In a world where people convert shipping containers into homes, the idea seems to be emerging that bigger isn’t always better. The same thing could be said of SUVs. Consider the 2025 Mini Countryman. It’s smaller than a Toyota Corolla Cross or a Chevrolet Trax. Yet compared with Mini’s other models, it’s positively huge.

Offered in S ALL4 or JCW ALL4 trim, the 2025 Mini Countryman gains a total makeover for the new model year that lessens its resemblance to a Mini Cooper that’s taken on too much water weight. It’s more its own animal, looking far more contemporary, serious and, well, less cute. That probably makes it more palatable if you have Y-Chromosomes.

Open the door of the 2025 Mini Countryman and you’ll find the interior feels more modern thanks to the use of sustainable materials, including the fabric on the dash that’s actually recycled plastic. But it retains its trademark circular 9.4-inch OLED infotainment touchscreen and, like the Mini Cooper, controls have been simplified. It’s also noticeably roomier, as the Countryman shares its vehicle architecture with the BMW X1. This explains why the Countryman is 5 inches longer, nearly an inch wider, and almost 4 inches taller for 2025. It’s noticeably larger, and it’s fair to think of it as a maxi Mini, or perhaps a Morris Major. Its driver’s perch is noticeably higher than any Mini should feel, although SUV buyers not accustomed to the Countryman’s smaller stablemates won’t notice. And while larger, the second row is best used for two adults; three is an imposition.

The tester had the $3,200 Iconic trim option, which brings with it a Harman/Kardon surround sound audio system, wireless smartphone charger, augmented reality navigation system and niceties such as auto-dimming mirrors and privacy glass. Thoughtfully, Mini provides the infotainment display with different visual presentations, allowing for a bit of lightheartedness for which the brand is known.

Still, as brand DNA goes, it’s lacking a bit, even though most will welcome the extra interior space and more modern exterior appearance. Yet some character remains, even if it seems somewhat less impish than its diminutive sibling. It still possesses some of the persona that’s distinctly Mini.

That comes mostly under the hood, where a turbocharged, intercooled 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic funnels 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels in S ALL4 trim. JCM models get the same powerplant with an additional 71 horsepower. Torque remains unchanged. That extra juice delivers a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds according to Mini, one second quicker than the S ALL4 test drive model.

The 2025 Mini Countryman S ALL4 test drive occurred during the ninth Mini Takes the States, or MTTS for short.

Mini owners are invited to join the biennial expedition, which started in Albuquerque in July. Drivers then continued north through Grand Junction and Durango, Colorado, before going on to Salt Lake City, Bozeman and Missoula, Montana, and Spokane and Yakima, Washington, before arriving in Seattle nine days later. With 1,921 aficionados traveling from as far afield as Australia, more than 900 Minis participated in the rally, which covered more than 1,600 miles. For those who say the United States is a bitterly divided partisan nation, they’ve never run MTTS. It’s one big happy family, albeit one with a Mini fixation — not a political one. Thank goodness.

As you might expect, the Countryman performs like a Mini Cooper, although not quite as quickly or with as much communication as its smaller sibling. The ride is more yielding as well, with more suspension travel to allow for the occasional off-road foray. That said, this is no hard-core boulder basher. It’s more the foul-weather friend, one that drives entertainingly enough to prevent boredom during long stretches behind the wheel. And of course it has decent cargo space, 25 cubic feet in fact, expanding to 56 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

And let’s face it, frisky performance, modern good looks and a fair amount of space for you and your stuff is all we really need from any SUV. But the character and built-in brother- and sisterhood that comes with owning a Mini adds another level of satisfaction that few automakers offer.

That makes this Mini one that delivers a maximum of fun and functionality that’s hard to resist.

2025 Mini Countryman

Base price: $38,900/$46,900

Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder

Horsepower/Torque: 241/295 pound-feet

EPA rating (combined city/highway): 27 mpg

Fuel required: 91 Octane

Length/Width/Height: 175/73/65 inches

Ground clearance: 8 inches

Payload: 1,100 pounds

Cargo capacity: 25-56 cubic feet

Towing capacity: (unbraked) 750 pounds

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC