The first Mini with four doors and also the largest Mini built to date does raise some eyebrows.

At the launch event yesterday Eurokars Habitat unveiled the new Mini Cooper Countryman to an excited crowd, complete with lights, smoke, and two puzzled cows.

Aimed at drivers who have skipped the original Mini because of its small size and those who have “outgrown” the two-door phase in life, the Countryman cross-overs the versatility of a four-door car and rough-and-tough capabilities of a Sports Activity Vehicle, but still retaining the familiar Mini design.

You can order the Countryman with a 120hp 1.6L engine, or a turbocharged 184hp “S” version. The standard car will only be available in front-wheel drive, but the “S” can be specified with All4, Mini's new four-wheel drive system.

While it may be a big Mini, it has a strong look with a squarish-off front profile, horizontal roof line and bulges on the bonnet. Inside, it feels big too with a commanding driving position. It has four individual seats, but it's possible to seat five adults with a tiny pinch. Depending on how the seats are arranged, boot space can be increased from 350 litres to a cavernous 1150 litres.

While the interior has been filled with funky little details, customers can customise the interior with the “Colour Line”, which adds colours to the door centre panel inside the elliptical door ring, the lower section of the B-pillar trim and the Centre Rail insert. The selection of colours comprises Carbon Black, Polar Beige, Pure Red, Dark Tobacco and Surf Blue which is exclusive to the Cooper S Countryman.