With each generation, the Mini Countryman has gotten much bigger and a lot less “mini.” The all-new, third-generation model grows to such an extent that it’s not only large for a Mini, it’s far from being the smallest subcompact SUV. Ultimately, though, what matters is the new 2025 Mini Countryman still satisfies the quirky, style-focused character of the Mini brand.
Photo: James Riswick
The new Cooper Countryman is 5.1 inches longer than the previous generation, which is a lot in car terms. You can see this expansion in the side view, which looks long, and in the cargo area, which grows to 25 cubic feet from 17.6. Mini updated the styling to be a little cleaner, a little less faux rugged, and more premium in appearance. The interior sees a more extensive overhaul, with an all-new circular touchscreen and unique fabric trim on most interior surfaces.
There are three versions of the 2025 Mini Cooper Countryman. The base trim level is the Countryman S ALL4, which starts at $39,895, including the $995 destination charge. In Mini-speak, “ALL4” indicates all-wheel drive (AWD). The JCW Countryman is the high-performance variant ($47,895), while the Countryman SE is an all-electric version ($46,195).
For this review of the 2025 Countryman, Mini provided a test vehicle equipped with S ALL4 trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $44,295, including the $995 destination charge to ship the SUV from the Mini assembly plant in Leipzig, Germany, to your local dealership.
Photo: James Riswick
Climb into the 2025 Countryman interior and it’s impossible not to notice its distinctiveness. Instead of plastic or padded vinyl on the doors and dashboard, there is richly textured fabric. With the Favoured Style package, that fabric is blue on the dashboard and doors before diffusing in an ombre-like effect to a rusty orange that continues into the back doors.
Ambient lighting glows onto and underneath those fabric panels, and the “Vescin” simulated leather upholstery (Vintage Brown in the test vehicle) looks and feels like the real thing. There are some hard plastics, but nothing out of the ordinary for this price point of near-luxury crossover. All told, this cabin looks special and expensive.
The most striking element, though, is the circular OLED touchscreen. You can cycle through eight design themes, some oddly tied to drive modes, allowing you to customize your Mini’s interior on the fly. It’s not a perfect interface, which I’ll touch on later. Still, there’s no denying its uniqueness and the way it ties back to Mini heritage (both the original Mini and the 2000s reboot had big analog speedometers in the middle of their dashboards).
Below the screen is a row of minimal controls for vehicle ignition, drive mode/interior theme (“Experiences”), radio volume, and the electronic shifter. That shifter is standard. So is the automatic transmission to which it’s connected.
That may be sad for the handful of people who wanted a manual Countryman, but it’s good news for those who value center console versatility. Without a need for a manual shifter (or the old Countryman’s center console infotainment controls), designers added a grippy and well-secured phone shelf (with optional wireless charging), two additional grippy trays, a covered bin, and decently sized cupholders.
Photo: James Riswick
The Mini Operating System 9 infotainment system in the 2025 Mini Countryman consists of the following:
The test vehicle’s Comfort Package Max added a wireless phone charger and an upgraded navigation system with augmented reality graphics. Its Iconic package also added a Harman Kardon premium sound system with sound quality I found to be unremarkable.
A small head-up display shows your speed, fuel level, and posted speed limit, but you can see all of the above on the circular central display. Why? Because Mini. That basic information plus time, outside temperature, headlight status, and more thankfully remains docked in the same locations regardless of which views or “Experience” design theme you choose. So does a bank of menu shortcuts that take you quickly to currently playing media, navigation, phone, or more in-depth climate control settings.
You can make basic temperature adjustments by tapping icons at five and seven o’clock, but they are small and require multiple presses to change the temperature. You also must tap even tinier icons to click-click-click the heated seats on. This is frustrating. The “buttons” should be more prominent and easier to operate.
The Countryman has the same excellent voice control ability as the newer BMW models (the German luxury automaker owns the Mini brand). Just say, “Hey, Spike” (the name of a cartoon dog that pops up on the screen), and you can tell it to change the temperature if you’ve grown weary of pecking at tiny virtual buttons.
The e-dog also obediently responded to my requests to enter a navigation destination and make a phone call. All told, this infotainment system looks sensational, and the redundant head-up display counters much of the criticism associated with all-in-one central displays.
It’s certainly not for everyone, though. Some elements, such as the temperature adjustment, can frustrate and could use a tweak. Others, like the multitude of themes and layouts, are just part of the quirky character that makes a Mini a Mini. If you want something that doesn’t shout “woo hooo!” when you select the “Go Kart” sport mode, get something else.
Photo: James Riswick
For this 2025 Countryman review, Mini provided a Countryman S ALL4. The crossover SUV has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) is standard, as is AWD. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates it will return 27 mpg combined.
