Henny Hemmes for The Auto Channel takes a first drive in, and reviews, the MINI Countryman prototype on a track in Austria. MINI's chief designer Gert Hildebrand tells Hemmes the Countryman is " . . . a mini car with a maxi interior. That is what it is about: its big space." Hildebrand also defends the lavish use of chrome on the MINI. "Chrome belongs to a MINI” said Hildebrand. “It is so British. We tried a MINI without any chrome and it did not look right."During the test drive Hemmes found,
Gone is the kart like feel of the Mini One. The Countryman has a more grown up character. Steering is sensitive, but not as sensitive as of other models. Handling is agile, but friendly and leaves a safe impression on the soaked track. Body roll is minimal, an achievement of the development team, with a car that is over 6 inches higher.Hemmes liked the car but pronounced the following verdict - "The extreme fun factor of the original new Mini is gone, but you get more practicality in return."
