The 2025 Mini Countryman SE: Whimsy doesn’t make up for annoying

The Mini Countryman is not technically a British car—it's made in Germany with some bits from China—but it suffers from the electronic gremlins that seem to affect all cars from British automakers. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin

For its third incarnation, the Mini Countryman now comes in an all-electric variant. The Countryman is Mini's take on the family car, a compact crossover with bold design both inside and out. At a time when far too many automakers are supersizing their vehicles, Mini's offerings are still right-sized, even if the Countryman is a bit bigger than the model it replaces. But at times, you might be left feeling that style took preference over substance.

The previous Countryman was available with the brand's only plug-in hybrid powertrain, but Mini now only offers the Countryman with either an internal combustion engine or as a full battery electric vehicle. Consequently ...