Did Mini make a useful SUV? 2024 Mini Countryman JCW UK review

Join me for a full review of the new Mini Countryman, a car that's substantially roomier and bigger than the old one, and takes Mini's interior game to another level courtesy of a fancy circular infotainment system with an OLED screen. This one's a £42,000 JCW model with 300hp, so join me for a ride-along review where I work out whether it's comfy enough for family duties.
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[@ZappBranning]

Mini have done it again it’s brilliant 😊

[@Lumi33]

I m getting one in in 2 months, wasnt sure about the new design until I actually drove it. This car definitely got me since then. Its a full complete 4 seats car.

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

You bought a Kia ! Many parts inside engine write Hyundai and that is suspicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The old Kia soul had similar design. Cheaply made !!

[@oliverlondon5246]

Carman Hardon sound system 😂😂😂

[@watsonanthony8438]

Sounds ok to me. Heck kicker QS sounds better than BW and Bose

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

@@watsonanthony8438 Bose is the best !

[@pigeonpoo1823]

I wonder who will be the first manufacturer to put the actual car in the touchscreen.

[@islandknight6105]

That’s already been done - “Beam me up Scotty!!”

[@tepes141]

A much more mature product than the previous one, more exclusive than it's X1 brother!

[@bezuidenhoutreclaimworks7407]

I thought my eyes where broken, then realised tge rimms do look if blurred....love it

[@tonywhite6985]

Like that they kept essential controls like window defogger off the touchscreen. There are times in my F60 that reaching for the heating dial whilst concentrating forwards is necessary.

[@moflexmusicinc.6060]

They definitely are turning heads and it’s a huge step in the right direction … All it needs is a V6 , proper and functional hood and air vents , carbon fiber options , snorkel , air ride suspension option And it would be perfect ! Again that’s just my personal preference other then that great review and dope car

[@gyekelee]

Awesome video! What's your take on the knitted material used for the dashboard and some parts of the seats? Can it be easily cleaned or maintained after a spill ? What are the long term wear effects, odours, sun exposure, dust etc?

[@DriftingSquirrel]

Are you sure it is a torque converter gearbox? The website says it's a dual clutch

[@lupislune]

I need a cold shower. This is Mini ticks all the boxes.

[@ahnnzkiee79]

my dream car from day 1🤗

[@ten3353]

Good review Tim, I want one, when the ev version arrives in Australia 🇦🇺🙏🏼

[@alanbriggs7177]

My favourite biking roads.

[@mspeed2441]

If there were a word, it would be "Grosslichkeit" (largeness). Nice test. I'm liking your reviews, and biblical coat (Joseph). 0-60? Mini is just like the BMW e30 and e46...Haters think that there should be a law outlawing cars after 2000: anything bigger, anything with a screen, anything with an automatic transmission, anything over 3000lbs. I wonder why they don't hold the same standard to pickups. By the Mini logic, pickups should stay the size as they were in the '50s. But Haters wanna Hate. The real reason is because that they can't afford anything but a 30 year-old Civic. Haters is broke.

[@paulwardzynski3265]

Tim, revealing test thank you. I quite like the car but it does make me think that a sensible adult, probably a school teacher, sketched some nice external/internal outlines and instructed a group of ten year olds to colour in the drawings. It really should have adjustable dampers. Steering wheel is way too thick and clumsy (that's those pesky kids again!).

[@Buro_O]

You mentioned the Cupra Formentor. Are you planning on doing a long-term owner video? Was thinking of purchasing one, but still not sure about it.

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

Yup! There'll be a sensible review of it over on the Motorpoint channel that I run, but I'll do a less formal ownership vid this week before I swap it for the next car!

[@nathanl1461]

They must have changed it, as configurator is showing the HUD as standard now.

[@tonypearce9561]

I own the old F60 shape Rebel Green JCW (73) OLD lol 😂 Is this worth the upgrade price around £6K to swop.. ??? Think mines still retains some of the Mini curves ? And it’s slightly more Bhp and 50 more Nm @ 450.

[@ZappBranning]

I like it I like it a lot 😊

[@simbo52bn22]

Absurdly chunky (steering wheel) - yes

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

Kia is behind mini !

[@davidberan9612]

Two things I really hate: the absurd piece of plastic on the C-pillar (hate it on Landos, too); and the infotainment. Judging by that it's a female car/a teenager's car, for which purpose it is too expensive. But, still noticeably cheaper than the BMW X1/X2.

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

It’s time for the truth: Kia is behind mini !!

[@BullyBoxer]

size of a Range Rover and similar styling too .

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

Kia soul !! Kia is the factory for mini now

[@YankeeMav]

really should have ventilated seats for a lot of the States...FL, AZ etc...X1 and X2 the same...maybe not the biggest deal but I think not even having the option on this platform is dropping the ball.

[@fresheddie..]

He said dinner plate screening 😅

[@alangravy27]

Does it leak oil in classic A Series Mode?