My drive started with a two-hour highway slog from one corner of the Greater Los Angeles area to another. Highway passing power from the turbo engine was plentiful, and the throttle/transmission response was excellent (I didn’t feel the need to engage Go Kart mode to get a snappy downshift). There remains some choppiness on certain highway surfaces, and the ride is on the firmer side, but this new Mini is more comfortable and refined than before. It drives like the luxury vehicle it’s priced like.
Even with the default drive settings engaged (selected by choosing one of the “Experiences” not named Go Kart or Green), the Countryman S ALL4’s responsive controls and composed body motions allowed some fun on a winding mountain road. Selecting Go Kart mode tightens the steering feel and increases accelerator sensitivity, providing a dartier, more caffeinated feel. You’ll never confuse the Countryman for a Cooper Hardtop though. You can tell how big it is when you're in the Countryman.
One disappointment: there are no shift paddles offered in the S ALL4. Never mind providing a more engaging driving experience for those seeking that Go Kart feel, controlling downhill speed using the transmission’s “L” function wasn’t precise enough. The JCW has paddles, so should the S ALL4.
Photo: James Riswick
The 2025 Mini Countryman includes a comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that includes:
The test vehicle had the Iconic trim package, including the Driving Assistant Plus suite upgrades. This includes:
It also had the Comfort Package Max, which included Active Driving Assistant Pro. This effectively upgrades the adaptive cruise control system to hands-free functionality, but only on divided highways up to 37 mph. Basically, it’s for traffic jams.
It worked very well on the earlier-mentioned highway slog, and I appreciated the big green steering wheel lights that tell you it’s active. When the system doesn’t meet the above conditions (or detects that you’re not paying attention to the road), it simply behaves like a well-executed adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance system.
The rest of the systems operated without false forward-collision alarms or excessive lane-keeping steering adjustments.
Photo: James Riswick
The amount of cargo space you get in the 2025 Countryman greatly depends on whether you opt for the $250 spare tire. If you do, it resides under the cargo floor, and you’re left with a boxy, surprisingly long, but ultimately typical space for a subcompact SUV.
If you don’t get the spare, however, there’s a tire-sized expanse under the cargo floor, which you can prop up to create a much bigger cargo area. It’s unclear whether the Countryman’s official 25-cubic-foot cargo measurement includes this underfloor area. Either way, without the spare tire, it has one of the most voluminous cargo areas in the segment.
Mini includes a rigid cargo cover that you must remove from the vehicle to expand capacity. A power liftgate comes standard.
The Countryman S ALL4 returns an EPA-estimated 27 mpg combined. In 331 miles of driving, I managed 25.0 mpg. Half of that was on the highway, both free-flowing and in gridlock. The other half was a mix of around-the-suburbs errands and the dynamic drive route in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Countryman S ALL4 has a 14.3-gallon gas tank. With my observed fuel economy, I could’ve gone 357.5 miles on a tank. I could’ve gone 457.6 miles had it achieved the EPA-estimated 32-mpg-highway figure.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the 2025 Countryman a Top Safety Pick for its highest-possible Good ratings in all crashworthiness and crash-avoidance tests. At the time of writing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has yet to test the 2025 Countryman.
The 2025 Mini Countryman prices range from $38,900 for the S ALL4 to $46,900 for the JCW ALL4. The electric SE ALL4 starts at $45,200. You’ll need to add the $995 destination charges to those figures.
The new Countryman’s increased size, refinement, and price tag all point to it residing in the subcompact luxury crossover segment. Rivals include the Alfa Romeo Tonale, Audi Q3, BMW X1 and X2, Mercedes-Benz GLA and GLB, and Volvo XC40.
In the JD Power 2024 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Ford Bronco Sport ranks highest in the Small SUV segment. The Kia Seltos and the Kia Soul are the next highest-ranked models.
In the JD Power 2024 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, the Mini Countryman ranks highest in the Small SUV segment. The Hyundai Kona and the Buick Envista are the next highest-ranked models.
Photo: James Riswick
The 2025 Mini Countryman is a stylish, characterful, and surprisingly spacious small SUV. Its interior won’t be for everyone, be it for functional or fashion reasons, but that’s long been expected for a Mini. You like it or you don’t, but at least 2025’s high-tech overhaul makes it much easier to be in the “like” column.
This new generation also makes the Countryman a more convincing near-luxury choice with competitive pricing. It’s no longer just a quirky alternative SUV for Mini loyalists who’ve outgrown their Cooper hatchbacks.
James Riswick has tested and reviewed cars since 2007, serving as an editor at Edmunds.com and Autoblog. He has attended an auto show every year since he was two and wanted to be an automotive journalist since high school. He owns a 1998 BMW Z3 and a 2023 Kia Niro EV and is presently looking under couch cushions for enough change to buy an E39 BMW M5.
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