Jamie's next MINI

Time for a New MINI? Jamie Ipsen

The MINI oxymoron — the SUV wannabe — the Countryman, came to town a couple months ago. Did I race right out and test drive it? No — like a staunch loyalist, I turned my nose up at it and wondered what possessed MINI to produce such a beast? What was wrong with the absolutely perfect R53/R56? I thought if it wasn’t broken, it didn’t need fixing. After much pondering and a Facebook post from Keeler enticing me to come in and check out the fabulous Countryman, I attempted to take a more objective view.

Online I Google, “What is being said about the MINI Countryman?” To my delight a Top Gear video and review pops up! They laugh at its “irony” but they actually like the car. The MINI handling is still there despite the expanded dimensions. A photograph of a wavy gravy paint . . . → Read More: Time for a New MINI?