LAUNCH NEWS
Mini a better option for taking to the country
Mini’s second generation Countryman has arrived in SA and is definitely a better package
I never warmed to the previous generation Mini Countryman, the largest model in the company’s portfolio. It was ungainly, cumbersome and simply had none of the brand’s inherent qualities — design and go-kart dynamics — which left me rather underwhelmed. Granted, the company was clear who the target market for the model was: a fan of the brand who now has a growing family. It was a great business case, but I am not convinced that the design execution was particularly flattering. Of course, at the time the crossover market was growing and many a buyer could own a Mini that made sense to the head rather than the heart. Even with its design anomaly, the model went on to sell 540,000 units globally and 3,744 locally, which when combined are healthy numbers indeed. Now Mini has introduced the second-generation Countryman and, while I approached the model with much trepidation, any preconceived ideas were quickly allayed after 400km at the helm of the model at its media launch in KwaZulu-N...
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