Mini Countryman VS Land Rover Discovery Sport
Mini Countryman
Likes
- Cute styling inside and out
- Responsive engine
- Practical
Dislikes
- High urban fuel consumption
- Visibility restricted while driving
- No shifting paddles
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Likes
- Cabin is both large and practical
- Economical to run
- Mostly smooth to drive
Dislikes
- Paying extra for features may irk
- More expensive than flagship model
- Some tech needs work
Summary
Mini Countryman
The Countryman is Mini’s SUV and the new-generation model has grown in size making it the biggest Mini ever made. But even then it’s still a small SUV.
We’ve tested the Countryman S All4 in the Favoured grade to find out if it could be the ideal urban little SUV.
In this review we rate the Countryman S All4 Favoured for what it’s like to drive and how fuel efficient it is, how practical and spacious the cabin is for people and their stuff, check out the safety equipment, list its features and weigh up the value-for-money.
Read more about
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- Why there will be no EV version of the 2025 Mini Cooper five-door, and how the Aceman electric SUV could become the brand's global top-seller
| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.0L |
| Fuel Type | Pulp |
| Fuel Efficiency | 7.6L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Land Rover Discovery Sport is the sort of Land Rover you consider if you're not that serious about going off-road but still want something capable, but you don't want a car as large as it's Range Rover cousins.
Bonus points, the P300e mid-spec model I'm testing this week is a plug-in hybrid. So, you get the best of all worlds - capability, decent size and economy.
The new powertrain pits it against the Lexus NX450+, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and even the BMW X3 but while the P300e is great on paper, how does it stack-up in real life?
Read more about
- Land Rover Australian sales through the roof: Defender, Discovery and Range Rover Evoque star in spectacular year-on-year increases that leave competitors like Jeep, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in the shade
- England's pricey answer to the Suzuki Jimny? Baby electric version of Land Rover Defender coming by 2027 - report
- But what does it stand for? Land Rover brand axed as Jaguar Land Rover renamed 'JLR' to launch Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar as individual brands
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.5L turbo |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | 2.1L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Mini Countryman8/10
The Mini Countryman S All4 Favoured is cute, practical, fun to drive, good value and has the latest safety tech. But its urban fuel consumption is high for a small SUV. If you are staying mainly in the city the electric Countryman might make this already excellent SUV just about perfect for you and your urban lifestyle.
Land Rover Discovery Sport7.6/10
The Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e has a beautiful and practical cabin space. The powertrain didn't always convince me on the road but it does offer decent economy, if you charge it often.
The media system left a lot to be desired and having to pay around $15K extra for all of the customisations means it's not as affordable as what it initially seems. Still, if you’re looking for a plug-in hybrid with a great cabin and on-road looks, this is a good option.
Design
Mini Countryman
The Mini Countryman S Favoured’s design is so interesting it’s easier to make a list of things about it which aren’t interesting. The list: i) tyres, ii) windscreen wipers, iii) seat belts.
That’s pretty much it. I mean they’re interesting in that we can’t live without them but they're not cute like the headlights, pug-nosed bonnet, tiny windscreen and sad-faced grille.
Nor stunning like the cabin’s large central display. The first-ever circular OLED display in a car, by the way. And certainly not as intriguing as the way the interior door trim changes colour from the back to the front.
The Countryman S is all-wheel drive and Mini has given it a rugged look complete with All4 badging.
The Countryman S All4 comes in nine colours, ours is 'Smokey Green' and you can mix and match the colours with the roof and wing mirrors ('Vibrant Silver' on our car).
The test car's wheels are 20-inch alloy 'Windmill' design and although they aren’t the most intricate looking they're easy to clean.
Another interesting Countryman attribute is its size. This is the biggest Mini ever made at 4.44m long, 1.84m wide and 1.66m tall.
So, if you do decide to buy one be prepared for “not very mini, is it?” jokes delivered by unfunny people haunting petrol stations and shopping centre car parks.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The updated Disco Sport gets new underpinnings which are shared with the Range Rover Evoque.
The body has seen a minor facelift but honestly, it’s so slight only die-hard fans will notice anything different. Overall, it still has the styling that people know and love.
It’s once you head inside that the facelift becomes far more apparent. Gone is the more traditional looking e-shifter and in its place is a rather nubby-looking one.
