Spaced-Out: Mini's Curiously Addictive Countryman

The Mini range isn’t quite so mini anymore – whereas the original reinvention of this icon extended to just the Cooper and Cooper S hatchback models, today one has the option of a convertible and the Clubman variant (a distinctive if not entirely successful attempt to make the Mini more practical).

But by far the most interesting model is the new Mini Countryman. While the new name generates awkward images of endless fields, cowboy boots and dust, the reality is that this new addition to the Mini stable is a lot cooler than all of that.

It is the first Mini to provide genuine accommodation for four occupants as well as a boot area that no longer restricts shopping sprees to a loaf of bread and a carton of milk (not much more fits in the boot of any other Mini).

With its raised stance, optional four-wheel drive system and a toughened-up exterior, the crossover Countryman is defined as a compact SUV.

In lamens terms, what it means is that prospective Mini customers drawn to the allure of driving pleasure and yuppie looks offered by the brand but equally turned off by the lack of space and practicality, can now have both.

In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures of the new Countryman in all its spacious glory.