2025 Mini Countryman Road Test and Review

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

It’s nothing new that Minis aren’t the smallest cars in the world. Most of the model lineup has four doors, and the British brand has sold the Countryman crossover SUV since 2011. Nor is it new that these BMW-built vehicles are expensive for their size. 

But for its third generation, the 2025 Mini Countryman is notably bigger and notably more expensive than ever. It’s 5 inches longer than last year’s model and more than a foot longer than the original 2021. And it now starts at nearly $40,000, up from $32,650 last year and not far from twice the 2011’s $22,350. 

For this review, we just spent a week testing the newly redesigned Countryman. If you don’t mind paying more for more space, power, and technology, keep reading to learn more about this unusual take on the small SUV. 

Premium Pricing

Last year’s Countryman straddled the line between a mainstream-brand crossover and a luxury model. This year, the line is gone: This is a luxury SUV. Pricing starts at $38,900, and our test vehicle rose to $44,295 with options that included power-adjustable front seats, a Harman Kardon stereo, bigger wheels, GPS navigation, a wireless smartphone charger, and the mandatory $995 destination charge. This isn’t the most expensive vehicle in the subcompact premium crossover class, but nor is it the most affordable. 

Now, part of the reason for the new Countryman’s price hike comes from extra standard features. The “S” performance model with all-wheel drive is now standard; you can’t get a smaller engine or front-wheel drive anymore. The equivalent Countryman last year cost $35,000 – so prices have gone up, but not by as much as it looks at first glance. 

New this year is an all-electric model called the Countryman SE, priced from $45,200. However, the previous generation’s plug-in hybrid version is no longer available. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Whimsical Style

It’s tough to redesign the Mini. Since BMW revived the brand in 2002, Minis have been retro homages to the Cooper hatchback that debuted in 1959. The new Countryman strays the furthest yet from that heritage, and not just because of its size. The trademark round headlights now have hints of squareness, and its taillights go even further. 

And yet, this is still a whimsical SUV. It’s a cheerier alternative to the more aggressively sporty style that BMW gives its own subcompact crossovers – the X1 and X2 – or the chromed opulence of a Mercedes-Benz GLA. The Countryman’s face still has hints of Mini roundness, and the taillights are patterned into the Union Jack. The body is upright and free of ultramodern creases. And our test vehicle wears a classic paint job of British Racing Green. It’s not the look everyone will pick for their $40,000 SUV, but some will find it refreshingly different. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Technology Done Differently

The Countryman’s interior is even more unusual than its exterior. It starts things off with a big round screen at the center of its dashboard – an homage to the 1959 Mini – that includes both the speedometer and the infotainment touchscreen. (A head-up display is also standard equipment on every Countryman, projecting your speed near the base of the steering wheel as well.)

The Mini’s round 9.4-inch screen has playful graphics and a creative control layout, like temperature readouts hugging the outer circumference. The system is fun to use when you’re sitting parked, but it takes more concentration than we’d prefer if we’re actually driving. 

The Countryman’s interior has unusual materials, too. The dashboard and door panels are upholstered in patterned fabric, and lights project another pattern onto the dash at night as well. And the center spoke of the steering wheel, pointing down from the center of the wheel, is a fabric strap. It doesn’t have traditional luxury cues, but the Countryman will be more appealing to the right buyer. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Speed Comes Standard

Last year’s Countryman came with a choice of three engines: a 134-horsepower three-cylinder base model, a 189-hp S, and a 301-hp John Cooper Works, or JCW. Now, the lineup is down to the latter two models – and both are more powerful than before. The 2025 Countryman S has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Mini says it can zip from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds. The 312-hp JCW needs just 5.2 seconds, and the all-electric SE manages the sprint in 5.4 seconds. Our Countryman S test vehicle was slow to deliver its power when we tried to accelerate into a lane change. But otherwise, the engine delivered lively speed and a pleasant growl.  

