The 2025 Mini Countryman SE: Whimsy doesn’t make up for annoying
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I've been vocal here about the seeming excess of crazy expensive vehicles, so thank you for looking at something that's merely pricey. One day America you'll get the Renault 5. Metaphorically and maybe literally.
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Holy shit that gauge cluster is busy. The circle screen looks like it's making designing a screen that has all the info you need extra difficult. I think the lack of a corner to "anchor" things to makes it seem like everything is just splattered on the screen anywhere there was room.
You'd probably be able to get used to it, but should you have to?
You'd probably be able to get used to it, but should you have to?
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The original Countryman and R53/56 were gorgeous at any price (and the price was low). It's sad to look at these things now
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I bet you could design a really cool and functional dash using that big circle. They should give that a shot instead of whatever they've got going on right now...
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RickRoyLeonPrisZhoraRacha
Ars Praetorian
A friend loves his mini. I mean, its like a BMW motor in a slotcar. But THIS dash? Glare. Ugly. Distracting. I can see your reflection so I can't imagine this on a Sunny, Bright, Dawn or Dusk drive. Still, if you love Minis...
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The Countryman is not a bad car, considered on its own merits; it's a reasonably competitive modern premium crossover that doesn't handle too badly, even if previous versions were smaller and handled better and had better proportions. The laggy infotainment is pretty inexcusable in 2025, as is the slow charging. But it's just a standard-issue modern crossover with some cutesy design elements from a 75-year old design grafted on. Fussy superficial quirkiness that doesn't actually serve a practical can be fun, but it's usually unnecessary except as a branding exercise.
There's a timeline out there in the Multiverse where BMW decided to take Mini in a direction inspired by Issigonis' design philosophy, rather than the one that seems to just iterate endlessly on the superficial quirks of a design he penned in the 1950s. And that would have been a more interesting timeline, because the Mini was really a phenomenally innovative design that was informed by practicality, space efficiency, and usefulness. The design elements we associate with it are largely rooted in the technology and styling expectations of the day, and they're cute and nostalgic now, but that wasn't the point then. The infotainment screen doesn't need to be circular, BMW just made it circular to recall the big central speedometer that was round because its mechanicals dictated it be round, and it was center mounted to make right- and left-hand drive simpler to produce. The headlights recall the original's, sort of, but those were round because sealed-beam reflectors needed to be round in the '50s to project light, not to be adorable. The OG Mini was all about maximizing interior space with an innovative mechanical layout and wheels pushed way out to the corners. An EV designed with those priorities dictating the details, even an EV crossover, would be a much more interesting and probably better car than this.
There's a timeline out there in the Multiverse where BMW decided to take Mini in a direction inspired by Issigonis' design philosophy, rather than the one that seems to just iterate endlessly on the superficial quirks of a design he penned in the 1950s. And that would have been a more interesting timeline, because the Mini was really a phenomenally innovative design that was informed by practicality, space efficiency, and usefulness. The design elements we associate with it are largely rooted in the technology and styling expectations of the day, and they're cute and nostalgic now, but that wasn't the point then. The infotainment screen doesn't need to be circular, BMW just made it circular to recall the big central speedometer that was round because its mechanicals dictated it be round, and it was center mounted to make right- and left-hand drive simpler to produce. The headlights recall the original's, sort of, but those were round because sealed-beam reflectors needed to be round in the '50s to project light, not to be adorable. The OG Mini was all about maximizing interior space with an innovative mechanical layout and wheels pushed way out to the corners. An EV designed with those priorities dictating the details, even an EV crossover, would be a much more interesting and probably better car than this.
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I don’t care if it charges in 1 minute, goes zero to 60 in 1 second, and has a 5,000 mile range. I refuse to buy a new car and pay taxes to Cheeto head until the tariffs are lifted.
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There's a HUD in front of the driver, so you'd think they would be able to move the speedo and some other items out of the circle. A parts bin HVAC controller would have been fine, and moved some more stuff out. They made it crowded because they wanted to.
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I was just thinking about Mini yesterday. They are maybe the most disappointing automaker today. They have a whole segment to themselves (premium subcompacts) and they can't compete with value subcompacts. They are near the bottom of reliability surveys and have been for a long time. The infotainment has never been good, looks like that's still a problem. They're overpriced and depreciate like stones.
And yet... they're so damn charming. The handling is so much fun. What I'm saying is; don't buy one, convince your friend to buy one and borrow it as much as you can.
And yet... they're so damn charming. The handling is so much fun. What I'm saying is; don't buy one, convince your friend to buy one and borrow it as much as you can.
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I wonder if glare is actually an issue. My car has a bigger screen than that and it has literally never been an issue.
The issue is when I look at it, I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to be looking at. There's so much going on but it seems like there's so little information. Until everything gets pushed to the edges and CarPlay is haphazardly slapped in the center. It couldn't look more out of place if it tried. Maybe if they cropped the CarPlay interface inside of a triangle inside of the circle? I don't know, but I do know what they have here is hard to parse at a glance. You know, how you'd be using it while driving.
