Car and Driver, which was not a fan of the Countryman when it drove it in the snows of Michigan back in March, now starts a long term road test of the vehicle. The reviewers make their negative mindset obvious:
"It does, however, seem doubtful that we’ll ever warm up to the look of this car, and logbook commentary on the styling is scathing. One staffer noted, 'I’m not a Mini loyalist, so I don’t really consider it an abomination [in terms of size, door count, all-wheel drive], except for the exterior design,' while another wrote, 'I’m glad we went with a subdued color scheme for the exterior, to spare everybody the pain of having their eyes drawn to the styling.'
Then again, those who buy Minis for their looks already have plenty of choices. This Mini is about practicality. We’ll see if the Countryman’s performance as an every-day car over the next 36,000 miles can’t soften those jabs at the looks."