The dashboard looks more streamlined and features wider padded accents and in our test model, we have the Oyster and Black upholstery which does make it look quite luxurious. There are a few too many blank spaces for me personally but it looks slick.
Accentuating the dashboard is a floating-effect multimedia system and a large digital instrument cluster – both of which look great but there are no other control buttons or dials. I’m not a fan of the fact that you’re 100 per cent reliant on the tech screens and I'll explain why in the Practicality section.
The optioned panoramic roof makes the cabin feel airy and it's cool that it has a memory function – it will close when you turn off the car but reopen upon starting again.
Practicality
Mini Countryman
The Countryman is Mini’s SUV and the brand has clearly attempted to make the interior feel rugged and practical with touches like hard wearing materials and grippy surfaces, plus clever storage.
There are big door pockets with moulded compartments, shelves under the dashboard, a covered area between the driver and front passenger and four cupholders.
There are plenty of power outlets, too, with four type-C USB ports, two 12V outlets and a wireless phone charger.
If you were wondering how roomy the Countryman is, don’t fear, there’s plenty of space up front even for me at 189cm with wide seats and good elbow room. Space in the back is excellent with plenty of legroom and headroom. All up there are five seats on board.
If you’re going to be using the rear doors for passengers a lot, take a look at the size of the opening. It’s small and getting in and out might be a problem for older and less flexible people.
As for cargo space the Countryman has a 505L boot with all seats upright.
The Countryman’s BMW X1 twin offers better practicality and space, but lacks the cute, quirky looks. Having lived with both cars it’s clear the X1 makes a better family car.
Something to keep in mind if you’re looking for better practicality for about the same price, size and performance.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
With it's 4597mm length, 2173mm width and 1727mm height, the Discovery Sport is technically classed as a medium SUV but the cabin space is much larger than it has any right to be.
Both rows have ample head- and legroom for both my 168cm (5ft6') height and those much taller. When you have a co-pilot, you’re also not jostling for elbow room and it’s easy to slide in and out of because of the 212mm ground clearance.
The amenities up front are good with the update seeing more decent sized individual storage options.
There are two cubbies in the centre console as well as two cupholders and a medium-sized middle console. The glove box can hold more than a manual and the storage bins with their single drink bottle holders are also larger than before.
The powered front seats are comfortable and the optioned heat functions are most welcome on the cooler days we've been having lately.
The back seats also have superior padding comfort but you sit on top of, rather than in, them which is typical of an SUV.
The amenities and storage are what you would expect for the grade level with a fold-down armrest with two cup holders and small storage cubby, directional air vents, reading lights, map pockets and small storage bin in each door.
There is also an accessory hole to attach device holders on the backs of the front seats - perfect for hooking up a screen for little ones on a long journey.
The P300e loses points on its practicality with the multimedia system. You eventually get used to using it while on the go, even though the lack of buttons/dials means more time is spent with your eyes on the screen.
That's when the screen turns on. The display has cut out a few times this week and the wireless connectivity for Bluetooth and the connection for Apple CarPlay (wireless or wired) drops out a lot.
The P300e I'm driving is brand-spanking-new, so it may just be a case of something that needs calibrating but for a lot of the Land Rovers I've sampled in the past, the media system seems to be the area with the biggest teething issues.
That being said, the built-in satellite navigation is top-notch and easy to use. The directions also get displayed on the instrument cluster and optioned HUD.
The charging options are excellent with the front row getting three USB-C ports and a large wireless charging pad. The rear gets two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports plus a 12-volt socket and the boot also has a 12-volt socket. Totally spoiled for choice.
The boot is a great size at 897L with all seats in use and that jumps up to 1749L when the rear seats are folded flat. The rear row also has a 40/20/40 split, which opens up storage opens.
There is a temporary spare tyre housed underneath the flat floor and a powered tailgate comes standard in this model, which I always like.
Price and features
Mini Countryman
We have tested the Mini Countryman S All4 Favoured. In Mini-speak that means it sits in the middle of the Countryman line-up and it’s all-wheel drive. The list price is $61,990.
Coming standard are LED headlights, black roof rails, 20-inch alloy wheels, proximity unlocking, John Cooper Works seats, dual-zone climate control, heated power front seats, a heated sports steering wheel, a round OLED media display, a head-up display, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and wireless phone charging. And by the way the interior colour which transitions from brown to blue is also standard on the Favoured.
