2025 MINI Countryman SE ALL4 Review: More Fun, More Size, More Money

MINI — the brand best known for the MINI Cooper — is specialized in a way that a lot of other automakers are not. It pretty much only makes small(er) cars, and each model is really just a variation of the classic MINI Cooper formula.

In 2025, almost every brand has succumbed to prevailing market and driver trends, and MINI is no exception. In its case, the "drivers want bigger cars" role is fulfilled by the MINI Countryman, a pseudo-crossover SUV that's still very small compared to the rest of the automotive world.

While I'd taken a few jaunts in a MINI Cooper S, like many Americans my main experience of the brand was seeing Mr. Bean goof around in an old British Mini with a recliner mounted on top. So, when tasked with reviewing a 2025 MINI Countryman ALL4, I was mighty curious: I generally didn't have any preconceived notions about the brand, other than finding it funny that an obsessively British company is now owned by BMW, perhaps the most German automaker around. As such, the Countryman is built in Leipzig.

For what it actually is, and where it fits within the milieu of the automotive world, the MINI Countryman is the largest MINI you can buy: the maximum MINI, if you will. That said, it's not big by any broader comparative terms. Big truck-based SUVs like a Chevy Tahoe will still dwarf a Countryman, and even mainstream crossovers like a RAV4 still look like an NBA player next to it. Still, it's a relative giant compared to the Cooper.

Under the British Racing Green skin, though, are some familiar Bavarian bones. It uses the same platform as BMW's X1 and X2 crossovers; although branded as the "MINI TwinPower," the 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder engine makes the same 241 horsepower as what's found in the BMW xDrive28i. Unsurprising, then, that it's paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and "ALL4" all-wheel drive. The fuel economy, at 27 miles per gallon on the combined cycle, isn't stellar, but it'll do the job.

Having already spent a lot of time with the drivetrain of the BMW X2, I was ready to almost entirely dismiss the MINI Coutryman's powerplant as "adequate," given that was the experience I had with its German cousin. That was, to my own surprise, not the case. The Countryman was light on its feet, and while it didn't exactly melt any tires, it felt nimble to the point it was actually great fun to throw down country back roads.

One of the benefits of living in rural Pennsylvania is that there's a surplus of windy blacktop with almost no traffic, and that setting served as an excellent testing ground for the Countryman's driving modes. Next to the gear selector toggle switch, all MINIs have an "Experiences" switch. While, it doesn't control different 1960s prog-rock bands, it does, however, augment the Countryman's drive modes, with "Go-Kart" being the sportiest on-tap. Each "Experience" changes the circular instrument cluster with its own graphical styling cues and sound effects. 

I kept it in the base driving mode most of the time, only switching to "Go-Kart" when I could safely thrash the Countryman. And thrash I did. On a gravel-covered back road, I went sideways more than once unintentionally and several times intentionally. With the right road conditions, it's a lot of fun to drive. It won't pin you back to your seat as 241 horsepower, and an automatic transmission sourced from family crossover will only take you so far, but it was definitely enough to get in trouble should the mood arise.

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The interior of the Countryman proved spacious enough. I didn't find it cramped, and neither did my passengers. The optional John Cooper Works sport seats were actually surprisingly comfortable, despite their sporty bucket-seat appearance. Instead of feeling like you're shoved into a cage to stop you from shifting about, the sport seats were nicely supportive.

MINI seems desperate to give its drivers a unique atmosphere to drive in and, I say this as a compliment, the interior digital atmosphere of the Countryman was really weird. It has a circular center-mounted infotainment screen where the gauge cluster in older MINI models would be; the only direct instrumentation you see as a driver is a projected display behind the steering wheel. 

It takes some getting used to, and it may be a case of form trumping function, but I really didn't mind it. A speedometer, no matter how fancy, is really just a speedometer.

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That circular infotainment screen brings me to what I didn't enjoy about the otherwise very fun Countryman. Given its BMW innards, the infotainment screen is, unfortunately, very much akin to the frustrating display I found in the X2. It's not particularly intuitive, requiring a lot of taps and swipes to perform a lot of basic tasks, and it generally isn't very smooth, skipping and juddering often. 

Wireless Apple CarPlay struggles in the Countryman, with nearly every song or podcast accompanied with the sound cutting out for a few seconds. MINI doesn't provide any option for the generally smoother wired CarPlay, either, despite having a healthy number of USB-C ports scattered about the cabin.

MINI's whole thing may be small cars, but the price tag is sadly not similarly miniature. The 2025 MINI Countryman ALL4 starts at a moderately expensive $38,900. British Racing Green IV, the color choice doesn't cost any extra, but the "Iconic Trim" — with power front seats, a window tint, and an interior camera — adds a further $3,200. 20-inch wheels, the aforementioned John Cooper Works seats, and the two tone paint job sets you back an additional $600.

Keyless entry and all the driving assists tacks on $900. Add in a $900 destination charge, subtract remote start (which this Countryman left the factory without), and you end up at $44,295. That's not a lot for a BMW-branded compact SUV, but it's positively pricey compared to much bigger and similarly equipped Toyota RAV4s and Honda CR-Vs.

So, not a car for the price conscious, really. It's more about style, that excellent British Racing Green, and the MINI badge, than no-nonsense fiscal sense.

The gas-powered 2025 MINI Countryman ALL4 doesn't tell the whole story with regards to MINI's biggest offering as there is also an electric version that I had the brief opportunity to drive at BMW's testing grounds in South Carolina.

Power on the 2025 MINI Countryman ALL4 EV is boosted pretty significantly to 308 horsepower, giving it a 0-60 time of a zippy 5.4 seconds. I can attest that it feels really quick and the piped in spaceship-like noises when you accelerate are as goofy as they are fun. I was behind the wheel for only a short drive, so I cannot give an accurate representation of how wheel it handles battery conservation and range, but MINI says it can go up to 212 miles on a charge, putting it below all but the least expensive EVs.

It's not a range monster by any means, then, and unfortunately neither is it an economical choice. It starts $45,200, within the price range of EVs that have more range. I strongly doubt MINI will impact EV adoption much with the electric Countryman, but it's certainly nice to have the option and I applaud MINI for at least trying.

Despite the foibles, I liked the 2025 MINI Countryman quite a lot, and the electric version was not excluded from that party. I think it might get tiring as a daily driver after a while, as all of the bells, whistles, and Experiences are a little "in-your-face" when you sit behind the wheel: I'm not sure how long it would take for the novelty to wear off. Then there's the fiddly infotainment system which will like only get worse as it ages, unless MINI/BMW delivers some major updates.

All that said, and mainly from a strict driving perspective, it's deeply unserious and a lot of fun to whip around corners and blast down straights. If you don't care about any of the ancillary interior stuff, and you need something bigger than a Cooper yet which still screams MINI, the Countryman is worth a look. That's assuming you don't mind plunking down the extra money, and you're ready to wipe that frown off your face.