The Countryman handles like a smaller Mini, with agile handling and steering that feels almost unnaturally quick. As with so many things about the Countryman, this steering will divide opinion. The Countryman isn’t the smoothest-riding luxury SUV, but its longer wheelbase makes it more comfortable than a little Mini Cooper. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Good Mileage, Too

Last year’s Countryman was more economical than this year’s, thanks to its three-cylinder engine and available front-wheel drive. But even the new model gets good gas mileage for a luxury crossover: an EPA-estimated 24 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined. And we averaged an excellent 32 mpg in a week of mixed driving. What’s more, while the 2024 Countryman’s base models edge out the new model with 28 mpg combined in EPA testing, things have improved for comparable models. Despite making less power than this year’s model, the old Countryman S AWD managed just 26 mpg. The higher-performance JCW also averages 26 mpg combined, the same as last year.

Of course, for maximum efficiency, the new all-electric Countryman SE easily takes the lead. It gets the energy equivalent of 96 mpg with its base 18-inch wheels and 91 MPGe with the optional 19-inch wheels. Range per charge is below average at 212 and 204 miles, respectively. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Useful Interior Room

We mentioned that the redesigned 2025 Countryman is the biggest Mini yet. And you feel that inside. It’s still no Cadillac Escalade – this is a subcompact crossover. But four adults can fit without being too jammed in, and a fifth person can fit as well. The seats are comfortable, and the Countryman’s tall and boxy shape provides plenty of headroom. Tall adults won’t have lots of extra knee clearance in the backseat, but they won’t be pressed into the seatbacks either. It’s a far cry from even the four-door version of the Mini Cooper hatchback. 

Cargo space is the bigger improvement this year. It has 25 cubic feet behind the rear seat – up from just 18 cubic feet in 2024 – and 56 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. This isn’t a huge cargo hold, but it’s competitive for a subcompact crossover. Part of the space is a hidden well under the cargo floor behind the backseat. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Countryman vs. Its Siblings

If you like how the Countryman drives but aren’t sold on its style or interior, you’ll get a similar flavor from the more conventionally styled BMW X1 and X2. They’re built from the same mechanical components as the Countryman and are roughly the same size. (You’ll find that the BMWs drive like a Mini rather than vice versa.) And despite coming from a more traditionally premium brand, the BMWs only cost a couple thousand dollars more than the Mini. 

The X1 is a traditionally box-shaped SUV, while the X2 pictured here is an “SUV coupe” with a sportier-looking roofline. Both have a dashboard styled like pricier BMW models, including simpler but less cheerful touchscreen controls, along with richer interior materials. You can’t get an all-electric X1 or X2, though. 

2024 BMW X2 xDrive28i ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Countryman vs. the Competition

Beyond the BMW family, the Countryman’s gas-powered competitors include the Audi Q3, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Lexus UX 300h, and Volvo XC40. Of this group, the Mini has the liveliest handling by far, along with the speediest base-model engine. Meanwhile, the Lexus comes closer to what you might expect from a Mini – the smallest interior with the least backseat and cargo space, the tightest turning radius, and exceptional gas mileage from its moderately peppy hybrid powertrain. The Audi, Mercedes, and Volvo are more like traditional luxury crossovers in a smaller size and a lower price. That’s great for many people, but they don’t have the Mini’s spunk. 

If you’re shopping the Countryman SE, you’ll find shorter ranges per charge but lower prices than the Audi Q4 e-tron or the Volvo EX40. And the Volvo EX30 is smaller and less functional. If you’re shopping the Mini against mainstream-brand EVs, the Volkswagen ID.4 is the better value on paper and even drives pretty well – but while the Countryman’s interior sacrifices ergonomic simplicity for a playful vibe and unique design, the ordinary-looking ID.4 has even fussier controls. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Quirky But Compelling

The 2025 Mini Countryman is a decently roomy, quick, and economical subcompact premium crossover at a pretty fair price for its class. 

But that’s not why you’re going to buy it. If you approach the Countryman just looking for a sensible purchase, you may run headlong into its unusual control layout, lack of conventionally premium interior touches, and ultra-quick steering. This is a quirky SUV, and it’s often a matter of taste about which quirks are charming rather than just kind of annoying. If you want most of the Countryman's strong points and fewer of its eccentricities, it's objectively worth spending a couple thousand dollars more for a BMW X1.

But if you’re already charmed by the style and performance of a Mini, need something practical, and accept that it’s priced like a luxury car, the new Countryman is a compelling choice. 

2025 Mini Countryman S ・ Photo by Brady Holt