Never did the idea that a diesel engine would be fitted into a MINI spring to the minds of the designers, marketers or buyers of the cars from back in the day.

So much so that after Sir Alec Issigonis designed the very first Austin MINI for the British Motor Company in 1959, MINI’s design stayed the same for 40 years.

But over the past few years, MINI has grown up.

Last year, the MINI Cooper Countryman range landed on our shores for the first time, with the 1,5 and 2 litre engine versions dropped back in March.

While the small car is known for its agile handling, the Countryman range paved the way for new adventures in South Africa – as the car had now evolved to fit our unique landscape, rather than the city streets of London.

However, they weren’t stopping there, because MINI decided to marry it with a diesel engine, plus an automatic transmission, reports The Citizen.

Now introducing the MINI Cooper D Countryman Automatic: 

It is 4,3 metres long, 1,8 metres wide, 1,5 metres high, weighs in at 1 430 kg and has five doors.

It is powered by an in-line four-cylinder normally-aspirated diesel engine of 1 995cc, which renders 110 kW of power at 4 000 rpm and 330 Nm of torque between 1 750 rpm and 2 500 rpm.

This is relayed to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic Steptronic transmission. It sits on spoked 17-inch alloy wheels in 225/55 R17 tyres and has disc brakes all round.

Inside, it boasts absolutely everything that can click, bang or call Oprah direct.

The list is too long to reproduce here, but it includes carbon black cloth and leather covered seats, air conditioning, a multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, a touch screen, a navigation system, and an electric handbrake.

Driving the vehicle proved rewarding – the acceleration is brisk, with the automatic transmission smooth and seamless, going up or down.

The handling was neutral, even during spirited cornering, with the plethora of safety aids including anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, cornering brake control, dynamic stability control, fading brake support, dynamic traction control electronic differention lock control and hill start assistance.

The real point about diesel-powered cars is the fact that they generally produce low fuel consumption and the test car impressed with an overall usage figure of 6,4 l/100 km.

And there you thought growing up would suck.

She’s a beauty, and she would look as fine zipping around the city as she would around the sticks.

Keen? If you want to get your hands on the steering wheel of the Countryman, drop Seth a line at editor@2oceansvibe.com, subject line ‘MINI for me’, and we’ll wangle you guys a good deal.

See you on the road.

[source:thecitizen]