Bucket Seat: MINI Countryman Cooper S

A few weeks ago I attended the launch of the all new Mini Countryman, while the car did impress me during the launch, the real test is when you're behind the wheel of it for a week and over the past seven I got to do just that with the Cooper S variant. The Mini Countryman goes against the name of the company, while it looks like a Mini, drives like a Mini and is named a Mini, its not really....mini. It's actually quite a big vehicle, in fact it's about the same size and your normal small SUV. While everything about the car still remains niche and quirky to appeal to the Mini driver, this happens to be one of the most practical Mini's yet.

STYLE

While this is an all new model from the previous one, the exterior styling hasn't changed that much. It looks very similar to the old one but with a few tweaks to help you differentiate from the two. The front headlights on the new Countryman are more bolder and squared off and the rear lights have been slightly enlarged, similar to that of the Mini Hatch. There are bolder accents all around with the car being more buff than previously and the car being overall bigger, both in length and width, not to mention the ride height being increased ever so slightly. Like all Mini's, the car does look fantastic and does generate a lot of attention no matter how you spec it. There seems to be this unwritten love affair with pedestrian's and Mini's where I often find many just glaring at the car as I drive past. The interior of the car also hasn't changed that much but is notably more stylish with better quality materials and finishes, not to mention the new Mini Connect and iDrive system with touch sensitive jog shuttle controller, which is basically from BMW but more about that later.

The car exudes style and like every Mini out there, it can be created to suit any individual. There's tons of options, colour tones, decals, rims, stitching and other extras to make your Mini unique to you. The one I had, while looking pretty straight forward was spec'd pretty well if you ask me. Being the sporty derivative from the two engine options offered, it was kitted out in all black, with a dark grey rim but the interior was this lush white/ creme which I just loved but was scared shitless that I might stain with something or the other, fortunately I didn't. 

COMFORT

Seeing that the Countryman is quite large, comfort wasn't an issue at all with it, whether you're behind the wheel or a passenger, either in the front or back. There was ample room for four adults. The seats are great with the front passengers being offered the optional extra seating heating for those cold winter months. Ride quality is perfect, as per normal they've taken a leaf out of BMW's booklet with the perfect weight distribution, which helps the cars ride quality remain the same on almost any surface. Being an SUV the car did also offer plenty of storage room and came with the storage pack from Mini which gives you extra space below the boot floor as well as a mat to avoid scraping the bump when loading luggage or you could use it to sit on.  The new Countryman also offers roof racks now as well. 

PERFORMANCE

With MINI opting for TwinPower Turbo engines across it's line, the Cooper S has the more powerful 2 liter, 4 cylinder option which is my favorite engine from the two for obvious reasons. Even though it's basically the same engine from the BMW 320i, it is tweaked for the Mini to provide optimal performance. The engine pushes out 141kW with a max torque of 280Nm and for city driving thats more than adequate. I just love the way they tune the exhaust on these Mini's though. It lets out that deep hum which just gets you excited every time you turn it on. It' makes you feel like a race driver. Speak of which, the Countryman does have a sport mode which essentially turns the car into a Go-Kart, a much bigger one but it's such a thrill to experience. It's hard for me to explain to people why I like driving Mini's, I always tell them there's only so much I can tell you in words before you experience it for yourself. 

TECH

While BMW did always share technology with Mini, the Countryman probably borrows a lot more now than usual. The car in terms of tech packs has almost everything the BMW offers in their cars which is great. The Mini iDrive interface is much more user friendly than before and offers a great deal of detail information with regards to the vehicle status. The Bluetooth Audio streaming is easy to connect and can be done now while the car is moving. Mini office allows you to view and read emails or messages that come through to your phone and can be accessed via the touch screen infotainment display. Like other Mini's the car did come with a heads-up display which rises from the dashboard, I always felt this was extremely cool but what I noticed in previous models with it, you had to look at it from a certain angle to view the info, now you can adjust the projection to your preference which is awesome!

VERDICT

A major put off from the Mini is always the price tag, people always seemed to be turned away when the price is mentioned but what they don't realise is while it is a Mini, one can't really compare it to other cars in the market purely because what it has to offer. There is no other car that would give you the same driver experience, nor the quality finishes that that this car has to offer, not to mention the extras. Show me a car in this segment that has a Harman Kardon sound system as an extra? While the car is quirky and fun, it also has a niche to it that people only realised once seated in it. The various options and specs you can change and style your Mini is endless and it's that uniqueness to create a car that is to your perfection is one of the key selling elements to the car. While this may sound unnecessary, people fail to realise that you sometimes you spend majority of your day in your car so why not get something you'll enjoy being in?

