To understand the context of the Mini Countryman, one has to delve back into the murky past of Britain’s crumbling automotive prospects in the late 1960’s. Lord Stokes, the new chairman of the then named British Motor Corporation (BMC) was desperate to leverage the success of Alec Issigonis’ complete brilliance that was the Morris and Austin Mini.

Over fish and chips, brown ale and cigarettes, BMC management worked out that they needed a more profitable brand extension to the fabulous and wholly worthy Mini. So they wheeled Alec Issigonis’ to create homage to the Mini. He created a monster called the Maxi.

This beast was launched in Oporto, Portugal, on 24 April 1969, in an expensive blaze of futile publicity and had the dubious accolade of being one of the first cars to appear on the BBC’s new car programme Wheelbase, a forerunner to Top Gear. It boasted a front wheel drive chassis and a five speed ‘box. It was a truly horrid thing, beset with more than its fair share of problems. On the positive side though, it was known as the 100 mph bed, because it topped out at a wheezy 160 km/h and the front seats folded flat to create a bed like experience. Nightmares and loss of virginity being an almost standard feature.

Fast-forward 40 years and BMW, the new owners of Mini, are keen to leverage the success of the their highly regarded new Mini. So they have also had meetings, this time at the BMW Tower, over Sauerkraut and Weizenbier and they have come up with the Mini Countryman.! This too is meant to leverage the success of Alec Issigonis’ completely brilliant Morris and Austin Mini. Sound familiar, anyone? This Austrian built derivative of the Mini is something that Mini South Africa believes will attract people whose lifestyle didn’t fit in with their ‘new’ Mini or its niche Clubman sibling. The Countryman is aimed at trendy, affluent families and we have to hope that it’s the biggest Mini there will ever be. Please.

The Countryman that BMW sent me to sample for six days was a range-topping, four-wheel-drive ALL4 Cooper S, costing a bond-extending R393 000. It feels immediately bigger than the new ‘regular’ Mini, and you feel like you’re sitting in a higher position than normal hatches like a Megane or a Golf. The taller tyres help to make the ride slightly more compliant and it’s mostly successful in achieving a better ride than the Mini Cooper S. The engine is very willing and if you have never experienced the normal Cooper S, you’d never know that the weight of the four-wheel-drive technology has blunted the cars performance. The car does feel smooth and very urgent when it is called upon to perform.

Do you need four-wheel drive with this chassis and engine combo? Nope. Not unless you live in the Ceres mountains in the winter, trapped in a “Ground-Hog Day” kind of scenario. I found the car to be a bit skittish on straight, pockmarked roads, although this is a characteristic of the ‘normal’ Mini. But yet the handling is superb. It grips tenaciously and allows hooligan behaviour to be rewarded with indecently quick progress along twisty roads.

Inside, the car is not that convincing for my tastes. The switchgear is over the top; the speedo is bigger than a dustbin lid, the evocative rocker switches are located low on the centre console and difficult to locate without taking your eyes off the road. Oh, and the handbrake! It looks like a Mr. Price inspired aircraft throttle and your elbow collides with the centre arm-rest/oddments bin every time you use it. That, together with the useless sliding sunglass casket mounted on the central slider is an ergonomic basket case. Yet I wonder if that is going to matter one jot to the people that buy it?

If you had considered a Clubman and not bought it because of practicality issues, you’ll be a whole lot happier in the Countryman. The car will happily fit at least four burly men (or women for that matter) in the car and drive reasonable distances in manageable comfort. But tell your mates to leave most of their luggage at home. This car is 4 097 mm long, pretty much on a par with your typical supermini and its boot is just 350-litres. Small overnight bags at the ready, then.

Should you drive a fair amount, like I do, you will probably engage the services of a satellite navigation device. The Mini’s system is really superb, with the screen nestling inside the giant central speedo dial. The high tech device feels strangely at home with the ‘old-school’ switches and dials. Employing the little joystick down behind the gearstick, it condenses BMW’s iDrive into the size of a Mont Blanc pen. It works perfectly well and points the way to future BMW navigation ideas.

I do wonder about the cars’ exterior and interior trinkets lasting over the long term, but we’ll have to wait and see the results of long-term tests. The weaker and cheaper bits and bobs here and there may suffer, but the overall impression and perception is one of high quality. But Marc Girad’s (head of Interior Design at BMW Automobiles) obsession with circles made me feel like I was trapped inside a giant Aero chocolate bar. Too many bubbles for my liking.

As much as this Mini has split opinion in our motoring family and those we have polled, there’s no doubt that this car has moved the game on from the Clubman. Is it a perfect family car? It’s not and it’s very expensive, particularly as the entry level Mini Cooper Countryman in the United Kingdom is around R195 000, whilst it starts at R287 500 here. Mini will tell you that the South African Mini is far better specified than its equivalent British version. Granted. But it would be nice to have the choice of buying an entry-level car, opening the marque up to a bigger market. After all, part of the Mini experience is choosing your chosen options available thereby personalising your car.

