IS IT really a Mini? Spanning more than four metres long and built in Austria, the R60-series Countryman represents another departure from the original 1959 BMC template, adding the option of all-wheel drive to make it a compact alternative to models as diverse as the Skoda Octavia Scout and BMW’s X1.

But to look at and to drive, the Countryman is indeed very much like a Mini and, for the sort of buyers attracted to this sort of vehicle, that’s great news.

It doesn’t come cheap though – especially in top-line Cooper S All4 guise tested here – while there are some ergonomic flaws too.