DRIVING IMPRESSION
Mini’s bucolic gent gains in looks and agility
Mini SA will officially introduce the diesel variant of its Countryman next month and Lerato Matebese took an early drive
The second generation of the Mini Countryman, which was launched in SA in March, is a far cry from the ungainly model it replaces. The new model has a more agreeable visage that makes it identifiable as a member of the Mini family. The new platform has made the vehicle more agile. While the Cooper S was our pick of the range at the time, that may have changed somewhat following my brief stint at the wheel of the soon-to-be-launched Countryman D. The Countryman D is the diesel variant of the model and sits between the Cooper and Cooper S models in the model hierarchy. It is powered by the company’s tried and trusted 2.0l turbodiesel that also does duty in the BMW X1 sDrive20d variant, which the Countryman shares a platform with. In the Countryman the engine makes 110kW and 330Nm, the latter figure making it the second-highest torque model in the range after the John Cooper Works (JCW) version. We had the six-speed automatic variant on test (a manual version is standard but the automa...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.