Mini Countryman v Kia Sportage

[Ronniechops]

Hi, our family of 4 (14 & nearly 12) currently have a Mini Cooper 5 door hatch and found out last weekend, during our first family outing since ease of lockdown, that our 6' son's head was touching the roof of the car when he was sat in the back! We think it's time to grow up and upgrade to a bigger family car .

We decided on an SUV and our budget is £14K. We've narrowed it down to 2, the Mini Countryman which I love, but expensive for what is it and the Kia Sportage which is very practical and will get a lot more for our money.

Also the bigger boot will be a bonus for getting the suitcases in the boot when we go on holiday. My poor husband had to get the train home from the airport on 2 occasions when we came back from our hols with an extra suitcase having done a bit more shopping than we had intended!!

We would also prefer a petrol engine and manual gearbox.

Can anyone on MN who have either car can give us an honest opinion of what they think of their car please? Maybe there's another car that we haven't thought of that may also suit our needs?

Thank you

Ronnie

We’ve got a Countryman in the family, feels quite spacious although a Sportage is probably bigger. Interior of the Countryman feels high quality. It’s only 7 months old so no real experience of reliability but faultless so far. It’s a thirsty petrol auto but quite niche so yours will probably be more economical.

One of my SsIL is having this exact same debate (though her kids are much younger) as she's outgrowing her Mini 5-door too.

They looked at both a Countryman and a Clubman but didn't find there was that much more space in either than the hatch. The Countryman is configured differently though, so it's probably worth looking at one in the metal yourselves to see if it would suit. They are fun to drive, but if your lad's 6-foot at 14 he's likely to get taller still before he tops out!

The Sportage is definitely bigger. A friend of mine has had one for about three years now. It's the most peculiar shade of metallic earwax bronze. It doesn't have the same character as the Mini though. It's spacious, refined and reliable -- maybe a bit car-as-white-goods but I guess that's the trade-off.

SIL is also considering a Mazda CX-5. She test-drove one and reckoned it was more interesting to drive than the Kia, although not as fun as the Mini. A good middle-ground option maybe? They tend to be very well-equipped for the price and the build quality's good.

Another way to look at this would be a raised height estate -- more room in the back for long-legged teens than some SUVs, but still with a bit of extra ground clearance. The king of these is the Subaru Outback, which is an excellent car. You could also look at a Volvo V60 Cross Country.

You might also like to consider the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. We're just the two of us now, as our two lads flew the nest long ago, but we still choose our car to give them enough head and leg room in the back when they are visiting. They are both over six feet tall. I understand it's based on a similar platform to the Mini Countryman, but with more room. My wife says it's enjoyable to drive, surprisingly so for an MPV.
Ours is petrol, and fuel economy is good.

Be aware that a new Active Tourer is due in the not too distant future, so you may be able to twist a dealer's arm.

Thank you all for your replies. We've all been inside both cars and loved the Countryman. The Kia is definitely better value especially with the 7 year warranty which is transferable to the new owner whereas for the price of the Countryman it will be out of warranty!

But having driven a Mini, I find the Kia quite bland jn comparison, although both my husband and I have friends who drive one and really love them.

Elai1978 - can I ask how much it costs you to fill up your tank please? I filled up yesterday and it cost me £42 but it has only got a 40l tank!!

BloodyStupidJohnson - I've thought about the CX-5 but having heard what your friend has said I'm going to have a look at what we can get for our money!

Dozyman - we haven't considered a BMW before but will take a look at them due to your wife's recommendation.

Thanks again

Ronnie

In that budget I would have a look at the hyundai tuscon. You could pick a 2 or 3 year old one up for that and would still have 2 or 3 years warranty left.

Elai1978 - can I ask how much it costs you to fill up your tank please? I filled up yesterday and it cost me £42 but it has only got a 40l tank!!

Cost to fill is fairly irrelevant without knowing the other facts so here goes, bear in mind this is a JCW:

Cost to fill £65
50.5 litres of super unleaded
Miles to a tank 200
MPG 18 appx

Love, love, love our Kia Sportage. But have nothing else to compare it to! Ours is a mobility car so a brand new model and we just love it. It drives so well and we have 2 dc aged 18 and 9 (9 year old severely disabled) and we all fit in it so well.

I’ve also heard really good things about Skodas suvs. Worth a look!

Not sure if it’s relevant as not sure how long you plan to hold on to the vehicle for but planning ahead, Mini Countryman is more suitable for potential learner drivers. And insurance for it when they’ve passed their test will be in the realms of the reasonable.

@EndofDaze

Not sure if it’s relevant as not sure how long you plan to hold on to the vehicle for but planning ahead, Mini Countryman is more suitable for potential learner drivers. And insurance for it when they’ve passed their test will be in the realms of the reasonable.

I don't even want to think about that yet

@Elai1978

Elai1978 - can I ask how much it costs you to fill up your tank please? I filled up yesterday and it cost me £42 but it has only got a 40l tank!!

Cost to fill is fairly irrelevant without knowing the other facts so here goes, bear in mind this is a JCW:

Cost to fill £65
50.5 litres of super unleaded
Miles to a tank 200
MPG 18 appx

Ouch!!!

Dozyman - we went and had a look at the BMW 2 series Active Tourer yesterday in our local garage and loved it! The build is lovely and the interior feels really well made. What we really liked was the sliding backward and forward seats which could make the boot bigger! They are also more reasonably priced than the Mini's.

Thank you!!

Ouch!!!

I imagine the cooking versions have significantly better fuel economy though!

I had a diesel Sportage and it was a solid workhorse car. Great boot space. No personality though! I’ve now changed to something a bit more fun to drive and cheaper to run as my mileage has dropped significantly.

So pleased that you like it Ronniechops. Obviously a test drive would be an important next step, as it's the only way you yourself can really find out if you like the way it drives. On the subject of fuel economy, we have the 136 bhp 3 cylinder petrol version, and my DW does not have a heavy foot; we get up to 48mpg at the legal maximum on UK motorways. Touring in France (80mph speed limit) we get about 46. On very short shopping journeys about town it drops to around 34. (BTW I can talk only of my DW's experience, because for various reasons I'm not able to drive.)

The only other thing I would caution is that many things you might consider essential are options if buying new, so, if buying used, check the proposed purchase also has what you want. The sliding rear seat used to be optional on the basic model, though standard higher up in the range. Also folding mirrors are extra, which we regard as essential as our front gates are not all that wide.

All in all though, it's the best car we've had, and we thought that it beat the Mercedes B class into a cocked hat.

@dozyman thanks to your advice and suggestion, I did lots of research re price & spec etc, we bought a BMW 2 Series Active Tourer today.

We would never have thought of that particular car if it wasn't for you, so thanks very much!!

Ronniechops, absolutely delighted for you. Enjoy it!!!