Back in 1968, BLMC launched a car that took the Mini concept to a larger size, offering generous space for five and hatchback practicality. History may look back on the Austin Maxi as a commercial and technical failure, but there’s little doubt the concept of a five seat, front wheel drive hatchback was spot on to the emerging and subsequently dominant trends of the 1970s and 1980s, even if the execution wasn’t.
You don’t have to read many of my posts on modern cars to discern that I do not much go for the SUV/CUV/faux off roader type of car, finding often that the difference is limited to sitting up higher with more body roll, so to hear that I enjoyed driving a Mini (sorry MINI) Countryman may be a surprise.
The car was actually a hire car brought in by work to fill a temporary need – the company has a Volvo V60 estate for regular pool car duties, but the MINI was a temporary addition, coming under the definition of compact estate car to the hire company, and against our request for a VW Golf or Ford Focus estate. It arrived with just 300 miles on the clock.
The Countryman has a bit of split pedigree – visually, it is as British as the Queen (OK, the Queen as seen through the bottom of a beer glass) but was designed in Munich, the engines are built in Birmingham with significant sub-processes occurring elsewhere in Europe, and the whole thing is assembled in Holland (Nedcar, the former DAF/Volvo plant) on the same platform as the BMW X1 SUV.
The name may hark to the early 1960s Austin Mini Countryman, but the car and the business processes behind most certainly do not.
In market terms, Mini is a semi-premium brand, sold above Ford, Toyota or Vauxhall/Opel, but below Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. True close rivals in the European context for the Countryman are hard to pigeon hole, but teh alternatives are perhaps the upper end of the Nissan Juke range if you can take the looks, the lower end of the Nissan Qashqai range if you’re not so fashion conscious, the Audi Q2 or possibly the Jeep Rengade, a Golf for the more conservative, or the slightly larger new Peugeot 3008 or Honda CR-V. Maybe, even, a year old Range Rover Evoque.
But what’s it like to actually use? I had to go half way round the London orbital motorway and then into a suburban area for a business appointment in a rail depot. So, 80 or so miles of motorway and 20 miles of suburban feeder roads, high streets and short cuts through residential areas, and back again.
They always tell us initial impressions are important, and my initial impressions of the MINI were not that positive. Aside from the undercoat grey paint (a personal choice I know but …) and the sort of wheels that seem designed to have you looking for a more attractive but costly option, that first impression is dominated by the Mini on steroids styling and arguably overdone details picking up on the Mini theme. From the overall shape, the large bug like lamps, vertical taillamps and upright screen to too many interior details to list, the impression is Mini by Tonka. I guess you either like it, or you don’t. Ambivalence is not really an option.
This car had an unusual, for the UK, specification. It had the 2.0 litre, four cylinder diesel engine, mounted transversely and driving just the front wheels, through an 8 speed automatic gearbox. Most cars sold here will have the 6 speed manual gearbox, and possibly the 1.5 litre petrol engine. Power is around 150bhp with 243lbft of torque, so this is a motor that is fully consistent with modern European turbo-diesel experience – strong mid-range acceleration and fuel economy. Above these cars, sit the Cooper S and SD with around 190bhp and Mini also offer a plug in hybrid version, with a 30 mile electric only range, and a four wheel drive option.
Size wise, the Countryman has grown since 1960. This is a car that almost matches the Focus and Golf footprint size but gains around four inches in height, some of which is lost in the higher ride height. But the seating positions are more upright, so overall the interior is perfectly capable of taking four adults, and the boot is a decent size too, with in this case, under floor storage as there was no spare wheel, just the can of spray sealant.
Inside, leaving aside the styling, it gets a bit better. Interior quality is a big step up from the earlier (2010-2016) Countryman, and while it does not feel, quality wise, like a baby BMW or even always a VW, it is solid enough and the textures and finishes on the contact points are pretty good. But I have a couple of issues.
One is the BMW style automatic transmission selector. I’m not a regular with an automatic but I’m not averse and perfectly happy to drive one, but the combination of the button to release the lever from park, the other button for reverse and the fact the lever does not move but just rocks took some time to get used to, as did the stop-start logic. The car will shut down if you held it on the brake, but put it into neutral and use the electric handbrake it would insist on starting again. That puzzled me – why would I want to hold it on the brake on the level at the traffic lights? Also, to move the gearbox into manual sport mode, you move the lever to the left, away from the driver and counter intuitive in a right hand drive environment. No doubt with more familiarity, I’d have got used to it or, more likely, simply resisted the temptation to use the facility.
