Former MINI cabrio owner and current Jaguar XJS owner with a question. I have a degenerative nerve disease and have to be in a wheel chair if I walk over 10 feet. My wheel chair is a fold up job that will fit in the back of my wifes MDX but not in the trunk of the Jag.

Two questions about the Countryman:

1. Are the seats far enough off the ground that they're easy to get in and out of?

2. do you think that the back of the countryman is big enough to fit a standard wheelchair folded up?

TIA,
Tony

 

The seats may be high enough, but they are smallish as are the opening to get into the vehicle. Your best bet on both counts is to go try one on. Any dealer should be willing to let you try fit for both you and your chair. Good luck.

 

With the rear seats folded down, I think a wheelchair would fit. As far has seat height, I am surprised just how easy it is to get in and out of this car.

 

Getting in and out of the countryman should not be an issue. This is from someone with damaged disc's both lumbar (x3) and cervical (x2), a bad left knee and a severely damaged right ankle ( mri's look that of a former bull rider, or pre-body builder wrestler from the 70's) the Countryman is a great choice.

Fold down the rear seats Im sure your chair will fit, but like others have said go try it... you might like it...

 

I'm sure it will fit, at least with the seat rear seats down. I have to completely break down my 10 year old's wheelchair, but it actually fits in the back behind the rear seats!

I'll get a picture tomorrow, but basically I take the cushion and armrests off and put them down on one side. The wheels come off next and go on the other side. Then I drop the push handles and fold the seatback down. The chassis has just enough clearance to slide in on top of everything.

I had to push the rear seats forward a couple of notches to make it work, but both he and my 16 year old still have enough leg room to sit comfortably.

 

I hope this image attachment works. I've never uploaded directly from my phone before.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I know that this is an older thread but I was wondering if a regular wheelchair, with wheels attached, can fit into the back of a Countryman? We are considering a Countryman but need to occasionally transport a wheelchair when we visit my mother-in-law. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

Dornblaser;
With seats folded down, my MIL's wheelchair fits comfortably in the boot of my CM, wheels attached. However, I bet there are various sizes of "regular" wheelchairs, so if there is any doubt you might double check by doing a fit check at your dealer (or friend with a CM).

 

Thank you for the reply, we are going to take in the wheelchair to dealer and do a test fit.

 

I was in the market for a hatchback, but it had to be able to carry my mother's wheelchair without folding the rear seat. I checked the VW Golf, Subaru Impreza, Ford focus, Mazda3 Hatch. None of them could hold a wheelchair without laying it flat.

But surprisingly - the 2013/2014 Mini Countryman CAN hold a regular wheelchair without folding the rear seats. It's the only small hatchback that I could find which does this.

 

Thank you for the pic!

 

A little more info....the reason this works in the countryman is because it has no spare tire. The Mini Countryman S I have came with run-flat tires standard. That makes the cargo area very tall even though the car is small.

Also - you need to remove the flat-floor cover, and remove the cargo-area cover. Both come out in seconds without any tools. The flat-floor was an option, so some cars might not even have that.

Just plan ahead - if you know you will carry a wheelchair - just leave the flat-floor cover and cargo-area-cover at home.