While the original Countryman model released in 2010 was undoubtedly popular, it did have its flaws. Rear seat legroom wasn’t as good as it probably should have been, interior quality was patchy in places and it did look a bit crook - slightly oddly proportioned and, well, a bit dorky.

Now there is a new Countryman and it has tackled all of those complaints and then some by drastically improving the quality of the interior and - wait for it - becoming even bigger…

The new Countryman has an extra 200mm in length over the old Countryman, with 75mm of that in the wheelbase, meaning that the rear legroom problem is no longer a problem at all - I am 1.85m tall and managed to happily sit in the back of a Cooper S All4 with no complaints whatsoever.

As well as improving the interior space, the size increase has helped with the Countryman’s external appearance as well, the extra length bringing far better proportions to the small crossover, making it more like a tall Mini five-door, albeit with a tougher, squarer edge to it.

As always, looks are a very subjective thing, but the new Countryman is now a far more successfully resolved design, with a more convincingly SUV-esque shape, while still retaining its distinct Mini-ness.

The Countryman will come to New Zealand in two guises to start with - Cooper and Cooper S, with the latter having the option of Mini’s All4 4WD system.

While the Cooper S is powered by the 2.0-litre engine, the Cooper gets the excellent little 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 100kW of power and 220Nm of torque.

Diesel variants are being considered for New Zealand, with nothing decided on at this stage.

What we will be getting later on this year, however, is the slightly improbable 170kW/350Nm John Cooper Works version of the Countryman, as well as the Cooper S E plug-in hybrid that shares its drivetrain with the BMW 225xe Active Tourer.

Now while a Mini and an SUV may seem two concepts completely at odds with each other, the Countryman IS sold as a small SUV/crossover, so can it actually go off-road?

Yes, it actually can, in All4 guise at least.

While the Countryman lacks anything in the way of a low ratio transmission or even electronic off-road modes, it was still more than capable of tackling the seriously muddy off-road track set up for us in the grounds of the historic Hedsor House, on the outskirts of London where the launch was held.

Though the Countryman’s ground clearance has also been increased for the new model (going from 150mm in the previous model up to 165mm for the new model) it’s still not exactly going to trouble a Land Rover, but it does make the Countryman usefully able in muddy environs.

So while the idea of a Mini SUV may seem, well, pointless, the Countryman overcomes this by being fun on the road and usefully capable off it.

Forget the miserable mud and rain we drove it in on the launch - belting it down a winding New Zealand back road to a beach and then being able to head out onto the sand is what the Countryman is all about for us here.

To read every story in the April 2017 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (March 17) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store