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0 litre, Twin Turbo 4 cylinder
Gear Box	8 speed automatic with paddle shift
Power	141kW
Torque	280Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	9.6  seconds
Price	R 490,000*

Bucket Seat: Mini Clubman Cooper S

After attending the launch earlier in the year and having a limited drive in it due to time constraints, so I was really looking forward to getting the Clubman on my test. Alas, something aren't meant to be I guess as during my time with it, I encountered an unfortunate incident which saw me return the car just 3 days after getting it. Some people in this country just enjoy causing damage and trouble to others property but luckily the damage to the car was not too severe and at the same time let me experience first hand what an owner has to go through should something like this had to happen to them. Even though it was just 3 days, I did manage to have a lot of fun with the car and here's how it went down.

Style

The Clubman is probably the longest Mini in the line up, its base is the Mini 5 door with a longer boot. Although some may call it a hearse, I think it looks pretty nifty. It has that Mini charm to it, and while looks compact, it really is quite big and spacious on the inside. In fact, I'd go out on a limb and say its more spacious than the Countryman. It was the Cooper S model so it had all the sporty extras added to it, large 18" blacked rims, lowered bumper and bigger grilles. The business end of the car has to be the rear, although the back is longer, it doesn't seem out of place and the showstopper has to be those rear doors. Normally with a hatch, you would be familiar with the usual tip up door but with the Clubman, the doors open like a panel van with a two split and with the auto boot open function, it proves to be quite a cool party trick as I showed it off to many and they were equally impressed.

Performance

Nothing more needs to be said about Mini's Cooper S engine that hasn't been said already. It's an almighty 2l Twin Turbo power plant that just itches at every opportunity to provide the most thrilling drive every time to you flick the switch to start the car. That coupled with the masculine tone of the twin exhaust, makes you feel like a racer ready to take on the track. Even though the car is larger than the other Mini's, it still has that Go-Kart feel to it, and it easy to maneuver around. I had the automatic gear box which some may say takes away the joy of driving this type of car but I feel it's quite the opposite. With the engine pushing our 141kW, 280Nm of torque and a top speed of 228kph, you don't want to be changing gears all the time.

Comfort

It's not only me that shares this sentiment, as others who sat in the car said so as well, it really is the best Mini in terms of space and comfort. There's tons of leg room in the back for adult passengers as well as plenty of space in the front. The set up is more in line with BMW although everything is distinctively Mini. The Clubman also has some neat tricks to it as well, normally the mood lighting package in the Mini just features the usual LED lights on the door handles, center console and cabin lighting but on the Club, it has an LED feature pattern on the door which really is breathtaking at night. It caught me off guard at first and I was taken a back by it. It really is flippin cool to see!

Storage

If you going into the market to buy this car, it's for the storage capacity no doubt. The boot is massive and the storage space can be increased by dropping the rear seats. It's simple enough to do so, either by flicking the switch from the boot or from the back passenger doors. It's actually quite surprising how much can fit in the boot and with the doors being split, it makes loaded and off loading easy peasy.

Extras

The cars extras list is might long and impressive to say the least. The car came loaded with them, the light package as mentioned before, Harman Kardon HiFi stereo sound, panoramic glass sunroof with blinds, Scotch pattern seats which is really cool and makes your Mini distinctly different from others. The car also came with Satellite Navigation and Bluetooth Audio streaming. 

Mini Assist

Now on the third night with my car, on way home from dinner, I encounter rocks placed along the road on a blind rise and it was almost impossible for me to avoid, as agile as the Mini is, I managed to avoid the bigger rocks and subsequently hit the smallest one, immediately the cars safety warnings told me something was wrong, the left front tyre was losing pressure and I could feel the car pull to the left. Knowing my house was not more than 200 meters away and the Mini has run flat tyres, I continued to drive at a slow pace, fearing if I had stop to assess the damage I could have been a target for the perpetrators who placed the rocks there. Initially I thought it was the tyre that popped but when I arrived home I realised that the entire rim had cracked. Miraculously nothing else on the car was damaged and the tyre looked like it was fine but due to the rim being cracked, it cut through it. 

Now if this had to happen somewhere else where you're quite far from your destination, it would not be advisable to drive on with a damaged rim. Thats where Mini Assist comes into play, every car sold comes with a Mini Assist plan, and in cases where the rim is damaged, one cannot just pop the boot open and change the tyre since there isn't any due to the cars coming with run flats, so Mini Assist will come to you with the spare rim, change it for you and you can continue to your destination. Of course that rim won't be a replacement, just serves as a standby while you source a new one. It was a learning curve at the same time for myself to see what would happen if an owner had to experience this problem and I must add, the guys were pretty helpful and saw to the issue as soon as they could. 

Verdict

It's the best Mini there is, yes I know I didn't have it that long, yes I want it back, but like the phrase for the Clubman says "Go with your gut!" Seriously, go down to a Mini dealer and test drive one, if your biggest concern over getting a Mini was space for 4 adults and enough boot space, this is the answer to your problems. It is a fantastic car, loads of fun and great to drive. 