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

Haha, it's not fully authentic sadly

[@DontPanicDear]

…and get water logged at the first sign of a puddle 😂

[@grclink]

Would you feel comfortable taking a road trip in the back seat?

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

It’s Kia soul! So what you expect!! Materials that don’t absorb nothing

[@RoscoeColtrane]

This brews a fire in my pants. I do rather miss the driver display, though.

[@BradderzTekkerz]

I’m okay with the outside but honestly the interior the touch screens all of that junk is pretty well tragic, I can’t use my mobile driving but I can use that giant touch screen in my car? What a croc of ….

[@GlowingTube]

The door handles look they are from 1990. I hope the reliability and longevity are better than before, frankly a lot of older Minis have disappointed and for a 'premium' product this is not good enough.

[@real_swiftydragon]

I do like the door handles looking a bit more old school, some of the newer BMWs have started incorporating that design too and it does makes sense for aerodynamics if they’re more flush with the bodywork.

[@inglesconalan5360]

To me it looks like a Citroen C5 Aircross😮

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

Kia soul!!

[@ChrisMisMYhandle]

Ughhh, its not even Mini, because its really big!

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

😂 banned!

[@ColonelSternlove]

How original…😂

[@whatthe6532]

Doh. It’s a brand. Coke is not “coke”.

[@ChrisMisMYhandle]

​@whatthe6532 did you even watch the first 1 second of the video? 😂

[@ioannisstavrou2677]

Looks very ugly, like Kia !! And cheaply interior

[@danielngho]

🤣🤣🤣 Quote: "Decent accelaration, but not pulling my hair off" // Me: what hair??? Hahaha... just kidding bro... I'm bald too...

[@ten3353]

@13:04 “es ist ziemlich groß”

[@clubman_ss]

5.4s…a bit slow compared to the last gen. All digital now which means they can charge you a monthly fee for butt warmer.

[@Birmingham_racing]

Should have called it the maxi

[@Flaviusbob]

Bmw X1 in another suit

[@RoscoeColtrane]

I like the clothing.

[@rismul]

Harman Kardon, Tim 👍🏼

[@DontPanicDear]

Hardon!

[@clockworkwar]

Karmon Hardon!

[@alexeyl22]

it needs less zoomer-designer crap and more true ruggedness, like tougher wheel arches.

[@alexeyl22]

Tim, please more views down the road, like the roof view here. From inside too. Inside camera can also capture the dash. Gimbal cam is probably even more better best ). 👍

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

Yeah, I'm trying to mix up camera angles for the driving bit. Not helped by the fact I've lost one of my GoPros…

[@f1b1777]

Only fault with car is its Suspension option

[@crunchinjelly]

That interior is going to age like milk.

[@peterzink1272]

Very good!. 'Das ist Zimlich Gross, (that is pretty big, in De.....)

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

danke!

[@sergedurand6519]

“Proper human size cars” my bro not everyone is overweighted. Most of us fit in a first gen mini just fine

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

What a lovely person you are

[@bl3iv3s]

Shame about the firm ride.

[@DontPanicDear]

But the interior door handles are the wrong way around 👿 They are arranged to make you lean and open with your other hand, putting you in the perfect position to look before you open the door into a cyclist 🚴 (Dutch Reach) Sie ist ein großes Mädchen 😮

[@ZappBranning]

The x1 is £20k more specked up ⬆️

[@JohnGuidetti751]

More like £10k

[@johnhaynes9910]

Tim I must confess that I've never liked the exterior design of the Countryman so this is not that exciting to me and whilst you loved the interior - really ? Liked the big round dial but no repeater behind the wheel apart from a head up display for zillions extra Euros ? I think the main problem though is the price, way too expensive and there are lots of 'others' that give better bang for your bucks and as a package, the Chinese will walk all over BMW on this one.

[@davidberan9612]

Agreed. But the Chinese will walk all over the X1/X2, they are essentially the same vehicle but good 20k EUR more expensive.

[@lwandongonyama3743]

Mini designs have that thing of keep getting better the more you see them. At first they look ugly and as time goes they get better and better until you are like wowed

[@stevey500]

DCT and “Useful SUV” do NOT belong in the same sentence.

[@michaelkilbride2927]

Built to fail just outside warranty

[@r-rtz]

minute 4:20 .: "karman hardon" ??? What on earth is that ??? I think you meant HARMAN KARDON !

[@Cornwall1888]

Whoosh

[@grahamevans3635]

🤦

[@grahamevans3635]

🤦

[@nickolauser]

Inside looks very cheap

[@ozloop69]

Is it really set up for the country or is it really set up for the heart tarmac of English towns? Is it really a country man or is it just a miniature version of a range Rover? Yeah very bad presentation very bad intro and really yeah I think it’s really really tacky.

[@naisiw]

This thing is straight ugly. I won’t replace my 2018 countryman with this thing.