(112bhp), MINI Cooper Countryman (122bhp), MINI Cooper S Countryman (184bhp). Prices for begin at around £16,000 for the ONE model and up to £20,000 for the Cooper S variant - although additional options are likely to inflate this.
Quizzed
We quizzed Gert on whether this MINI would actually be able to go off-road - after all with 4WD, chunky wheels and a raised chassis, the implication is that the Countryman is an all-rounder. Gert didn’t seem too keen to be asked about this
Our View
In all honesty, I wasn’t impressed. For a MINI take on other SUV type cars, yeah, sure, it’s quite good, but I just don’t see the purpose of it. It’s supposed to be a family car, OK, so just give it four doors - does it need to be SUV-like? It seems as though it is lacking in identity and purpose. Is it a true off-roader? If not, then why does it bother to have 4WD and a raised chassis?
- being a designer, not an engineer and gave me the impression that it is not an SUV and not suitable for offroading. However, MINI’s literature suggests otherwise stating: ‘The MINI Cooper S Countryman and MINI Cooper D Countryman can be ordered as an option with MINI ALL4 permanent all-wheel drive. Here, an electromagnetic centre differential positioned directly on the final drive varies the distribution of power seamlessly between the front and rear axles. In normal driving conditions up to 50 per cent of the drive is sent to the rear wheels, in extreme situations as much as 100 per cent. The result is a new,
So, it’s not a normal four-door family car, like a Mondeo, and it’s not a true off-roader, like a Land Rover. My suspicions tell me that as a business, MINI figured it would be easier to build two cars from the one platform (Countryman and Beachcomber) rather than two new platforms (for a normal four-door car, and the bigger Beachcomber). It does make commercial sense, but is it what the buying public
on the PULSE traction-led expression of the agile handling for which MINI is famed. The MINI Countryman comes as standard with the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system. Available as an option are Dynamic Traction Control (DTC, standard on the MINI Cooper S Countryman – both with front-wheel drive and ALL4 allwheel drive – and MINI Cooper D Countryman with ALL4) and an electronic locking function for the front axle differential.” The proof, we guess, will be in the pudding - once it’s launched we’ll soon find out whether it can traverse muddy hills or not.
want? Has the recession put people off the idea of these SUV-like cars - or Chelsea tractors - which are perceived to be gas-guzzlers (diesel = about 65mpg, petrol about 46mpg). Personally, I like this model the least out of the MINI family, but I do like the Beachcomber which is the same size. I would have preferred to see a proper four-door family car rather than this.
love:mini
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