The other issue was the rotary BMW style controller. Maybe I need to go on an ambidextrous training course, but operating a rotary controller you cannot really see with your left hand (90% of us are right handed) is not something that comes naturally, especially if it’s hidden by a central armrest.
The functionalities of the central big screen are fairly standard – radio, music, navigation and vehicle set up options, albeit with some rather stylised graphic devices and an almost all green sat-nav display. MINI have missed a trick, in my book, by not opting for a portrait presentation of the map, rather than the landscape format, in the round frame. There remains the standard Mini issue of the lack of cohesive design to the dashboard, as the interior tries hard to mimic something it is never going to be and which always had significant ergonomic issues anyway.
There is a lot of variation in style between, for example, the speedo and rev counter mounted behind the steering wheel, in a rather cheap looking cluster such that reading the speed on the big screen was easier on the aforementioned big screen, the period correct (arguable) toggle switches and the very 2016 dash padding and vents. It’s not a bad interior but it’s trying so hard it becomes a little irritating and wearing quite quickly. Imagine having a conversation with someone in your language, when you know that you speak his language better than he does yours, but he insists.
Equipment levels are pretty good, with the navigation, keyless start, although not entry(?), automatic climate control, reversing camera, cruise control, auto lights and wipers, and good quality trim. Most of what you might reasonably expect is there, as well the rather style over function roof rails. The car also had Bluetooth which resolutely refused to pair with my Windows phone, digital radio but no CD player.
Driving was an interesting event. I hadn’t expected to get much out of an automatic CUV, thinking it would be tall and roll. In fact, it is reasonably well tied down, and handles tidily enough, even if the ride never quite settles except on really smooth roads, for example German ones. The car doesn’t have the typical MINI (never mind Mini) nimbleness and ability to entertain the keen driver easily. It can shrink around the driver reasonably enough, but it isn’t going to be mistaken for anything other than a higher riding vehicle than the norm. Unarguably, it doesn’t live up the Mini Cooper billing, and doesn’t feel any more special than many others.
Economy was solidly impressive, averaging around 58 mpg (Imperial) in mixed use. The initial throttle action was very stiff, such that moving away from rest was either very slow as the car crept away, or sharp as the engine responded to the sharp movement of stiff throttle.
The front seats were perfectly OK, if a bit firm for my tastes and driving position perfectly acceptable, with, as mentioned, quite an upright position being mandated by the seat position. I didn’t test the rear seats other than to try them for size, which seemed reasonable and fully comparable with a Golf. Headroom was fine, and with the extra height and the rear profile there would be no concerns there, something that cannot be said for everything conventionally proportioned hatchback.
Straight line performance was also perfectly acceptable, and mechanical refinement was comparable with, but not necessarily any better than, anything else in the class. There was some wind noise, probably from the large mirrors and that bluff front end, and rear visibility wasn’t great, not helped by a comically short rear wiper. The reversing camera (not actually my preferred option – I’d rather the driver’s active conscious observation was assisted by distance control bleepers rather than supplanted by a screen that cannot see everything) was pretty well vital.
The overall impression I had therefore was that this a perfectly acceptable, in fact quite good car in several ways, if, and it’s a big if, you can live with the style and the interior. Scratch through the Mini style veneer and there’s a competent car trying to get out, assuming you’re willing to pay a premium for the Mini badge and the compact crossover rather than hatchback format. Would I guide you to one over a Focus or a Golf? I very much doubt it. The Mini is, though, much better than the Jeep Renegade I hired a year ago, but I won’t be changing my Alfa just yet.
The Mini’s value for money isn’t spectacular – as tested, this car would have cost £26000. You can get a Golf GT estate for not a lot more, or nicely optioned Golf SE estate. The much more spacious, generally interestingly styled Peugeot 3008 would also be a tempting choice. It seems to be £4000 more than a Golf for another 4 inches of height.
I said the Austin Maxi was commercial and technical failure. The Countryman is just as on-trend as the Maxi, may be even more so and the execution is of course significantly better. The driving and use experience is, once you’ve got past the rather contrived style, on the positive side of satisfactory, but it is not a totally convincing piece for a premium brand
It would be unfair and inaccurate to label the Countryman in the same way as the Maxi, but it is fair to ask if it is as good as it could, and perhaps should, have been given its engineering roots, the price, and the Mini Cooper badge.
