THERE'S no denying the British driver's love affair with the iconic MINI and over the years there has been a vast array of models to choose from including open-tops, estates and coupes.

But the king of the MINI line-up has to be the mighty Countryman - the first model to feature four doors, five seats and optional all-wheel-drive.

Yet despite its beefier proportions the MINI still oozes the same charismatic charm and all-round appeal.

It looks fun, funky and very appealing from any angle thanks to 17-inch alloys, a large tailgate, powerful-looking grille, sweeping headlight clusters, plus stand-out added protection around the wheels and side sills highlighting the car's increased ground clearance and ability to wander from the Tarmac if necessary.

The interior is MINI through and through with the ever-present circular theme running throughout the vehicle emphasised by the giant circular dial in the centre of the dashboard housing the speedo, fuel gauge and all the car's techno systems in the middle. These include the sat nav, telephone, radio, CD and multi-media settings, vehicle information and plenty more besides.

The rounded theme continues with oval door mirrors, an oval rear-view mirror, circular air vents and even the door handles are semi-circular chrome.

There is a real sense of quality and craftsmanship throughout the car with a soft-touch dashboard, leather seats and neat toggle switches to operate certain features.

And when it comes to performance, the Countryman can hold its head up high in the MINI ranks with the 2.0-litre diesel engine delivering plenty of punch.

The car can make 62mph from a standing start in 11.8 seconds and tops out at 109mph. According to official figures it can return a very creditable 47.9mpg on a combined run and has carbon emissions of 155g/km.

In busy city centres it weaves through the crowds with ease and despite being the largest MINI it is still beautifully agile and very easy to manoeuvre and park in tight spaces.

Then out on faster motorways it can hold its own alongside fast moving traffic.

On twisting country roads the MINI Countryman really bursts into life thanks to its firmly planted road-holding and responsive and sure steering. This means tight bends can be attacked with confidence and for a slightly edgier ride with enhanced dynamics you can select a sport driving mode.

The six-speed automatic transmission is lovely and smooth with just the right amount of torque to ensure good acceleration. I did find there was a little road surface noise when pushed hard, but it was not really that bad.

In fact the only annoying feature about the MINI Countryman is the labelling of the driving modes the other side of the gear shift so you tend to lean over to see if you are in park, drive, reverse etc. That said; the P, D, N or R are displayed in front of the driver on the screen, but it was still a tad irritating at times.

That aside what a great car. And with a load capacity of 450 litres (1,170 litres with the rear seats folded flat) the MINI has suddenly become a truly practical option too.