Is it a car? Is it a 4x4? No, it’s the Mini Countryman. This is a crossover vehicle with more height, a chunkier body and drool-worthy anthracite rims that got Glyn Demmer’s pulse racing.

I was offered the Mini Countryman to test drive for a week. I thought I’d be done in two days so offered to return it quicker. I then took it through its paces on a stretch of road up to Hartbeespoort Dam. The trip up was good, but it was the return trip in the dark that was even better. I was blown away by the adaptive xenon headlights, which allowed me to maintain daylight speeds.

The next morning I decided that I might keep the Countryman for a few more days. It suddenly dawned on me that I was enjoying myself (despite the fact that I’m not really the target market for this car).

I used to have a Mini 1275 GTS that could top 160 kilometres and had reasonable road manners; this was one of British Leyland’s up-market Minis and England’s answer to the VW Beetle –austerity in fit and design being common to both the Mini and the VW. With some imagination I picked up on signature design themes such as the large round speedometer and other trim items. I also remembered changing the oil, setting the carbs and timing and generally carrying out most of the maintenance myself. In its current guise I’d still be able to pump the wheels if necessary.

But what excites me? The 135kw 1.6 cylinder (with turbocharger and direct injection) motor gets me going. It’s smooth and quick, although not dangerously so, yet enough to have Metro in a frenzy when you pass.

It’s difficult to make a mistake with this car, because the ride is precise, and it sticks to the road. The All4 permanent all-wheel-drive system on the Cooper S derivative I tested uses an electromagnetic centre diff to distribute power front to rear. This generally offers a 50% split, but under certain conditions maximum power can be directed to the rear wheel – a great safety feature that enhances performance. Dynamic stability control is standard across the range, with traction control standard on the Cooper S.

Sir Alec Issigonis, Mini’s original designer, intended to bring an affordable, reliable product to the market. This is obviously no longer the case, but this car is competitively positioned against its competition, and the overall build quality smacks of reliability.

The interior:
The heritage may be light years off, but it’s still a Mini, albeit one on steroids. You’ve got to love the new, soft-touch type materials that have a luxurious feel. Interior space is good, and the test unit I had had a three-seat rear configuration with good legroom. The boot with hidden storage compartment was adequate. The rear seats can be adjusted front to rear and the backrest angle is also adjustable. And, oh so cool are the dual sunroofs. The cockpit is busy though with lots of lights and buttons, which shouldn’t be a problem once you’ve read the manual a few times. Run-flat tyres are standard in this vehicle, and there’s no spare wheel in the boot.

The Countryman retains the trademark cheekiness of a Mini, but the increase in size now makes it a more practical choice. Plus it’s an attractive package that’s well put together. The price positioning is premium (not cheap), but the standard specifications are good with a huge range of options – the radio/CD player really rocks! It’s been a while since I had so much fun!