The original mini 1 was understated and cool for me this is bloated and ugly the mini s ate becoming more and more bloated fat and ugly it’s to fussy to much gong on, modern cars are technically superior to old cars yes but they are pig ugly overcomplicated lumpen blobs with no style chic or elegance
+1 regarding your comments regarding styling. They have gotten way too bloated.
I’m a former Mini owner. I stress former because the ownership experience was frustrating. The car was an absolute blast to drive, but equally noteworthy for its unreliability and fragility given my car’s low mileage. In my view a contemporary car should not need extensive expensive repairs at 75k miles. Never again!
It never occurred to me until reading this that “Maxi” was so named as a counterpart to “Mini”….
That sat nav display looks like a 1960s oscilloscope radar screen.
That’s a terrible color…sheesh. And why on earth did they design the hood so it wraps around the headlamps? They’re just begging for issues with panel gaps and whatnot. Why do it the easy way when it’s just as easy to do it the hard way?!?
I agree about the color — but around my neighborhood that dull gray has become very popular, particularly for houses (both exterior and interior). Personally, I can’t fathom a less welcoming color for a home or a car, but evidently a lot of people like it.
Not gonna lie, the Mini (regular Cooper hardtop) we just turned in off lease was that gray (Moonwalk Gray, I believe it’s named) with a white top and mirrors and I thought it looked fantastic. Maybe it’s too much on a larger vehicle.
I’m sure the white top and mirrors helped quite a bit. It’s not a bad color to complement another color, but by itself it’s just not that interesting.
Todd, I think you’re right. The mini doesn’t have a whole lot of sheet metal compared to roof and wheel area so the contrasts work (IMO)
Ours was Volcanic Orange with a black top, stripes and mirrors. Much more attractive. We won ours in a contest. We had great fun with it, but we’re not young, and after two years we needed something easier to get in and out of.
Thankfully, there are many more colorful colors offered…
I have had issues with the MINI interior from day one. They are trying too hard to mimic the instrument panel of the original car, with it’s center mounted speedo. The entire thing comes off as awkward looking and difficult to use. As for the shifter working counter to the expected manner for a RHD car, the reality is probably that the great majority of MINIs are sold in LHD markets, so the shifter was designed to work for the majority of buyers.
Had a chuckle last weekend. On Sunday, the Gilmore had it’s British car show, with a handful of original Minis, and a phalanx of the new ones on hand. But, as you say, MINI today has rather tenuous connections to the original British product.
Last Saturday, the Gilmore had it’s German car show. A MINI was on hand for that one too. (There was also a Chrysler Crossfire at the German show. I had to think about that for a moment before I accepted the “German” qualification of a Chrysler)
I wonder if many of your complaints about the counterintuitive controls are caused by the design being optimized for LHD markets?
My “problem” with the newer Minis is the interior, specifically the instrument panel. This website is littered with criticism of the “Oval” Taurus, and IMHO the dashboard of these Minis falls into the same category.
I’m also not crazy by how the Mini seems to grow significantly with each redesign. At some point with this Focus-sized car reach Fusion proportions?
This MINI Countryman is bigger than a Cortina already, so way past the size of a Maxi which in 1970 gave you more space than a Cortina in the same length as the contemporary Escort. You could see out the back too.
That is exactly what I thought while reading the article. As a RHD version, the console is on your left. While supposedly British, the car is engineered by folks who are naturally thinking LHD and console on the right, where the 90% right-handled population would access it. It’s a natural bias of the development by German versus British engineers. The equally odd Jaguar version does not seem to have the same problems, probably due to it being engineered by folks who are used to using their left hand for center controls.
This begs the question: In a global economy, why don’t we all decide to use the same driving setup? The Swedes were the last group I can think of to change, but it was a relatively simple change. Tradition aside, what reason do we have 2 separate versions when we need one? I guess it’s easier for an American to say that, as we, along with the majority of the EU and China, all use the same majority version of LHD. But, what benefit do RHD countries reap by keeping their version?
The Swedes were the last group I can think of to change, but it was a relatively simple change.
Samoa changed from driving on the right to driving on the left in 2009, because it’s cheaper to import cars from other RHD countries, like Japan, Australia and New Zealand, than from the US.
