Mini claims that the new Countryman is a proper family hatchback - but how practical can a Mini really be? John McIlroy travels to Hamburg to find out. This is a car that will test how far Mini can be stretched - and not just in wheelbase. The Countryman is the longest model the firm has ever put on sale - and ever will sell - but as we finally get the true five-door Mini on to public roads, and in production trim, we want to ask bigger questions of it. That's because, for all the PR blurb and pictures of surfboards being neatly eased into its extended boot, the Countryman is about to show how far Mini can push its own credibility. Can a brand with this name, with this history in small vehicles, really make something that's over four metres long and get away with it? Can a 'lifestyle' brand make a family car where others (Smart, anyone?) failed?
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