When some automaker puts a styling touch into a car and you've never seen it before, it's bound to prompt others to quickly follow and adopt a trend. But as time wears on, too many models in too many segments start to get trendy and that styling loses its distinctiveness and just becomes overplayed.

We've said before that the MINI Countryman is a strange offering from a nameplate that gets its mojo from smallness. But we understand the company's desire to attract customers who can't quite give up the idea of owning a minivan.