Tradition aside, what reason do we have 2 separate versions when we need one? I guess it’s easier for an American to say that,
iirc, there is one small country in Africa that, together with the US, persists in using the English system of weights and measures, while everyone else, including England, has switched to the Metric system. The US was in the process of converting to the Metric system in the early 80s, but President Reagan cancelled the conversion program.
Yeah, I remember the push for metric in the 1960s and 1970s while I was in elementary school. Just when we thought we were going to pull the trigger, no, they stopped. That’s why you see the metric equivalents on cans and bottles, not just because they are sold internationally. The French and Spanish are for Canada and Mexico, the metric is just a bonus. We almost got rid of inches and pounds, but nooooooo……
That’s why we can’t have nice things, like manual wagons.
I add up roughly 13 million RHD vehicles sold in 2017, spread from Japan to Malaysia to Thailand to most of Southern Africa to the UK to Australia, so I don’t reckon on it going away anytime soon. Particularly as one of the markets is little ole India, where, if just 25-30% of the population come to be able to afford cars (as is starting to happen), that’s a bigger market than all of North America right there!
“England” hasn’t entirely switched to metric, despite every American I ever meet thinking it has. Much of what has gone metric was dictated by the EU.
“England” hasn’t entirely switched to metric, despite every American I ever meet thinking it has. Much of what has gone metric was dictated by the EU.
I enjoyed watching the original, English produced “Junkyard Wars” aka “Scrapheap Challenge”, several years ago. One thing I noticed, with amusement, in the video of the teams working in their shop areas. If the team members were 50 years old, give or take, they were working in Imperial units. If the team members were under 40, they were working in metric units.
If the US had kept up with the conversion program 40 years ago, when I started seeing highway distance signs in km as well as miles and some gas stations selling by the liter, everyone would have been acclimated long ago and no-one would understand what all the fuss had been about. Instead, the US went part way, then went retrograde. So the fasteners on my Fords are metric, but the oil and gas that go in them is sold in quarts and gallons, and, while motor oil is packaged in quarts, soda pop is packaged in half liter and 2 liter bottles.
The story of the UK and metrication could fill CC for days. Fuel, foodstuffs, paint etc in litres and kg, beer in pubs in pints, fuel in litres, consumption in mpg, sign posts in miles and yards, technical information on your car in mm and kg, which are also used exclusively in industry for UK and European market products, temperature in weather forecasts and cooking in Celsius but everyone talks about it being 80 degrees.
Most tape measures and rulers will have 2 scales on them. Mountains in feet, aircraft fly at 30,000ft but your bag is weighed in kg.
Thank goodness a ton is close enough to a tonne for every day use!
The few times I drove modern MINIs I had no issues with the driver orientation – all of those times were in Germany. Isn’t the Queen German anyway?
Probably, yes. But they also seem simple enough to fix, especially the gear selector.
“as British as the Queen (OK, the Queen as seen through the bottom of a beer glass) but was designed in Munich”
so, pretty much *exactly* as “British” as the Hanoverian Queen then? 😉
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Windsor
Sorry Roger, I couldn’t resist. You’ll forgive a mischievous Scottish republican his fun I hope.
Brilliant read, thanks for this! I (like you) have little time for this class in general and this model in particular, so it’s all the more interesting to read it’s a less-bad-than-expected passable car. As you say that’s kinda disappointing in itself but should I be handed the keys to one next time I’m renting my heart won’t now sink. So thank you.
Also “Mini by Tonka” is utter genius and how I will almost certainly find myself thinking of these in future.
What a thoroughly excellent piece, Roger. Lots of memorable quips too. Well done.
It’s certainly not my cuppa, being an over-dimensioned and rheumy-eyed parody of the original concept under whose name it sells, (though I’ll confess to fancying this recent appearance of 1950’s solid grey paint). There’s something inherently over-marketed or, frankly, dishonest, about the style out and in. (By which I mean, Mini my arse!) As you imply, the mimicking of a less-than-great original in that dash isn’t a work of genius.
Sure, it’s not Sybil’s Maxi, no, but insofar as it’s a compromised result from over-stretching a brilliant source idea, it is rather Fawlty. And being over-tall, perhaps even a Fawlty Tower…
I drove the original Mini for the first time about 8 years ago, must be one of the few people in the UK who has been driving since 78 not to have done so way before.