The value is pretty good for what really is a prestige car and that means you’re comparing it to things like a Volvo XC40 and it’s not-so identical twin the BMW X1.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Discovery Sport is offered in four grades and the model on test in this review is the plug-in hybrid mid-level P300e.
The P300e is priced from $102,125 before on road costs but the addition of the plug-in hybrid powertrain means that it is actually $8855 more expensive than the flagship HSE.
In terms of its rivals, the P300e sits towards the middle of the line-up with the Volvo XC60 Recharge Plus PHEV coming in as the most affordable at $92,990 before on-road costs, then the Lexus NX450+ PHEV at $93,498. Sitting at the more expensive is the Audi Q5 55 TFSIe at $106,600 and then the BMW X3 xDrive30e M Sport PHEV at $111,800.
However, our test model does have a few optioned extras which ups the price tag and its position in the pack.
Those options include:
- A Technology Pack for $4700 which adds a digital rearview mirror, head-up display, and a 360-degree camera system with wade sensors.
- A fixed panoramic roof for $3040.
- Upgraded Meridian Surround Sound System for $2220.
- Upgraded 20-inch alloy wheels for $2080.
- Heated front seats for $860.
- Home charging cable for $520.
- Titanium mesh trim for $420.
All of that brings the grand total to $117,290, before on roads. Which is no small lump of change for what is essentially just a baby Land Rover.
Standard luxury and practical features include powered front seats with a three-position memory function for the driver, synthetic leather upholstery, keyless entry, push-button start, powered tailgate, temporary spare-tyre, and dual-zone climate control.
Technology includes an 11.4-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Android Auto, wireless charging pad, Bluetooth connectivity, and DAB+ Digital Radio.
The update also sees wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay, an Amazon Alexa app, as well as new USB-C ports, as opposed to USB-A ports from the previous model.
Under the bonnet
Mini Countryman
The Mini Countryman S has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine making 150kW and 300Nm - the same one powering the BMW X1.
This is a more powerful engine than the three-cylinder found in entry-grade Countryman C, but doesn’t have the grunt of the more hardcore Countryman JCW that sits above it in the range.
A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic flips through gears quickly and smoothly. If only there were shifting paddles on the Countryman S so the driver could be a bit more involved.
As mentioned earlier the Countryman S is all-wheel drive which is great for extra traction but doesn’t make this little SUV a capable off-roader, so keep your adventures no wilder than dirt or gravel roads that aren’t too challenging.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Discovery Sport P300e has a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder plug-in hybrid turbo-petrol engine with an eight-speed auto transmission and is an all-wheel drive.
The engine produces a combined power output of 227kW and 540Nm of torque. On paper, it’s punchy and can do a 0-100km/h sprint in 6.6 seconds but in practice, it’s not always great at using that power.
Efficiency
Mini Countryman
Mini says the Countryman S should use 7.6L/100km of premium unleaded petrol after a combination of open and urban roads, but also says if you’re driving is restricted to just the city consumption will jump to 9.9L/100km. Our own testing was mainly urban and we measured 11.2L/100km at the fuel pump.
Thanks to a 45-litre tank, driving range between fills is around 450km using the official consumption figure and just over 400km using our real-world average.
The relatively heavy fuel consumption is a weakness in the Countryman S’s urban suitability. The three-cylinder Countryman C is more fuel efficient but the electric Countryman E is a much better alternative and only costs about $5000 more than our test car.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The official combined fuel cycle consumption figure is 2.1L/100km and my real-world usage sits a 4.8L/100km after doing some open-roading and lots of urban trips this week. For an SUV of this size and with it's power, that's pretty darn good.
The trick is to regularly charge it for maximum fuel economy gains and that's not always practical.
Officially, you get up to 66km of pure electric range in this but expect closer to 47km in the real world.
The P300e has a Type 2 CCS charging port which means you can hook this up to a fast charger. On a 50kW system, you can go from 0-80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes but on a 7kW system, going from 0-100 per cent jumps up to to two hours and 12 minutes.
Expect to leave it on charge overnight on a standard domestic socket.
