As a child, nothing screamed summer holidays more than packing up the family car with the tent, snorkels, skateboards and food for a week - basically everything but the kitchen sink - and nothing screamed sardine can more than that family car being a 1970 Mini Cooper. School runs were a misery crammed into the back, sat on by a considerably larger brother, hot faces squashed against a steaming window… how times have changed.
Last weekend was dedicated to our annual ritual, the house hunt. Usually in an attempt to find a better deal, this year more space is needed for our tiny bundle of joy who, despite his size, already seems to have acquired a more substantial wardrobe than his parents. Nothing could have suited a weekend of narrow Jumeirah streets, three-point turns and pavement parking better than the Mini Countryman (although this isn't a 4X4 as we would normally imagine, pavements are about as off road as you can go with this car).
Underground parking and night-time driving shows the Mini off at its best with fab ambient lighting oozing from door wells and the centre console, which is nothing short of cool. Set up a bit like an aeroplane cockpit, all the buttons and gadgets are concentrated together and remind you why you chose this designer ride over something a little more mainstream.
A far cry from those days of the school run and camping trips, this four-door city car was a joy to drive and be driven in. The adjustable back seats create more room in the boot if desired, and there's loads of head- and legroom - in fact the only thing ‘Mini' about this car is its name.
Does it man up?
It's got all the elements of the retro Mini design on the inside with the cool circular centre display that reminds me of a ship porthole, a GPS, radio - and the one thing that I have always loved about Minis; the aeroplane-style buttons. Add to that a few quirky design features such as the rail track running through the centre that you can clip all sorts of funky accessories on to, and you feel like the interior is in a different league altogether. The paddle shift gearbox and 184bhp make for a fun ride and reminds you that we are in 2011. The slightly raised suspensions gives it a higher ride, and combined with the all-wheel-drive function, makes it a contender for those sand patch parking lots - but I wouldn't want to test its off-road limits any further than that. It's a fun, more roomy take on the Cooper, but I'm not sure if it's managed to maintain that quintessential Mini exterior style… it will probably grow on you.
- Cameron Cairns
Checklist
Price: From Dh140,000
Colour choice: Eleven colours with options of metallic finish and a choice of white or coloured roofs on select models
ISOFIX: ISOFIX
Safety: Mini Countryman has claimed the top five-star score in the latest Euro NCAP crash-test results, making it one of the safest cars on the road
Park Distance Control (PDC) with a very clever graphic to help navigate you away from calamity
Other features:
- Passenger's seat-height adjustment
- Sports leather steering wheel with gearshift paddles and multi-function
- All-wheel drive
- Runflat indicator (monitors the tyre pressure and alerts driver to any damage)