Realised what I had missed, the thing was an absolute joy to drive on A roads and in the city, but not so great on the motorway. Definitely a car you could grow fond of, though after large modern cars I felt a little exposed
This car offers only styling ques to the original, but I do like the grey paint job (like a lot of 1960s British cars) , and the funky interior.
Don’t like CUV/SUVs or this stop start nonsense, I wonder how long the battery and starter motors will last and how expensive they will be to replace. Its a poor and over complicated compromise for emissions when the real answer is electric
BMW have been using their start-stop system for about 10 years now. Like you I was skeptical initially, but far as I’m aware of they don’t suffer from any particular maladies. And it even saves some fuel in city traffic, up to nearly 1L/100km.
The start/stop in the old Mini was pretty obnoxious. I think it’s due to the inherent imbalance of a 3 cylinder. I left it turned off. The Buick has start/stop that can’t be turned off, but at least it’s way less obnoxious. The fact that it can’t be turned off is probably my least favorite thing about the car, but not a dealbreaker.
Just saw a Toyota truck with the same color apparently it’s becoming popular
Nice writeup. I like the Mini’s. She-who-would-actually-be-driving-it though… no love. Entry/exit much too low to comfortably climb in and out (keep in mind, we aren’t 30 anymore by a long shot). In the US, terrible outbound vision because of the combination of a very low car, and so many CUV’s, SUV’s, and pickups to share the road with. And that adds to a queasy feeling of vulnerability. I actually think it’s more than just a sensation- a speeding Ford pickup would run over the top of the Mini.
The entry/exit thing is the main reason why we didn’t go with a third Mini when the last one’s lease was up.
Same here. And our adult daughter felt entry to the rear seat was ‘undignified’.
If you MUST do a CUV, I think MINI is doing it right. Instead of some bland, blobby egg thing that’s part sedan part minivan all craptastic grocery getter, the Countryman is simply a more versatile and larger mini cooper. You can still get a turbo/manual/awd on the same car, making for something that still encourages enjoying driving for the sake of it. And the styling is love it or hate it, not ‘inoffensive’. I have no problem with the non metallic glossy primer greys either. Ma Mopar calls it ‘Destroyer Grey’ on the Challenger/Charger and it looks good in a rat rod kind of way. Its something different, as opposed to the eleventeen billionth metallic charcoal ‘camry grey’ that looks good on pretty much nothing.
“Destroyer Grey” is spot-on (and I too like the colour). My mate, who is a car salesman, no less, has always reckoned metallic grey cars essentially look unpainted. I don’t entirely agree, but I sure see his point. Kiwibryce here has called the metallic greys something like “Roadgrime Grey”, also spot-on.
“Metallic Murk” also works.
It’s interesting to note the differences between U.K. and U.S. spec Countryman. Here in the U.S., we don’t get that BMW-style gearshift, that style of leatherette/cloth seat, the diesel engines, nor the BMW business navigation for the 6.5″ display screen (here you need to get the 8.8″ with touchscreen capability to get nav).
From the perspective as a MINI salesperson, I can say that this car has been a big hit for us. Especially here in the northeast, with its higher seating position, all-wheel drive that is virtually a mandatory option, spaciousness, and superior driving dynamics to competitors (including the BMW X1), it is our most popular model by far, and nationwide sold better than the previous generation, more rough around the edges, Countryman by about 20%.
Your rental was very on the basic side, btw, with the standard Moonwalk Grey paint, base 17″ wheels, no panoramic moonroof, and no heated seats. It’s much more common to find higher optioned Countryman here in the U.S., as part of MINI’s premium marketing approach.
Hey Brendan, if you don’t mind me asking, how’s the Clubman doing? My area of Chicago is pretty Mini heavy but I don’t see many Clubmans. Shame, it’s a very pretty car.
Although I much prefer the Clubman, at least here in the northeast its sales pale in comparison to the Countryman. Even though they ride on the same platform and have virtually the same interior space the Countryman is more SUV-like in appearance, so customers gravitate to it more. I’m always proud when I can sway a buyer who is between the two in the direction of the Clubman, because it is a slightly better handling car and is all the more unique.