The Countryman is a strikingly well designed and bolted together product, but it is being rapidly caught up to by Renault, Hyundai and other, perhaps unlikely competitors. So has Mini created a monster worthy of its Austin Maxi grand dad? No, the Countryman’s not a bad car. This time Mini have managed to keep much of the Mini zest in place. The steering is direct and responsive, making the Countryman a keen performer, and while the ride is sometimes unsettled on South African roads, it does settle down nicely at higher speeds, particularly in sixth gear. It’s costly but oh so trendy and the pretty yummie mummies will absolutely love it. With this, I believe that Mini will sell every one they can lay their hands on.

What we like…

• Modern interpretation and bold re-imagining of original concept.
• Swift and chuckable.
• Seriously cheeky persona. “Cool Britania’ in a Germanic kind of way.

What we would like…

• Proper entry-level versions. Steel wheels, bereft of expensive options.
• Go easy on the circles, dude.
• No bigger Mini’s, please. Remember the Maxi!

Richard Webb is the publisher of Blower, South Africa’s longest running car magazine and contributor to SACarFan.

The MINI Countryman is the first MINI to come with four doors and a large tailgate, as well as a versatile interior offering space for up to five people. It’s also the first MINI with a body measuring more than four metres in length and which can be ordered as an option with all-wheel drive. With these features, in addition to the raised seating position and optimised ride comfort, the Countryman is a pioneering model for the brand, as it aims to take the MINI experience to a new level and win over additional target groups.

Two petrol engines are available in South Africa. The selection ranges from the MINI Cooper Countryman, which develops 90 kW and 160 Nm, while the MINI Cooper S Countryman, whose 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine is the most efficient unit in its displacement class, produces 135 kW and 240 Nm.

The optional MINI ‘ALL4′ all-wheel drive allows the driving fun associated with the brand to be experienced off the beaten track as well. The permanent all-wheel-drive system is said to offer quick and precise responses to changing conditions. An electromagnetic centre differential positioned directly on the final drive varies the distribution of power seamlessly between the front and rear axles. The ALL4 system is available for the MINI Cooper S Countryman.

In addition, a newly developed suspension combines traditional MINI agility with ride comfort. Underlying these traits is new suspension technology, which includes a front axle with MacPherson spring struts and forged track control arms, multi-link rear suspension and the electromechanical power steering system (EPS). The MINI Countryman comes as standard with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system.

The Countryman’s exterior has been designed to impart an impression of robustness and versatility. Four doors and a large tailgate, a striking roof shape and an upright front end set it apart within the MINI ranks. Other distinctive features are its MINI proportions and design cues. Short overhangs, a high window line, the wrap-around look of the windows and the car’s powerful over-the-wheel stance create a familiar appearance transplanted onto larger exterior dimensions. Elsewhere, the Countryman features revisions of the typical MINI characteristics, such as the hexagonal radiator grille, large headlights set into the bonnet, side indicator surrounds, voluminous wheel arches and vertical rear light clusters.

The MINI Countryman comes standard with a three-seater bench in the rear or – as a no-cost option – two individual seats for passengers. The rear seats slide fore-and-aft individually or in a 60:40 split (three-seat bench), the angle of the backrests can also be adjusted, and the backrests can be folded down either individually or in a 40:20:40 split (three-seat bench) – all of which allows luggage capacity to be increased from 350 litres to a maximum 1 170 litres. The MINI Countryman is also fitted as standard with the innovative Centre Rail storage and fastening system.

The list of standard equipment for the MINI Countryman includes air conditioning and a CD audio system. A wide range of customisation options are also available, such as exterior paint finishes and interior colours designed exclusively for the Countryman, a host of upholstery variants, trim elements and model-specific equipment items, and high-quality audio and navigation systems. A further in-car entertainment highlight is the unique MINI Connected system, which includes the news (via RSS feeds), Twitter and web radio functions.

The MINI Countryman is also available with John Cooper Works performance components. The aerodynamics package available for the MINI Cooper S Countryman includes flaps for the front bumper, side skirts (painted in the body colour and featuring an additional air intake), a diffuser for the rear apron, which generates extra downforce, and extra-large exhaust tailpipes. 19-inch double-spoke light-alloy wheels are also available exclusively from the range of John Cooper Works accessories. These can be ordered in matt black or in gloss black with a machined surface. For the interior, customers may be tempted by a three-spoke sports steering wheel with Alcantara cover and carbon clasp and a gearshift lever in the same material combination.

The Mini Countryman will take the hallmark driving fun of the brand to new heights, when it goes on sale in South Africa in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The Countryman is the first Mini to come with four doors and a large tailgate, as well as an interior offering space for up to five people. The new Countryman is also the first member of the Mini family with a body measuring more than four metres in length and which can be ordered as an option with all-wheel drive.

With these features, in addition to the Countryman’s raised seating position, the new car intends to take the Mini brand into new dimensions and win over additional target groups.

Two petrol-powerd models will available when the car goes on sale later this year. Both the Mini Cooper Countryman and the Mini Cooper S Countryman, are powered by the brand’s proven 1,6-litre engine, producing 90 kW and 135 kW respectively.

The optional Mini All4 all-wheel drive allows the driving fun to continue off the beaten track as well. The permanent all-wheel-drive system’s quick response to changing conditions promises to deliver new handling talents for which MINI is famed. An electromagnetic centre differential positioned directly on the final drive varies the distribution of power seamlessly between the front and rear axles. The All4 system is available for the Cooper S Countryman only.

Pricing for the new Mini Countryman will be announced closer to the launch later this year.