2024 Mini Cooper Countryman Performance

While we appreciate that Mini did its best to keep the curb weight of the Countryman low, it's just not enough. The Countryman Cooper uses the same turbocharged three-cylinder as the three-door hatch, and while it delivers ample performance in that car, here, it just feels unwilling and underpowered. Mini claims a 0-60 mph time of 9.3 seconds for the front-wheel-drive model and 9.6 seconds for the all-wheel drive. A top speed of 140 mph is possible in the Cooper S Countryman FWD.

Thankfully, upgrading to the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder isn't expensive and its power specs are a lot better. The additional power and torque results in the 0 to 60 mph sprint dropping to 7.2 seconds for the FWD and 7.1 seconds for the AWD. Considering the negligible price difference between the two models, we don't understand why Mini doesn't just drop the triple-turbo from the range. The fastest Countryman in the standard range (our review of the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works model is considered separately) is the plug-in hybrid. This model uses the same three-cylinder powertrain as the base Cooper, powering the front wheels. At the rear, it has an electric synchronous motor. There is no mechanical coupling between the two power sources, which means the hybrid reverts back to being a heavier standard Cooper once the battery is drained. Still, the combined power output with the battery fully charged is 221 hp, resulting in a 6.5-second 0-60 mph sprint. That means it's not just the most efficient Mini in the standard range, but the fastest as well. Being a crossover, we're disappointed that the Countryman doesn't come with a towing capacity.

The 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine produces 134 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. In the FWD, the power is transferred to the wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Once equipped with Mini's ALL4 AWD system, the engine is coupled to an eight-speed automatic.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged motor in the Cooper S produces 189 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. In FWD guise, the power is transferred to the wheels via the same seven-speed DCT gearbox but with a sportier tune. The eight-speed transmission is also standard fitment once ALL4 is equipped.

Mini's plug-in hybrid is quite a complex car in the engine and gearbox department. It has two gearboxes: a six-speed automatic transferring power from the 1.5-liter engine to the front wheels and a single-speed transmission sending power from the electric motor to the rear wheels. The electric motor alone produces 87 hp. The combined power output is 221 hp and 284 lb-ft.

The EPA-estimated gas mileage figures also have us questioning why Mini continues to offer the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine as an option. In FWD guise, it's capable of 26/32/28 mpg city/highway/combined, decreasing to 23/31/26 in AWD guise. The FWD 2.0-liter turbo comes with EPA-estimated figures of 24/33/28 mpg and 23/31/26 mpg with AWD. Yes, the smaller engine is more frugal, but we would have wanted to see a more noticeable difference in frugality given the poor performance.

The PHEV model is the undisputed champion. According to the EPA, it's capable of 73 MPGe on the combined cycle and 29 mpg once the battery is depleted, and the manufacturer claims a full charge can be achieved in 2.5 hours on a Level 2 charger. Mini claims a combined range of 300 miles and an all-electric range of 17 miles. The non-hybrid Minis are equipped with a 16.1-gallon tank, which is good for around 450 miles in the case of the most frugal model. The PHEV gets a smaller 9.5-gallon gas tank.