And then there were four. Ten years after successfully reviving the Mini marque, BMW has driven the brand into hitherto uncharted territory with the launch of the Countryman, a four-door, four-seat, all-wheel drive, go-anywhere variant of the cute city car.
The Countryman represents a sizeable risk for Mini, which now stands accused of losing sight of the compact beauty that made the original so desirable in the first place.
Although the German-owned British car maker has consistently made a decent fist of remixing the past with each of its new product launches - the new Mini, the two-door Cabrio and latterly the Clubman estate - the Austrian-built Countryman cannot rely on simply tearing another page from the small marque's book of greatest hits. It is a car without historical precedent. All of which makes it perfectly reasonable to ask whether the Countryman is really a Mini at all?
And the answer is: it's not and yes, of course it is.
At more than four metres long and close to 1.4m tall, the Countryman Cooper S cuts an imposing figure. Its proportions are more akin to a mid-size SUV like, say, a VW Tiguan or a Nissan Qashqai, rather than a dinky little runabout. In spite of this, its exterior design language and exquisite interior are so distinctively Mini that you quickly forget about its overinflated dimensions.
The Countryman's body style is muscular to say the least. A basking shark front grille and low-riding spoiler lend a touch of evil to the nose, while big alloy wheels, slab sides and a nicely rounded rump complete the look. Altogether, it's a delicious blend.
Things are equally impressive inside. The cockpit is classic Mini: big dials, faux chrome-clad switchgear and rock-solid build quality - a visual and tactile joy from head to toe. The large centre dial, which on previous models used to house only an oversized analogue speedometer, is now almost entirely given over to an integrated in-car entertainment and navigation system called "Connected", a platform that naturally bears a strong resemblance to BMW's easy-to-use iDrive hardware. Keeping a toe in the past, a retro-styled speedo still clings to the rim of this unit.
Elsewhere, a striking centre rail runs from a point between the cabin's front seats to its back, effectively dividing it into quarters and housing cup holders, your clutter and, in another wonderful piece of detailing, a branded case to stow your sunglasses in.
This rail also allows Mini to install two generously proportioned individual seats in the rear. Naturally, these benefit from significantly improved legroom and sit in front of a decent-sized boot. The extra size (and those extra doors) also make the Countryman far more liveable for back-seat passengers on a long car journey.
On the road the car uses the Mini's standard-bearing 1.6L four-cylinder engine married to a six-speed automatic gearbox. It's here, perhaps, that all that extra size and additional weight start to betray the Countryman.
Jam your foot on the accelerator from a standing start and the car will squeal nicely towards 100kph in a perfectly respectable 7.6 seconds and will, when further pressed, crack on to a top speed in excess of 200kph. Neither figure is particularly shabby, but the Countryman does feel underpowered in the mid-range, especially when you need that bit of extra grunt to get you out of trouble on the Sheikh Zayed Road.
There are other issues: the back window is tiny and when combined with large back-seat head restraints, it makes rear visibility a real issue. This situation is compounded by the car's ovoid-shaped wing- and rear-view mirrors, which are a triumph of form over function. They look great and are an important part of the Mini design language, but severely restrict your peripheral vision on the motorway. Elsewhere, the driver's seat adjusts manually rather than electronically, which seems odd for a car with such a hefty pricetag.
Nevertheless, it's hard to stay too cross with the Countryman for too long. I'd happily trade these relatively minor quibbles for the smiles per mile it consistently manages to deliver. Somehow, too, the designers have managed to maintain the trademark go-kart handling of Sir Alec Issigonis's 1950s people's car.
That smile won't be wiped out when you visit a petrol station either. The manufacturer claims the Cooper S needs just 6.3L of fuel to cover 100km. Pretty decent figures for what is notionally a small performance car.
Altogether it's an impressive package. I have to confess I had been a Countryman-sceptic, but was largely won over by its considerable charms. The car has been warmly received elsewhere in the world and rumour has it that Mini now plans a longer, seven-seat version of its latest offering. On face value that would seem a stretch too far, but don't bet against the car maker's talented team pulling that one off as well.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
