Some cars are bought with a spreadsheet. This one tends to get bought with a grin. The 2012 MINI Countryman Cooper takes everything people love about a MINI - the darty steering, the sense that the car is in on the joke - and quietly adds the back seats and boot space that make it work on a Tuesday as well as a Sunday.

It is the MINI for people who were told they had to grow up and decided to negotiate. The raised ride height gives you a better view down Whitehorse Road than any hatch has a right to, while the 1.6-litre petrol and six-speed automatic keep the whole thing light on its feet through traffic. Around town it feels eager rather than frantic, which is a harder balance to strike than it sounds.

Inside, the cabin does what MINI has always done best: it commits. The layout has personality instead of the beige anonymity that swallows most small SUVs, and the driving position sits you up where you can see. Rear passengers get genuine room rather than a token gesture, and the boot handles a weekly shop without anyone having to play luggage tetris in the car park.

Front-wheel drive keeps things predictable and cheap to run, which matters on a car you will use every day. This is a five-door that slots into a tight Melbourne parking space, holds its line on a wet on-ramp, and does not punish you at the pump for the privilege. For a first car, a second car, or a city runabout that refuses to be boring, the maths works.

Presented in white over a black interior, it has travelled 83,000 kilometres - modest for its age, and the kind of use that suggests a car that was driven properly rather than flogged. The R60 Countryman has aged into that sweet spot where the styling still reads as distinctive rather than dated, and the price has come back to earth.

Come and see it at our Nunawading showroom, take it for a proper lap of the back streets, and see whether the steering does what everyone says it does. Most people are surprised by how much car is hiding under the badge.

It is technically a small SUV, though it drives like it heard a rumour about being one and decided not to take it too seriously.

All prices displayed exclude government charges. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, MM Carz recommends you confirm with one of our consultants to confirm specific specifications/features about the car. Please also note our vehicles may not always be on display, as they may be in for detailing - please contact us in advance to confirm availability before visiting our showroom.