That said, we weren\u2019t missing out on much anyway. England is notoriously flat until you get to the northern parts. Anyway, the highway schlep provides a good opportunity to explore the Mini\u2019s weird circular infotainment screen and interior.<\/p>\n
I love the way it looks \u2013 quite unlike anything else on the market. The functionality is great too \u2013 it\u2019s quick to respond, navigation around the system is easy to remember once you\u2019re familiar, and the included features are handy.<\/p>\n
Because the Mini system is a BMW iDrive derivative underneath, it still gets the confused Apps screen that contains too many options, but all key shortcuts are represented on the home screen on a panel at the bottom of the display.<\/p>\n
The home screen layout is full of information without overburdening the driver. You\u2019ve got a speed readout at the top (in addition to a head-up display) and air-conditioning controls at each bottom corner.<\/p>\n
MORE 2024 Mini Countryman S review<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\nThe Apple CarPlay\/Android Auto displays in an odd square format on a circular background; hopefully, there will be revisions in the future to make it seem more integrated.<\/p>\n
As for the interior itself, I\u2019m a huge fan of how it looks and feels. In place of leather coverings, the Mini selects knitted panels for the dashboard, door tops, and around the centre console. It not only looks brilliant, but it\u2019s a nice touchy-feely part of the car too.<\/p>\n
There are cool pull tabs for the centre console bin, enough storage for cameras, wallets, keys, and phones, plus a pair of lovely-feeling front seats.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a premium interior done differently and it’s a joy to interact with.<\/p>\n
But I digress. Mid-way through our journey I\u2019m reminded that the English have a weird obsession with motorway service centres because it was time to grab lunch and my partner was hurriedly Googling which motorway stop was the best bet.<\/p>\n
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\nWe settled on a spot just out of Stafford and picked up some salads before eating them by the man-made lake within the centre.<\/p>\n
In the time it took to eat lunch, a stoppage of traffic had amassed just outside the service station on the freeway which took 45 minutes to clear. I\u2019m not saying that Australia\u2019s traffic situation is any better than England\u2019s but the way in which traffic banks up almost instantaneously in England is wild.<\/p>\n
At least the countryside was starting to look more interesting once we hit the north. After passing through Preston, the surroundings start to become hilly and dramatic, the roads become windier, and less traffic clogs up the motorways. The weather also turns sour, but I\u2019m told that\u2019s commonplace.<\/p>\n
My partner takes over the driving as we near Carlisle and the countryside surrounding her village. Despite the Mini\u2019s size and almost no vision of the road, she\u2019s confidently tackling tight B-roads with alarming pace.<\/p>\n
The hedgerows reach high and block the road ahead which means you have to take the roads slow and in anticipation of a car coming the other way \u2013 or at least I thought. Turns out the locals know better.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Carlisle to Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n
\nCrossing the border into Scotland is a 10-minute exercise from my partner\u2019s childhood home and it\u2019s done without fanfare. There are no major landmarks, no rivers to cross, and no bagpipers on hand to serenade our entry.<\/p>\n
However, the scenery is stunning \u2013 even viewed from a motorway. The southern Scottish countryside is typified by bright green hills, acres upon acres of cattle (sheep and cows mainly), and cute country cottages.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s almost enjoyable driving the Mini on the freeways throughout the United Kingdom. The drivers are so much better disciplined and have an acute awareness of their surroundings.<\/p>\n
Merge onto a freeway and other motorists will change lanes to get out of your way, they\u2019ll get out of the right-hand lane if you\u2019re coming up behind them, and it\u2019s generally a much more social way of driving.<\/p>\n
That said, the Mini revels in a chance to turn off the motorway and flex its 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine too. Outputs in the UK-spec versions are slightly higher than the cars we get in Australia \u2013 125kW\/280Nm vs 115kW\/230Nm \u2013 but it can still feel out of puff when you press the throttle at the wrong moment.<\/p>\n
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\nAt full throttle it perks up nicely for overtakes \u2013 important in the UK where overtaking lanes are rarer than in Australia \u2013 but there\u2019s a latency to response at lower speeds. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is quick to shift on the move but can stumble over itself at low speeds.<\/p>\n
The A-road run into Edinburgh is dotted with little villages to trundle through and rural sections with tall tree canopies. Each neighbourhood has its own little idiosyncrasies and differences which have probably stood for centuries.<\/p>\n
Edinburgh itself is absolutely stunning. This is the proper old-timey experience and architecture I was expecting on my visit to the United Kingdom. I wasn\u2019t disappointed.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy-going threading the Mini\u2019s nose through the tight city streets of Old Town. The car barely gets a second look due to the sheer abundance of Minis running about the place; they simply look right at home on the cobblestones of the stone-walled streets.<\/p>\n
I loved the bright sun shining into the cabin from the huge sunroof. The extra light makes it feel very spacious inside the cabin. Despite the new-generation Mini Countryman being the biggest one yet, it remained a simple prospect to reverse park in the street.<\/p>\n
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\nAlthough I could have spent an entire holiday milling about Edinburgh, it wasn\u2019t our final destination. We set a wacky course for the Scottish Highlands, trying to hit as many landmarks as possible on the way there.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not long before we pass by the first attraction \u2013 the Scottish Kelpies. The Kelpies are two monumental horse heads protruding from the earth, designed to pay tribute to Scottish water spirits.<\/p>\n
