This past weekend we took a road trip with MINI South Africa in their new Countryman. The drive to Limpopo at Makalali Private Game Reserve was absolutely beautiful as we got to enjoy the majestic scenery Limpopo and Mpumalanga have to offer. The lovely thing about this time of year in those parts is after the rain, it gets as green as the Amazon, and that’s always a gratifying sight.

Back to the MINI Countryman launch, the premium compact handled the bumps on the Dullstroom route like a trooper, handled the passes like a pro too so it’s safe to say the brand lived up to their much talked about ride quality in the vehicles they make with the Countryman. Attractive? Absolutely. There are a number of striking features on the exterior, the LED headlights, new grille and the sportier bumper make the Countryman an intimidating piece of metal ten times more than its predecessor. My favourite is the rear (me and buns!) but this time, it’s actually the Union Jack design LED lights that got my motor running.. wink wink.

The MINI South Africa team planned and executed this launch beautifully. The time we spent on the road was long enough for us to sing to their compiled road trip playlist (not too shabby) and to get to know the Countryman, play around with the tech.

What we discovered in the interior: firstly the redesigned centre cluster in piano black finish brings an elegance to the overall interior. The new digital cockpit display with a 5-inch colour screen comes as standard with ambient lighting makes it youthful and fun and of course obvious smartphone integration system, that was extremely helpful when we took a wrong turn and got lost somewhere along the route (geographically challenged people!).

The interior also comfortably houses four adults so we can tick the legroom and headroom box, we also had enough boot space for two ladies and Photographer equipment (this is a lot). Looking at the premium compact segment, the Countryman has some stiff competition, the Audi Q3 which I also had the opportunity to take to Hoedspruit in 2019. Comparing the two, the Q3 offered a little more space and comfort more than the Countryman. The MINI will also aim at the likes of the VW Tiguan and the Mazda CX-5.

Five hours and 446km later we arrived at Makalali, a small paradise just outside of the town of Hoedspruit. Nestled in the forest of the Limpopo Province along the R36, this place offers relaxation and adventure. We arrived to a Game drive later in the afternoon and a picnic just in the middle of the young jungle with a front row view of the beautiful South African Summer sunset. We later dined underneath the stars. An experience embedded in my heart forever.

The MINI Countryman comes in two model variants, the MINI Cooper Countryman which offers 100kW with the top speed 203km/h for a more relaxed consumer, which we were all in agreement that’s a young professional or a young family. For a bit of a fast pace consumer, there’s the MINI Cooper S Countryman with 141kW and 226km/h top speed. The Countryman features the latest MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology, a 3-Cylinder petrol engine and a 4-Cylinder for the Cooper S.

The Countryman is a steady competitor in this segment, there are a lot of options for this price but I am sure all the MINI Cooper loyalists out there will be going for it, I foresee a lot of S models riding around town soon.

Model & Pricing

• MINI Cooper Countryman R599 624 00
• MINI Cooper S Countryman R631 004 00