Growing up sucks, which is why there are a million memes out there about how ‘adulting’ isn’t exactly a barrel of fun.

When it comes to the MINI Countryman it’s a different story, with the largest car the company has ever produced earning rave reviews here at home.

It’s just been unveiled here in SA, with the original offerings being a 1,5 litre and a 2 litre engine.

The Citizen’s Glen Hill was quickest off the block, so let’s see what he has to say about the new wheels:

Initially it will be available with a choice of two turbo-petrol engines, a 3-cylinder 1 499 cc producing 100 kW, and 220 Nm, or a 4-cylinder 1 998 cc producing 141 kW and 280 Nm.

These, the MINI Cooper Countryman and the MINI Cooper S Countryman, will be joined by the MINI Cooper D Countryman, with a 1 995cc 4-cylinder diesel engine in the third quarter.

Natal has plenty of dirt and potholed roads, as well as goats and pedestrians, but the MINI proved agile and surprisingly comfortable under all circumstances.

This is due to run the combination of a single-joint spring strut axle at the front and a multilink rear axle with a design and a slightly raised ride-height. The Countryman comes with 16-inch light alloy wheels and the S with 17-inch.

That’s some of the technical stuff taken care of, but apparently it’s the sexy dashboard that might grab your attention:

The Countryman is going to appeal to the young-tech savvy family and tech it has aplenty. The standard fittings of the Countryman include the Radio MINI Boost with four-line display in the central instrument and a Bluetooth hands-free telephone facility.

The features of the Wired package, including Mini navigation system Professional, comprise not just the Touch Controller on the centre console but also an 8.8- inch colour screen in the central instrument with a new graphic design. It is also a touchscreen and includes the Country Timer, which registers all travel over sloping, uneven, unsurfaced and snow-covered roads and tracks.

I was wondering when I would see a car that could tell me how to manage my time, and now it appears we have one:

MINI Connected integrates the vehicle into the MINI driver’s digital life via touchpoints such as the Apple iPhone and Apple Watch.

MINI Connected informs the driver of the optimum departure time based on calendar entries and current traffic data.

Address data and appointments saved by the driver previously on a smartphone via MINI Connected are automatically transferred to the car and do not have to be entered in the navigation system again.

The feature can also save regularly visited places as favourite destinations and it detects frequently covered routes so as to be able to inform the driver in the event of unexpected traffic delays.

If, like me, you generally struggle to remember all the bits and bobs when in a rush how about Find Mate:

[It] consists of so-called tags with a wireless tracking function that can be attached to frequently used objects and travel items such as bags, cases, key rings and rucksacks.

Find Mate is able to track the location of any such objects connected to the system that the driver wants to be sure not to forget: tracking is done not only on the on-board computer, but also on a smartphone.

…an acoustic signal can be activated in the car or on the smartphone to help locate the object.

Stop it.

A quick glimpse at the back seat in case you were wondering:

There’s more deets on what to expect from the new MINI, as well as a few more pics, over on the Citizen.

Fancy some good news? Drop Seth a line at editor@2oceansvibe.com, subject line ‘MINI for me’, and we’ll wangle you guys a good deal.

It’s the least we can do.

[source:citizen]