This review by Automobile seems late in coming, with the MINI Countryman out for several months now and winter being over. The article actually contains four reviews by four different editors. Of course there were mixed opinions: some loved the small SUV and some wondered if MINI went too far.
It doesn’t take a marketing genius to recognize the inherent risk in adding a crossover to a brand called “Mini.” Indeed, a high-riding, Austrian-built four-wheel-drive vehicle sounds like a quick and easy way to pour a decade’s worth of brand equity down the drain. However, the Countryman is a triumph of strong execution over questionable judgment, which is a fancy way of saying it’s really nice.
Read the Automobile article REVIEWS: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4.