Another tourist-trap tick-box is to stop off and see a furry Highland cow, which we achieved just outside Callander. The breed is known for its leaner beef, but judging by the tourist shops that offer endless Highland cow-related souvenirs \u2013 the tourism draw is arguably more important.<\/p>\n
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\nAs we neared our Glencoe turnaround point, the scenery became much more mountainous and there were plenty of idyllic lochs in the valleys to appreciate. It\u2019s hard not to think of the geological history in such a gorgeous, dramatic-looking place.<\/p>\n
Weirdly, grass follows the mountains right up to their peaks, which make them seem smaller than they are.<\/p>\n
Although the roads become increasingly tight and twisty the further north you go, the tourist traffic is real. The one-lane roads are a tricky prospect given you have to wait in designated \u201cPassing Places\u201d for other oncoming traffic to pass by.<\/p>\n
But the Mini Countryman seems built for this country. It\u2019s easy to thread the car\u2019s nose past other SUVs, buses, and trucks.<\/p>\n
All the lochs have beautiful glassy reflections and it seems every direction you look you\u2019re met with a postcard view.<\/p>\n
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\nWe opted for an alternate route back down into England, but it doesn’t matter which way you go \u2013 whatever Scottish countryside you see on your route you\u2019re bound to witness awe-inspiring scenery.<\/p>\n
Our journey passed through the Peebles and Moffat before leaving Scotland and these remote towns are surrounded by incredible uninterrupted mountains and lochs. The fields were full of bright wildflowers and the gloomy sky over the meadows looked straight out of James Bond\u2019s Skyfall.<\/em><\/p>\nAlthough I praise the way the Mini was able to tackle the tight roads through this countryside, I wouldn\u2019t want to be driving anything bigger. The truck drivers looked like they were having a bad time trying to negotiate with other cars, and the blind corners beside steep drop-offs seemed threatening.<\/p>\n
All in all, we made it back into England in one piece \u2013 though plenty of flies and insects had given their lives along the journey if the Countryman\u2019s grille was anything to go by.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Carlisle to Yorkshire<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n
\nThe next major road trip completed behind the Mini\u2019s wheel was down to Yorkshire \u2013 famous for tea, puddings, castles, and various historic towns and cities.<\/p>\n
Ordinarily, the journey from the west side of the country to the east is a straight shot on the motorway, but ever-keen to explore more Britain, I plot a southerly route that touches the Yorkshire Dales National Park.<\/p>\n
I thought the roads were tight in Carlisle and the Scottish Highlands \u2013 but the thoroughfares in this part of the country are on another level.<\/p>\n
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\nIt\u2019s genuinely wince-inducing passing between hand-lain stone walls on either side of the car and quite often you’re genuinely waiting to hear the screech of metal-on-metal as you sidle up against another vehicle.<\/p>\n
Yet, the Mini Countryman escapes unscathed. It\u2019s the perfect size, allowing my partner and I to ferry her parents, while packing in enough luggage for everyone in the boot. A large SUV like a Toyota Kluger or a Kia Sorento might have more interior space, but it would have become difficult to maneouver in some of the areas we ventured.<\/p>\n
When I picture Australia, I like to think it\u2019s a pretty lush and green country \u2013 especially the east coast where I live. But England puts that to shame.<\/p>\n
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\nThere is so much greenery and so much growth, and it\u2019s a lovely sight to see on a sunny day. It\u2019s cool that the country\u2019s past is always on display no matter where you go.<\/p>\n
Copious hand-built aqueducts point towards Britain\u2019s railway past and it\u2019s awesome to see farm stone walls \u2013 built to demarcate property lines \u2013 are still standing hundreds (even thousands) of years later.<\/p>\n
Before heading down to York city itself, we made a stop for a fish and chips dinner in the port town of Whitby on the east coast. Whitby\u2019s the seaside town where the story Dracula<\/em> is largely set, and it\u2019s the port where Captain James Cook first set sail on his journey of discovery to Australia.<\/p>\nToday, it\u2019s a quaint fishing village with historic abbey ruins and countless chippy shops.<\/p>\n
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\nBack on the road, the Mini was winning fans from both the front and back seats. The three-cylinder engine is very quiet on the open road and minimal wind noise makes its way into the cabin. Even though we were all sat in the car for an entire day, no one was particularly tired which is a good sign.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a comfortable cruiser in terms of ride quality. Though it only has a single set of dampers, the suspension absorbs all kinds of road impacts without upsetting the cabin refinement.<\/p>\n
I do like the fact that Mini opted to include a head-up display with a speedometer \u2013 the central speedo display can be hard to track because it\u2019s out of your line of sight.<\/p>\n
My partner didn\u2019t love how thick the steering wheel was, but I like a chunky grip on the wheel \u2013 it fit my hands perfectly. The steering doesn\u2019t offer too much in the way of feedback, but it is direct and allows you to hook into a corner with minimal effort.<\/p>\n
In addition to the adaptive cruise control system, our Countryman came with a Driving Assistant Plus program that can automatically slow the car down before roundabouts or corners.<\/p>\n
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\nIt’s cool how Mini stuck with funky turn-key-style switchgear for the ignition, and the rocker switch for the gear selector was easy to use. At night, the cabin can light up with impressive projections over the dashboard and the mirrors throw puddle lights down onto the ground whenever you open the doors.<\/p>\n
York\u2019s city centre itself isn\u2019t a great place to travel by car \u2013 it\u2019s busy and the parking options are limited. But there\u2019s still plenty to check out, either on foot or by boat on the River Ouse.<\/p>\n
Outside of town, it\u2019s worth stopping by the ornate and oversized Castle Howard to check out how the other half lived (and continue to live). You might recognise the building and surroundings from the Netflix series Bridgerton<\/em>.<\/p>\n