The driving range based on the official combined fuel cycle is obscene, and I can't see it happening in real life - so, based on my fuel economy figure and the 58L fuel tank, expect a theoretical driving range of up to 1208km.
Driving
Mini Countryman
The Mini Countryman S is a fun and comfortable car to drive with sporty handling. That 2.0-litre engine has plenty of oomph, the all-wheel drive offers flawless traction in rain and the transmission shifts decisively.
The drive mode list lets you flip through 'Experiences' using a switch under the media display. The Experiences range from 'Efficiency' for better fuel economy to 'Go Kart' which is a sport mode that shifts gears quicker or holds them to keep the engine in the most responsive rev range.
It would have been good if Mini gave the Countryman S Favourerd shifting paddles. I’m a fan of these, but they’re only available on the grade above.
If there is a downside it’s that visibility from the driver’s seat isn’t great and this comes down to the design of the vehicle which is undoubtedly cute but has small windows and blind spots caused by thick pillars. Even the All4 badge on the side of the car obstructs visibility through the window it’s fixed to.
The Countryman S isn’t tiny, either, at 4.44m long and 1.84m wide, and the visibility actually makes this small SUV feel larger than it is. You’ll get used to this as well. If you are concerned about the size, there are smaller Minis like the three-door which feels a lot more… mini.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Discovery Sport P300e has the goods on paper when it comes to power and it does... once you're up to speed. That's when you can punch it and feel confident at overtaking or keeping your speed consistent on hills.
It's when you're accelerating from a full-stop that it becomes a bit lacklustre as there's serious lag between accelerating and actually moving forward. Accept that you will have to accommodate for this inaction whenever you are joining or crossing traffic from a standstill.
Besides this little hiccup in the power delivery, handling on the whole is good.
The Disco Sport is easy to manoeuvre and you don’t feel like you’re driving something big, despite the ample cabin space. It also handles itself well in corners without too much roll.
The switch between the electric and petrol components isn’t always the smoothest but when it’s in its electric mode it’s blissfully quiet. The cabin feels refined too because you don’t get a lot of external noise in the cabin at all.
The wide windows and higher ride means visibility is great and the optioned digital rearview mirror adds another viewpoint if the back window isn’t clear.
The Disco Sport proves to be nimble and easy to park with the optioned and clear 360-degree camera system, and the sensors at the front and rear are sensitive.
Safety
Mini Countryman
The Mini Countryman S has yet to be assessed by ANCAP, but its BMW X1 twin scored the maximum five-star score in 2022 and we’d have no reason to suspect the Mini won’t achieve a high mark.
Coming standard is AEB, blind-spot warning, lane keeping assistance and rear cross-traffic alert with braking.
There are front airbags, curtain airbags covering both rows and a centre airbag between the driver and front passenger.
For child seats you’ll find two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor mounts across the second row.
The lack of a spare tyre is disappointing but there is a puncture repair kit that’s easy to use.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Discovery Sport plug-in hybrid variant is not covered by its siblings' five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2022, so the P300e is unrated but features some good safety gear.
Standard items include AEB, blind spot monitoring, driver attention alert, tyre pressure monitoring, rear collision warning, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, and adaptive cruise control.
The traffic sign recognition tech is dreadfully intrusive, which impacts the driving enjoyment. I turn the warning sound alerts off each time I hop in as it's like a small child is hitting the same piano key over and over again - just to give you a sense of the sound itself and resulting annoyance.
It has seven airbags but interestingly, and unusually, the seventh one is a pedestrian airbag.
This model misses out on lane departure warning but for any families, there are ISOFIX mounts on the rear outboard seats plus three top tethers and you should be able to get three seats back if they’re not too big.
Ownership
Mini Countryman
The Countryman is covered by Mini’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. When it comes to servicing the car will let you know when it’s needed and although there’s no capped pricing servicing costs Mini does have a five-year/80,000km plan for $2275.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Discovery Sport comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year/ 160,000km warranty which is a usual term to see for this class now.
There is a five-year capped-price servicing program which costs a flat $2100, or $420 which is both reasonable for the class and is more affordable than a pay-as-you-go option. There is also a five-year roadside assistance program as a part of your servicing plan through Assist Australia.
Servicing intervals are great at every 12 months or 20,400km, whichever occurs first.