicality, some off-road capability, and plenty of style.

When the Countryman arrived, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. As MINIs go, this thing is huge, but as crossovers go, it’s quite MINI. If you want a German vehicle with British styling, mild off-road prowess, four doors and four seats, this is the vehicle for you.

Does the Mini Countryman steer like a go-kart? Yes, like a great big go-kart with added weight and dimensions, because remember, those wheels are still slammed unbelievably close to the car’s corners.