Specifications

• 2 litre, 3 cylinder TwinPower Turbo
• 6 speed automatic gear box
• 141kW
• 280Nm torque
• Consumption: 6.4ltr/ 100km
• Top Speed: 228kph
• 0-100kph: 7.2 seconds 
• Price: R447 000* (*excluding extras)

Bucket Seat: Mini Cooper Convertible

I've always spoken about the joy one gets when driving a Mini, it's a car unlike any other that gives the driver a sense of happiness when they're behind the wheel. It's small, fast and nimble, the short turning circle means tighter steering so it's almost like you're driving a go-kart and with the new engines the latest models have, whether you're driving the Cooper, Cooper S or JCW derivative, you're guaranteed to have sufficient power at any time, with any type of gear box. 

This past week I spent it driving around in the latest Mini Convertible, it essentially is everything I said above but you have the option to have a roof or not and that in Durban is a major plus. The east coast is proud to boast a winter that's not really winter, mornings and evenings have a slight chill but during the day, bright sunshine and warmth which is perfect conditions for a convertible and with that, the Mini came in very handy. 

Style

I, for one quite like the look of the new Mini, it's meant to be a small car but it's quite bold in it's design giving the impression that it's much bigger than it actually is. It's a fun car and everything that has to do with the design is just that, fun. The car I had was bright read and came fitted with the JCW kit which had all the sport goodness with a JCW front grille and bumper, bigger wheels fitted with JCW rims, the interior received the JCW treatment as well with sport seats, JCW steering and carbon finishes. I'm not quite sure what it is about Mini's, they are good looking cars but they're guaranteed to turn heads, where ever you go. with the folding roof, this just escalated attraction as people always asked to see what it looked like with the roof down. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige to their requests. The roof can also be opened slightly almost like a sunroof for the car if you don't feel like opening the entire thing.

Performance

As mentioned before, the engine line up in the Mini is excellent even the Cooper model which I had, comes fitted with the 1.5l Twin Power Turbo engine which gives you more than adequate power for this little car. Being a convertible, it is a bit heavier than your normal Mini and this is evident when cornering but on straight stretch this baby has no problem propelling itself to quite high speeds. There is slight turbo lag to it but nothing that will get you too bothered. Side note, the car sounds really good and that exhaust plays a tone that you don't get tired of hearing especially when you throw down the hammer but this affects your fuel consumption drastically!

Comfort

While the car is a 4 seater, it would take a group of very small individuals to sit in total comfort. Being 1.8m in height, I am forced to move my seat almost entirely back which negates any leg room for something sitting behind me, unless they have no limbs, then it would be fine but with the front passenger, we did manage to seat a passenger behind them with a slight compromise to the front passengers seat position but they were not in discomfort from this. The seats are really comfy and of high quality. If there's no one in the back, you can always make use of the wind breaker screen that comes with the car and folds up neatly so you can chuck it into the boot if not in use. 

Storage

What did surprise me about this model is that even thought it has a folding roof, it doesn't impact the storage space in the boot. It remains the same whether the roof is open or closed. The one problem I had with it is the door and access hatch, it could be a little bigger for slightly larger luggage to get in and out. Like I said the space is sufficient and you can get a lot of stuff in there but it's a mission to get it in! If that's not enough for you, you can always put stuff on the back seats and since they're bucket seats, it won't go rolling around the car. 

Extras

It's a Mini but lets not forget who's its relative is, the big boys from Germany so you can be rest assured that there is a significant extras list for every car. The car I had came with the JCW kit as mentioned before, heated seats, satellite navigation, Mini Connect which is like BMW Connected Drive, Harman Kardon sound system, automatic windscreen wipers, colour changing mood lighting, Bluetooth Telephone connectivity and audio streaming and heads up display which is pretty cool as it's a small screen that pops up when you switch on the car. Also a cool addition to the covertible is that you can choose to have the Union Jack imprint on your roof as an added extra. 

Verdict

In many of my Mini reviews before, I mentioned that the Mini was aimed more for the youth but given it's price tag and how much it's grown I don't see why adults can't enjoy them. I certainly did during my time. It does seem a bit gimmicky but that aspect also adds to the charm of the vehicle. What I do love a lot about the car is the high quality finishing, with many of the cars we get now, they have a lot of cheap plastics and make the car look and feel cheap but with this product you're getting what you paid for. Good quality finishes and a solid built car. I found it very difficult to get more than 400km from one tank but that could just be my heavy foot along with the automatic gear box but hey, I can't deny I didn't have fun driving every one of those kilometers. 

Specifications

• 1.5 litre, 3 cylinder TwinPower Turbo
• 6 speed automatic gear box
• 100kW
• 220Nm torque
• Consumption: 5.1ltr/ 100km
• Top Speed: 208kph
• 0-100kph: 8.8 seconds 
• Price: R397 000* (*excluding extras)