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Honestly I thought the thing was cute until the reference to the infotainment as "like one of those Coke machines"
I seem to have a curse such that anywhere I go that has one of those annoying coke dispensers, the thing is inevitably at least 50% non functional/out of product... or I'm stuck behind some kid who is hell bent on putting a small spray of every single flavour the machine is capable of into a single cup...
based on that curse, I somehow expect that if I ended up in one of these Mini's, I'd probably have the same UI curse !!!!
that being said: I can't afford the thing anyway
I seem to have a curse such that anywhere I go that has one of those annoying coke dispensers, the thing is inevitably at least 50% non functional/out of product... or I'm stuck behind some kid who is hell bent on putting a small spray of every single flavour the machine is capable of into a single cup...
based on that curse, I somehow expect that if I ended up in one of these Mini's, I'd probably have the same UI curse !!!!
that being said: I can't afford the thing anyway
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I wish they would stop calling it a "Mini". These things are massive now. What does this monstrosity weigh?
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I have a friend who is a real estate agent: they roll a new Mini every couple of years on short term leases, and the rationale is hilarious. "generally the thing is mostly reliable for the first two years: then it gets annoying... So, two year leases and let someone else have the problems"
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I had one as a loaner last fall, and rented the BMW equivalent (iX1) in Italy last summer. The Countryman has some goofy details that are fun for a bit, but the BMW felt like a better car, maybe better suspension tuning? Both felt solid and quick, though.
BUUUUUT...if you want the "good" stereo in the Mini in Canada you're looking at an MSRP north of $70k and this is in no way a seventy thousand dollar car.
BUUUUUT...if you want the "good" stereo in the Mini in Canada you're looking at an MSRP north of $70k and this is in no way a seventy thousand dollar car.
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I think you got it right on your first post - there's no corners, so there's nothing guiding your eye to anything in particular, and no obvious place for critical vs noncritical information. And there's just so much going on; not to get all Edwin Tufte on this, but I think we need a term like chartjunk - "displayjunk" maybe - for all the nonfunctional cruft that builds up in infotainment displays. I'm not opposed to some cool fonts and colors and layouts and so on, and a certain amount of displayjunk is fine and can be fun and entertaining...but there is a distracting amount of bullshit that conveys no information and has no purpose on every one of those display views, compounding the first problem.
It seems obvious to me that there should be a display or HUD in front of the driver displaying critical information. And it seems obvious to me that a circle is a dumb shape for a touchscreen. I feel like there just has to be a way to make the design fun and distinctive and charming without making it suck so much ass from a UI/UX standpoint.
The HUD is optional. But they didn't change any of the main screen's display information on HUD-equipped models, so the HUD is a redundant extra, not a primary gage display.
I personally think every car should come with a HUD or other high-mounted display as the primary gage display, but that'd be to reduce cognitive load, not add to it.
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I've been praying that the Trumpanzee's antics drive Canada to join some sort of common market with Europe so I can buy an R5 here or, better, an Alpine A290.
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The R56 generation (circa 2007-15) had reliability issues, most notably with carbon buildup that plagued a number of direct-injection engines of that era. But the F56 generation of this past decade has been damn near bulletproof.
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2019-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds
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There aren't many choices for semi-premium small EVs, so we took one of these for a test drive. And reached the same conclusions as the author- it was a very disappointing experience. As a previous MINI Cooper S owner, I definitely expected more.
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Let me preface this by saying, I recently sold a 2019 Clubman and my wife drives a 2024 convertible so we generally like the brand and subsequent quirks. Interestingly, we have a 2025 Countryman (gas) loaner in our garage right now (Indiana pothole did in the passenger front on the convertible).
I'm surprised Mini even bothered with this car. I'm sure they didn't expect it to be a volume seller, the whole exercise just seems wasteful.
I'm probably in the minority here, but 220 mile range isn't a problem for my family. We're trying to figure out what our first EV will be this summer, and the Mini isn't even in the top 5.
However, I don't think the pricing is grossly off target. A similarly optioned ID.4 is pretty close to this. It is worth noting that Mini depreciation is no joke (as another commenter said), I assume you multiply it x2 for a Mini EV!
This is a long way of saying, if you can't convert existing owners to your EV products, good luck attracting others when competitive products are more affordable with better range.
I'm surprised Mini even bothered with this car. I'm sure they didn't expect it to be a volume seller, the whole exercise just seems wasteful.
I'm probably in the minority here, but 220 mile range isn't a problem for my family. We're trying to figure out what our first EV will be this summer, and the Mini isn't even in the top 5.
However, I don't think the pricing is grossly off target. A similarly optioned ID.4 is pretty close to this. It is worth noting that Mini depreciation is no joke (as another commenter said), I assume you multiply it x2 for a Mini EV!
This is a long way of saying, if you can't convert existing owners to your EV products, good luck attracting others when competitive products are more affordable with better range.
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I know this is anecdata, but I've owned Minis for a couple of decades and not experienced any of the problems you point to. Of course I don't give the smallest of shits about depreciation since I drive them till they don't. And that time interval has been just fine.
