Yes it’s a big boy. But what does it actually weigh and how does that compare to the previous generation Countryman? With exclusive technical data in hand, we wanted to take a look at the Countryman’s size and weight and see just how much it’s changed over the three generations.
The new Countryman has grown in every dimension over the previous generations. But we’ve seen this before. The F60 Countryman debuted in 2017 and looked massive in comparison. It grew 8″ in length and offered much more legroom (especially in the rear) and a huge increase in luggage space. The new Countryman has grown almost 50% less than the F60 grew over the R60 yet it seems massive, why? Some of that is surely down to it being a new car, a new shape and a larger MINI than we’ve ever seen before.
R60 Countryman Cooper (’10-’16) | F60 Countryman Cooper (’17-’23) | U25 Countryman C (’24-’32) | |
Length | 4097 mm / 161.3 in | 4298 mm / 169.2 in | 4429 mm / 174.37 in |
Height | 1562 mm / 61.5 in | 1557 mm / 61.3 in | 1613 mm / 63.5 in |
Wheelbase | 2596 mm / 102.2 in | 2670 mm / 105.1 in | 2670 mm / 105.11 in |
Weight | 3,020 lbs | 3,318 lbs | 3,571 lbs |
Having spent a fair amount of time in the new U25 Countryman we’ve found a car that noticeably bigger on both the outside as well as inside. There’s a touch more legroom, elbow room and noticeably more luggage space in the back. You can see in the numbers above where that space comes from. The biggest change is the length and a lot of that is in the rear luggage area which has grown considerably. Given the market needs, this change feels spot on and what MINI needed to do. Especially given the Aceman (coming. In 2025) will fill the void and be sized close to the original R60 Countryman.
The new Countryman and Its Weight
When we looked at the new Countryman’s technical specifications for the first time, the thing that jumped out to us was the curb weight. It’s up as we anticipated but (also as we predicted) not as much as you’d think given the size and equipment increase. For instance the F60 2023 JCW Countryman weighs 3,688 lbs. Compare that to the all new U25 JCW Countryman at 3,825 lbs and you have only a 137 lbs difference. We say only because there was a lot of us who assumed it would be quite a bit higher. This is likely due to the various weight savings measures that BMW built into the new FAAR platform including extensive use of aluminum and lighter steel.
Countryman Model | Countryman E (EV) | Countryman SE (EV) | Countryman C (ICE) | Countryman S (ICE) | JCW (ICE) |
Power | 204 hp | 313 hp | 167 hp | 241 hp | 300 hp |
Torque | TBD | TBD | 206 lb | 295 lb | 295 lb |
Transmission | 1 Speed | 1 Speed | 7 speed DCT | 7 speed DCT | 7 speed DCT |
Drivetrain | front-wheel | all-wheel | front-wheel | all-wheel | all-wheel |
Powertrain type | electric | electric | petrol | petrol | petrol |
WLTP l/100 km | N/A | N/A | 40.9 – 46.3 | TBD | 34 – 36.2 |
Length (mm/inches) | 4444 / 175 | 4444 / 175 | 4444 / 175 | 4444 / 175 | 4444 / 175 |
Width (mm/inches) | 1843 / 73 | 1843 / 73 | 1843 / 73 | 1843 / 73 | 1843 / 73 |
Height (mm) | TBD | TBD | 1661 / 65 | TBD | 1665 / 66 |
Wheelbase (mm) | 2069 / 81 | 2069 / 81 | 2069 / 81 | 2069 / 81 | 2069 / 81 |
Curb weight (LBS) | TBD | TBD | 3,571 lbs | TBD | 3,825 lbs |
Fuel Capacity L/Gallons | N/A | N/A | 45 / 11.8 | 54 / 14.3 | 54 / 14.3 |
Luggage capacity (liters) | TBD | TBD | 450 – 1450 L | TBD | 505 – 1530 L |
But this new, larger Countryman is still the largest and heaviest MINI ever. Perhaps MINI has followed BMW’s lead and engineered the new Countryman in a way that hides that weight and produces an F60 like driving experience? We won’t know the answer until next month when we get behind the wheel. But until then we can’t help but wonder just how MINI this new Countryman will feel.
What do you think? Has the Countryman grown to the right size or is the F60 (or R60) your ideal MINI crossover?
The R60 was the perfect size for me, and I still felt it was very much a MINI. The F60 was already getting too big but it was a huge hit in the US market, and is most likely MINI is still sold in the US so I can’t argue that. The U25, besides being very large, doesn’t work well visually as a MINI. Especially from the side and rear views. It looks stretched. Conversely I think the new J01 looks fantastic.
Very interested to see what your impression of the driving experience is. For now I’ll keep my F55, with manual transmission until 2030-ish and then look at an Aceman or J01 hopefully with Solid State batteries!!!!!
The new Countryman needs to handle better, in the UK anyway. I had a 2018 Countryman Cooper S which was a great motorway cruiser but it left a lot to be desired on twisty back roads or serious bends compared with the hatch even allowing for the extra size and weight. I expected the chassis and brakes to cope with the extra bulk. It also drank fuel other than when cruising in a straight line. Have gone back to a hatch again!
It’s amazing how great the hatch feels after a Countryman. We’ve done the same recently.
It would look and handle better if it were six inches less tall. But that would make it a “wagon,” which is a dirty word in America.
Yup…. and that’s exactly why we ordered one of the last <a href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2023/11/30/our-journey-to-buy-one-of-the-last-jcw-clubman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ugc">Clubman JCWs</a>!