I’m curious as to what you hear of their reliability. They seem to have a very spotty reputation here, where they are also sold as a premium purchase. To wit, the absolute base model is $26,000USD to drive away, with average transaction price being far higher. (As an idea, the John Cooper Works Clubman is more than $55,000 USD…). Which for me, is way, way too much for what is essentially a fashion buy of dubious durability.
The 2017-present Countryman built on the BMW UK2 has been very reliable so far with no major mechanical issues. Now that they all use the BMW engines instead of the Peugeots, MINIs no matter the model have significantly better reliability. Those Peugeot engines and the confusing controls of early “new” MINIs severely burned the brand as far as initial quality reviews from J.D. Power and other sources go.
About a year ago I drove a then brand spanking new Countryman as a DriveNow rental. I can echo pretty much all your findings: the styling outside and particularly inside is uneven and outright annoying in all its faux-retroness, and with poor outward visibility to boot.
However, underneath all that fussiness hides a pretty good car that offers plenty of space and comfortable seating on a small footprint, and with more than decent handling. Perfect for navigating busy (sub-) urban streets with some more space for kids or groceries. It’s one of the cars that positively changed my view of CUVs, I now see why they’re so popular.
Also, it does so without turning into a blob, like so many competitors do. I hope that, with the CUV starting to diversify, we will start seeing more like these but without the questionable styling.
I can tolerate Minis’ styling and some of them, e.g. the Clubman, can be quite good-looking. But I just can’t get past that interior. It’s just trying too hard and I think I’d be happier with something more conservative like a Golf or A-Class.
Oh heck yes. We loved our Minis very much but it was a breath of fresh air to sit in a “normal” car interior on test drives. Except for the Toyota chr. That was a craptastic 90s-GM-level interior that made the mini look like a very sane Mercedes.
Yes it’s as British as the Queen. Mrs. Elizabeth Saxe Coberg Gotha who is German as is her husband Mr. Phillip von Battenburg.
The outside is decent looking and I like that mini knows what a mini supposed to look like. Something Lincoln and Cadillac and Buick have forgotten. The interior is awful kind of bizarre in a bad way like the Toyota echo was.
Everyone I knew with a mini had lots of problems with.the timing chains and automatic transmission and suspension stuff.
I wonder what will be next. A super giant suburban sized mini? Or perhaps they will redesign them so they don’t look like a mini at all or perhaps no one will buy them due to it’s junk and if you want a sorts car a Mazda would be better and more reliable. This car has to many idiotic tech features to be any good to anyone who has it over 3 years or 40,000 miles.
Nah, us disrespectful republican Aussies refer to him as Phil The Greek – t’was ‘is mummy that was a piece of cake, sorry, Battenberg.
Anyway, I had no idea till this article that the Mini is in fact a Neiderlandischer! Not that any of your average 7ft 5inch Dutchman would fit in it, surely….
Ah, I do miss Rik Smits. Those Knicks/Pacers series had some real animosity. John Starks headbutting people, Reggie Miller getting into it with Spike Lee, Charles Oakley who just liked a good rumble.
An early Mini diesel set a record in NZ for fuel economy but those had an outside supplier powertrain, I presume the ones built entirely by BMW are at least as good.
I’ve driven a previous generation Countryman S ALL4 (AWD) while I was in rainy BC in October – November of 2014. I had a mid-size reserved, but my plane was cancelled and when I’ve arrived three hours later, I was offered Jeep Patriot as an upgrade. I had to laugh at that kind of “upgrade”. The other choice offered was a Dodge Grand Caravan. But I spotted a red Countryman with the “S” badge on the lot. I’ve said that it’s not my problem that they didn’t have my reserved Ford Fusion, so I got a MINI.
Interior size was fine, but being 6’4″ tall I had to be craning neck to see the traffic light turning green, due to the upright windshield. It was fun to drive in the mountains with the turbo engine. But trunk was small and I had to fold rear seats.
It’s simple. Not a real Mini = not a Mini, and pretending this is a Mini is just nonsense. It’s an overpriced, oddly styled small BMW, which only sells because of the badge. But BMW bottled calling it Maxi, for some reason.
And the queen is German, the duke is Greek (Yes, another republican Englishman (and committed European) in Scotland)
Who’s pretending it’s a Mini? It’s not, and never was. it’s a MINI, and rather something quite different. Is a current Fiat 500 a vintage Fiat 500? Is a current VW Beetle an original VW Beetle? There’s no pretense; they are what they are.