Is Mini the most unique brand in existence today? Ever since BMW bought them out, they’ve arguably lost a bit of their cheeky charm, but which mainstream brand overall has this level of uniqueness and character? Mini still does things its own way, eschewing certain industry norms in the name of staying true to itself. Even the 2023 Mini Countryman S All4 Untamed Edition marches to the beat of its own drum, despite being the gargantuan one — in the Mini universe, at least.
Measuring just shy of 170 inches, the Countryman is still positively tiny compared to most anything on the road. The popular Honda CR-V is an entire foot longer, and the VW GTI — itself a compact hatchback — measures just one inch shorter. Interior space is small in the front and rear, although the very flat roofline helps with ingress/egress. Trunk space is lacking, offering up a meagre 450 litres with the seats up; the VW Taos, on the other hand, offers you 705 litres of junk-in-your-trunk space. In the real world, the Countryman is no more than a hatchback, and calling it a crossover would be a misnomer, even though it competes in that segment.
One thing the Countryman gets right is its cheerful styling. That certainly shows inside, despite some design elements feeling a little long-in-the-tooth. Starting with the dash, the circular infotainment system remains a staple, although the narrow, 8.8-inch display within that signature circular enclosure can’t hide the fact that it’s an older design, especially compared to the high-res, circular display coming in the next generation of Minis. The current display also has a one-piece gloss black button and trim piece arrangement that flexes when you press something — not ideal.
However, the silver toggle switches for functions like the drive modes, automatic start/stop system, and even for the map lights above your head continue to look and feel oh-so-cool, as does the red toggle switch to fire up the Countryman’s little engine —more on that later. The instrument cluster was upgraded a few years ago to a semi-digital display, which does a good job of maintaining some of Mini’s trademark quirkiness while looking more modern than the previous generation’s simple (but cool) analog cluster.
That said, the Countryman’s entire dash design is largely carried over from previous model years, though the Untamed Edition gets some neat wave-like graphics spanning across the dashboard, which light up at night. Speaking of untamed, Mini was certainly untamed in its judicious application of the word, showing up on the dashboard, steering wheel, front fenders, rear windows, and even the door sills. They’re a proud bunch over there.
I left the best part of the interior for last — the certifiably awesome green leather. Not many cars offer up an option for green leather, and certainly not one executed as well as in the Countryman’s Untamed Edition. All comments on the leather were nothing but positive; I’d spec this green every single time.
Outside of that, the Untamed Edition is nothing more than a visual design package. You have the aforementioned logos throughout, plus some graphics along the side, a unique wheel design, and some cool interior and exterior colour options. The rest of the Countryman follows the same, now-dated but very Mini styling, in that it’s undeniably a Mini. This isn’t a bad thing, but a refresh is long overdue. We’ll see what 2024 has in store.
As hard as the Untamed Edition tries to keep things fresh, the powertrain is the one aspect in which the Countryman S needs the biggest update. Power (still) comes from an anemic 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 189 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 207 lb-ft of torque at 1,350 rpm. This engine feels peppy in the smaller Cooper S, but having to lug around nearly 3,800 pounds worth of an all-wheel-drive Countryman doesn’t do this engine any favours.
Neither does the bizarre throttle mapping; throttle response feels delayed in Comfort and Normal modes, making for jerky acceleration when you press the throttle too far — and you’ll do that often, because the pedal doesn’t react immediately. Putting it into Sport doesn’t help much, either, as Countryman becomes too sensitive. It’s hard to drive smoothly, but the eight-speed automatic remains a highlight. Shifts are snappy regardless of using automatic or manual mode; the paddles are even good enough that I found myself toying around in manual mode more often than not.
Fuel economy for the Countryman landed at a respectable 9.8 L/100 km, and the fuel tank is large enough that topping it off it showed a range of almost 800 kilometres. However, I was surprised to learn that 91-octane fuel is required to eke out the measly 189 horses.
The suspension tuning is a typical Mini highlight, in that this not-an-SUV rides and handles with a level of athleticism you wouldn’t expect. It’s not the most comfortable car for soaking up highway miles, but it won’t beat you up, either. What it will have you do is take some highway on- and off-ramps with a little extra fizz. Mini has always erred on the side of sporty, and the Countryman S no different. It’s a fun car to drive around, one that you wish had a bit of extra oomph to match its handling characteristics. I’m sure the 301-horsepower John Cooper Works version is a blast by comparison.
At $53,456 including freight and PDI, I can’t in good conscience recommend the 2023 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 Untamed Edition to anyone other than a diehard Mini fan who appreciates the brand’s unique identity. There are plenty of other cars (and crossovers) out there that can be had with more space, more performance, more luxury, more tech, or a combination of all that. If a Countryman is really what you’re after, I’d suggest taking a mini pause — see what I did there?! — and waiting until 2024 before you put down your hard-earned dollars.
