What’s the best engine option for the grown-up MINI?

By Stuart Johnston

The Mini range has gown massively over the years, but has recently been rationalised to put weird lifestyle models like the odd-ball coupe to bed. As for engines, petrol units have been the mainstay in South Africa, but in mid-2017 a diesel version of the Countryman was introduced.

The Mini is one of those cars that needs little explanation, whatever company you are keeping. The first-generation car was launched nearly 60 years ago, and since 2002, the new BMW-built Mini has again been winning hearts and minds all over the planet.

A couple of years ago it seemed as if the enthusiasm for all-things Mini had got the better of BMW too, as the German automaker introduced some weird versions, such as the three-door-plus-hatch -portal Clubman, and roadster and coupe versions that made little sense, either stylistically or practically.

The Mini range today

Saner heads have prevailed, however. Today you can order a Mini in a basic three-door hatch,  a five-door hatch, an estate-style Clubman with five doors, a convertible, or a Countryman. The larger Countryman is a model that has earned its stripes, as it offers real-world practicality to a degree that no other “traditional” Mini does. Launched at around the time of the 2010 World Cup, here in South Africa, the Countryman is now in its second generation. For a report on the latest-generation Countryman click here.

Countryman engine options

The Countryman is the only Mini mode offered l locally that offers a diesel variant. This is not true in Europe, where diesel Minis have been available for some time.

The Countryman D uses a BMW-designed four-cylinder engine, also found in slightly different tune in the BMW X1 20d model. In the Mini, this engine is detuned from the X1’s peak power of 140 kW down to a milder 110 kW. Presumably the idea here is not have the two brands compete head-to-head with each other.

The other engine options in the Countryman are a three-cylinder petrol unit  producing 100 kW in the Cooper model, a four-cylinder petrol engine with 141 kW for the Countryman Cooper S, and a potent 170 kW John Cooper Works version!

Which engine is best?

All these engines have their good points. The three-cylinder is smooth for this type of engine and adequately powerful. It is fairly economical, although if you combine it with the automatic gearbox, the little engine is going to work hard for its money and you won’t achieve much under 7,5  litres/100 km.

The 2,0-litre Cooper S four-cylinder is strong on torque, but less happy to rev than previous Cooper S motors were in 1,6-litre format. Economy should be around 8,0 litres/100 km in manual form and 8,2 litres/100 in the auto model. The John Cooper Works (JCW) engine in this car seems a bit overkill, especially as the JCW all-wheel-drive model costs over R100 000 more than the Cooper S!

The Cooper D Countryman, however, is priced  below mid-pack in the range, starting at R488 380, which is just over R30 000 more than the cheapest little three-cylinder. We believe that this relaxed power unit is the engine best-suited to the “grown-up” Mini Countryman, and the good news is you’ll easily better 6,0 litres/100 km. This is a tried and proven BMW diesel, and to our mind, the engine of choice in the Countryman range.

For a selection of new and used Mini Countrymans, click here