STYLING | 8 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
The front fascia ditches the cutesy appeal of the current Cooper in favor of a more aggressive, bulgy stance. Yes, it's snarling at you.
Autoblog
If Mini's first crossover -- the Countryman -- succeeds, it will be due more to its style and versatility than for the driving experience
Los Angeles Times
Is it a bit ugly? From some angles it seems odd, and its unprecedented size and ride height play havoc with your Mini preconceptions.
Top Gear
The retro-looking dashboard, with its large central speedometer and toggle switches, will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in more recent Mini models.
Inside Line
Like its predecessors, the Countryman is a two-box design with a happy face consisting of through-the-hood headlamp eyes and upper and lower grilles.
Automobile
The proportions, profile, and many of the details are like those of the more road-oriented MINIs, but up-sized. In fact, the Countryman's design was the inspiration, or at least the predecessor, of the redesigns the rest of the lineup have seen recently.
It's not so much what makes the Countryman like its cohorts that's interesting, however--it's what makes it different. The large, flared fenders, tall ride height, plastic-clad bits, and four-door layout make it clear that this MINI is meant for suburban utility as much as urban mobility.
Inside, the Countryman shares more in common with its Cooper counterparts in design terms, with familiar, quirky MINI sensibilities: large, round gauges, including the center-mounted speedo; ovoid pedals; a levers-and-knobs center stack; and ample MINI-wing badges. If anything, it's somewhat less busy and complicated than the average MINI--perhaps because the details are spread out over a slightly larger area.
Conclusion
Even BMW underpinnings, all-wheel drive, and a full four-seat, four-door layout can't take the MINI out of the 2012 Countryman.
