It’s the heart and soul of the company – no pun intended – and in its five years of planning it’s set to smoke the competition, leaving many in the dust and others out of production altogether. Yup, this car is that good – and per the company, the Ignis has multi-generational reach across buying demographics. 

To be frank, it’s an odd looking car – no, not to the extent of Kia Soul-odd, but still funky to look at – and that’s a good thing. According to Suzuki, consumers and dealers love it, adding up to 50 confirmed orders during its launch week alone. It’s a fun car that gets you from point A to point B while showing off a lot of attitude in the process.

I must confess, when I first saw the Ignis my thinking was more along the lines of “what the hell is this Mini Cooper Countryman looking thing?” than instant appreciation, and it was only on a later press drive that I finally got what all the fuss was about. 

Did I mention that the Ignis is a fun and well-rounded car? Well, it’s all that and zippier to boot. All of the models feature a 1.2-liter  engine, mated in either Suzuki’s similarly new GL Manual or GLX Manual and GLX Automatic five speed transmission. 

Whether we (myself and driving partner Wezile Bonani) were driving around the city in downtown Cape Town, cruising on the highway, or carving through roads clinging to the side of a mountain, the relatively new gearbox (previously used in the Swift 1.2) delivered faster and smoother shifts.

To be honest, though: the 5-speed is perky yet smooth with little kick from standstill. Our adventurous driving through the Cape winelands to the back country of Cape Town’s hilly roads demonstrated that the Ingis is more than sufficiently-equipped to satisfy my thirst for performance – and for the most part, I had to keep reminding myself that this is after all intended as a “ultra-compact crossover”.

The new engine is hands-down the biggest highlight of the Ignis, though to be fair it’s about damn time Suzuki put it to use. After all, it’s already powering the likes of the Swift as mentioned earlier.

Did I mention that the Ignis is a fun and well-rounded car?

For those really insistent on controlling the shift points on the auto verion, thankfully Suzuki didn’t leave you in the cold. A quick tap of the shifter to the right allows for manual gear shifting, though honestly it didn’t feel as quick as letting the transmitter do all the work.

Suzuki also comes in with a new-generation, modular chassis, that then boosts the crossover’s low mass, while also offering a rigid platform. There’s also the generous 180 mm ground clearance confirms that the newcomer isn’t scared to get its boots dirty. My biggest complain is the size of the wheels, while its to understand that they are to optimise engine performance, they make the vehicle actually look light and a tad cheap as opposed to the ‘affordable’ we’re aiming for. 

As for fuel economy, Suzuki claims that, you’ll get off with 5,1 litres/100 km in the case of manual gearbox models, and an even more frugal 4,9 litres/100 km for the automated manual model. That was proved correct during our drive. 

The base Ignis with a manual transmission starts at R169 900. The Ignis 1.2 GLX manual is priced at R189 900 while the automatic comes in at R204 900.

Helping make you feel you’re really getting something for that premium, the GLX models come with additional exterior features such as new 15-inch alloy wheels, wheel arch and roof rails and chrome around the grille. The headlights and fog lamps get projector type LED’s. The exterior mirrors include turn signal repeaters.

Inside, a start/stop button confirms that the GLX offers keyless starting, while the air-conditioning features fully automatic climate control. The climate control switchgear is housed in an innovative, cylindrical housing. The Ignis is really that customisable. 

Even with all that, there’s really one main takeaway here. Courtesy of its 1.2l engine, the ignis takes a ultra compact utility vehicle with a premium interior and exterior, and injects a decent chunk of fun. If you’re looking for a more performance-oriented ltra- CUV, the Atios Cross and Sandero Stepway might sway you, but its mixture of perky practicality helps the new Suzuki Ignis stand out in a rising segment.

MINI, faced with the need to redesign one of its strong-selling compact SAVs  – the Countryman – refused to be dragged down by the temptation to simply keep riding a popular horse until it collapsed, foaming and spent, into its grave. Instead, the company realised that the future favours the bold, and elected to invest heavily in a completely new and dramatically different 2017 MINI Countryman.