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It's not exactly "mini" anymore though, is it?
The original Mini was an inexpensive entry-level car that happened to also have great handling and be thoroughly fun-and-yet-practical to drive. I was on-board with the original reincarnation of the Mini. It was a nice balance. Since then, the cars have just continued to swell and swell, and it's now a bloated thing no smaller or more affordable than any of the other "cute-UTEs".
And second every single one of you bashing that circular graphic-salad of a display. No thanks. Not for me.
The original Mini was an inexpensive entry-level car that happened to also have great handling and be thoroughly fun-and-yet-practical to drive. I was on-board with the original reincarnation of the Mini. It was a nice balance. Since then, the cars have just continued to swell and swell, and it's now a bloated thing no smaller or more affordable than any of the other "cute-UTEs".
And second every single one of you bashing that circular graphic-salad of a display. No thanks. Not for me.
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Love the idea, but the execution just isn't there. I don't get how the Ioniq 5 / EV6 still don't have any real competition. The only other cars with sub 20 minute 10-80 charging times are Porsches and Lucids.
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Adding to other comments on the somewhat busy main screen, why do half of the display modes duplicate the power/battery gauges on the side and top? That would bug the heck out of me.
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It's basically the same size as a Crosstrek. Are we really calling these "massive" now?
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FSTargetDrone
Ars Centurion
I’ve been driving my 2013 (gas-powered, of course) MINI Cooper Coupe S since buying new in December 2012 and I love it.
My brother-in-law bought his son an all-electric MINI a few years ago and it barely had 100-mile range. Perfectly fine for use as a runabout and that‘s how they used it. Worked well enough before they sold it as the kid was going to college out of state and the car became less practical.
My brother-in-law bought his son an all-electric MINI a few years ago and it barely had 100-mile range. Perfectly fine for use as a runabout and that‘s how they used it. Worked well enough before they sold it as the kid was going to college out of state and the car became less practical.
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FSTargetDrone
Ars Centurion
If I were in the market for an electric car and assuming no tariffs, I’d probably go for an Ioniq. But I prefer 2-seaters and there are few affordable options in that category. I’ve no interest in large cars or SUVs/crossovers.
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FSTargetDrone
Ars Centurion
Gotta blast them with walnut shells!The R56 generation (circa 2007-15) had reliability issues, most notably with carbon buildup that plagued a number of direct-injection engines of that era. But the F56 generation of this past decade has been damn near bulletproof.
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2019-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds
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Parked next to an ICE one of these or the earlier version. First thought was "$deity, that's big", which is odd for a thing called a 'Mini'.
Imagine if a Hummer was actually branded Huuuge and then produced something like a Suzuki Jimny.
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It's still a relatively small vehicle and I think this is the least interesting thing to criticize the brand for. But this really underlines how a car brand has to have a strong image, but not so strong that it's limiting. Mini can't build anything larger than subcompact without catching flak for not being miniature enough. Hummer, likewise, has to build giant Tonka Truck offroad monstrosities; it can't build some normal crossover or a car. They're painted into a corner by only selling the one thing, that looks the one way, and everybody screams if they go outside the box. I think Mini, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Land Rover, and Maserati are all in this hole, with no obvious way out.
But if it's all things to all people, the brand turns into GM - which is to say, a bunch of okay cars that may as well be the generic inserts in car insurance ads, and which have no real image or unique selling point at all. Maybe the trucks do, I guess. But the rest of what it sells are decent but unmemorable blobs with this decade's branded styling language applied and an arbitrary name that's probably new and has no brand equity built up because they shitcanned the old one. VW and Nissan have fell into this trap too, of late.
So ideally a car brand defines itself generally enough to have the latitude to sell a wide variety of cars to a broad demographic of potential customers but has a strong and defined enough image that people actively want to buy that brand. No wonder it's so easy to fuck up.
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In retrospect maybe the retro 'Mini' design language is a trap - if instead they made insanely efficient space utilisation their thing - like the original - then maybe they could go up to minivans while staying on brand. Wouldn't look like a Mini though.
Tbh Fiat missed the same opportunity with newer retro-chubster 600 vs the old school Multipla (or the brilliantly weird double-bubble 2000s one)
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BMW had that in the i3.
Then, I believe, they canned the i3 rather than produce a 50kWH version and stuck the motor and electronics into the electric Mini-Cooper.
It's annoying. Our next EV may end up coming from Renault or Stellantis because BMW's offerings just cross too many red lines.
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We're still talking about range anxiety in 2025? Are people returning their EVs in droves because they don't have enough range? No, they are not.
This Mini is (apparently) a smaller vehicle compared to most American vehicles, and thus will more likely see urban or first-ring suburban use (where it fits in smaller garages); few people in distant US exurbs will buy one of these as their main car (exurbanites buy the 4-door trucks & giant SUVs). The mini won't be towing your houseboat or carrying 2x4s or plywood sheets.
So the range and charging are perfectly fine for this kind of vehicle.
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I actually happen to agree with that, and have thought the same thing; the i3 should have been a non-retro Mini.
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