2025 Mini Cooper Countryman

Although BMW purchased the Mini brand in the 1990s and modern examples are much larger than their mid-20th century forebears, Mini retains a lot of its retro cool British sensibility. Some vehicles are still assembled in the UK. The sporty Mini Cooper is one of the smallest vehicles on the market, with a go-kart-like character that makes it exceptionally fun to drive. The larger Countryman competes with small SUVs, and John Cooper Works editions add even more power and more raucous handling. Mini sells both gas and electric versions (branded as “SE”) of every vehicle. Manual transmissions are no longer offered. Until recently, Mini had a checkered reliability history—several older models sat near the bottom of our reliability ratings. However, newer Minis have been among the most reliable on the market. Buyers of used models should pay careful attention to which model and year they choose.

The Mini Countryman SUV is redesigned for the 2025 model year, and it shares its platform with the redesigned BMW X1. But the biggest news is that a fully electric version will be available. The SE ALL4 uses dual electric motors that produce a total of 313 hp. The base gas-engine configuration, dubbed S ALL4, makes 241 hp from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a sportier John Cooper Works churns out 312 hp. Each version comes with all-wheel drive. The quirky interior does without a conventional instrument cluster and instead employs a giant, circular center screen.