2020 Mini Cooper Countryman Interior and Cargo

There's little to complain about when it comes to material choice inside the Mini Cooper Countryman. The build quality is top-notch, too. Leatherette is the standard upholstery in the Classic and Signature sub-trims, while the Iconic gets the genuine article. Carbon Black is the only option for the base leatherette upholstery, while Black Pearl is available with the Leatherette/Cloth combo unlocked through the Signature Upholstery Package. Within the same package is Carbon Black cross-punch leather, or Chesterfield leather in Satellite Grey or British Oak. Mini Yours lounge leather in Carbon Black costs an additional $500 over the package price. Every steering wheel comes wrapped in leather, but the style can be changed to JCW or Mini Yours through the available packages. Similarly, the interior trim is Hazy Grey with available Piano Black, or Mini Yours Piano Black or Stone Hill Grey with matching illumination.

Minis are not traditionally practical vehicles, but the Countryman is one of the most practical of the 4-door selection. Compared to other compact SUVs, the 17.6 cubic feet of trunk space doesn't really impress, but it's enough for most daily errands. You probably won't be using your Mini for family vacations, though. If you need more space for cargo and only have one other passenger, you can fold down the rear seats in a 40/20/40-split to free up a total of 47.6 cubic feet of space. This is enough room for a few suitcases, so you and your beau can enjoy the drive to your weekend getaway. Similar small SUVs like the BMW X1 supply a far more impressive 27.1 cubic feet of standard space.

There is a modest amount of small-item storage around the cabin, with spacious door pockets and a standard glove compartment. There are also a pair of cupholders up front, but none for those in the back since there is no fold-down armrest. The front center console armrest does supply a storage cubby, but it's pretty narrow.

The Countryman isn't exactly poorly equipped coming out the gates, but the majority of its desirable features are sneakily hidden within the available sub-trim options and packages. The base model comes with leatherette upholstery, manual air conditioning, manual front seats, cruise control, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, and forward collision avoidance. A panoramic moonroof surprisingly comes standard on every model, too. Moving up the sub-trims, the Mini can be equipped with dual-zone climate control, Comfort Access, eight-way heated power front seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, adaptive cruise control, and a power liftgate. Within the packages, you can also find front parking sensors, a parking assistant, and a head-up display.

The standard infotainment suite is quite bare-bones, featuring a 6.5-inch display, rotary controls, AM/FM Radio, Bluetooth calling and audio streaming, and a six-speaker sound system. There is an auxiliary input jack and a pair of USB ports, too. However, a number of upgrades are available. The Signature sub-trim upgrades the 6.5-inch display with a touchscreen, while the Cooper S further gets a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. The Iconic gives the Cooper the same sound system, while both models get a larger 8.8-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM, navigation, voice commands, and Apple CarPlay. However, Android Auto isn't offered at all. A wireless charging device supplements the USB ports on the Iconic sub-trim.