Keep in mind that MINI has been careful not to adjust the edges of the envelope when it comes to the Countryman’s mission statement, as the previous model’s passenger room and footprint were competitive when compared against contemporaries like the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and the Mazda CX-3. Where things felt more than a little old-school? Under the hood, with the SAV of old offering the choice between naturally-aspirated four-cylinder and turbocharged engines. Cabin furnishings, too, spoke of a time when plain, hard-wearing plastics were the order of the day for budget-conscious families.

The 2017 MINI Countryman breaks with the previous model in both of these areas, significantly updating its interior and adopting a powerful line-up of turbo engines that shrink in size but largely maintain or exceed the performance of the units they replace. For our first drive from Durnan through the KZN Midlands up to Clarens in the Free State and back to Johannesburg in the redesigned SAV, I was able to sample the entry-level 1.5-liter three, which shuttles 100 kW and 220 Nm torque through a six-speed automatic transmission and the Cooper S edition with 141 kW and max torque of 280 Nm at four, as the upcoming, diesel units were unavailable even in pre-production form. 

Still, there is more than a little merit in testing the most modest engine configuration of any new automobile, because if that baseline shines then it’s more than likely that more muscled models will impress as well.

Aside from a bit of whoosh when pushed hard, there was little to betray the small statue of the turbocharged engine on either two-lane roads (where passing required no careful planning) or interstate highways (with 140km/h cruising a non-issue, as long as you were able to avoid the local constabulary).

Part of that pluck has to do with the MINI bucking expectations and actually growing in terms of both length and on the scale. Renewed concentration on aero efficiency has further contributed to the sleeker looks of the Countryman, and despite its extended package the vehicle manages to not hang on to much of the cargo capacity and rear passenger room of its smaller predecessor. The lighter step was appreciated when guiding the vehicle through the sinuous backbone and turns of the Golden Gate pass, where the MINI never stopped short of fun, while feeling planted and confident with a minimum of body roll.

If there’s a flaw to be found in the new Countryman’s revised approach to the compact SAV market, it has to do with its features and pricing, rather than its execution. The Countryman raises the bar for MINI when it comes to the availability of active safety (forward collision alert, lane keeping assistance and departure warning and blind sport monitoring), connectivity (unfortunately no Android Auto, Apple CarPlay but two versions of the MINIConnected touchscreen and non-touch interface can be had), and comfort (heated leather seats) but you’ve got to drop more than a little coin to get the good stuff.

All in all, the MINI Countryman is a fun, sleek vehicle to drive that even commands the most unwanted attention. The MINI itself is deserving of attention from families and space-seeking commuters everywhere, but whether it will fit comfortably into their budgets remains to be seen.

We warmn; Be prepared to fork over a lot of cash if you want that pixel-packed display as soon as possible, though. The G3 will cost around R8999 (if the exchange rate allows) if you buy it outright, and with that its safe to say it won’t qualify for an easier-to-swallow installment plan. Only one local service provider (Vodacom) has revealed their plans to carry LG’s brawny handset, but we’d expect matching announcements from at least the larger networks before long. (MTN, I bet)

Way back in January  Alcatel trotted out some new tablets set for debut in Q3, now this is all according to the guys at Engadget. But now we can confirm that some of the handsets that made a appearance earlier in August might just be on their way to our shores, erm, stores rather. The (friendly) guys at Alcatel sent out invites to their One Touch Speak event taking place this Wednesday. While our live tweet sevices have been at halt since Septmeber, we cannot guarantee live tweets to this event either. Scratch that, there will be no live tweets. But rest asssured, we will be have the updates here.

Then again, if you’re worried that you’ll be missing out on all the FOMO be sure to follow the live event hashtag, #OneTouchSpeak on twitter.