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Mini Countryman SD: Test Drive Review
Date: 17 June 2011
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Mini's new SD diesel engine has gone into the entire range of products, including the largest Mini, the Countryman.
The 143hp 2.0-litre engine in the Countryman returns 61.4mpg and 122g/km, frustratingly close to the 120g/km point that would bring significant BIK reductions for 2011, if not beyond as the bands tighten in 2012.
To drive, the Countryman SD is more sober than the Mini hatch fitted with the same engine because the smaller car's more nimble characteristics make for a genuine diesel hot hatch. The taller and heavier Countryman feels a lot more lacklustre by comparison.
However, on paper the Mini comes out well against what's probably its biggest rival - Nissan's Qashqai, being 5.8p per mile cheaper to run, with decent RVs and excellent fuel consumption. It's just a bit more grown up and slightly less fun that its smaller siblings.
