MINI Countryman

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I have to get this in before Pedro gets there. Given my history with MINI I'm trying to work up enthusiasm for this offering.

They don't release this until next year, and then if you give MINI a couple of years to build them properly the timing might work out ok for a second car replacement.

MINI Countryman on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/236.jpg

[Outlaw]

Yep will be a nice mini that one that i might talk the missus into upgrading to.

Though if the concept Mini Beachcomber goes to production would jump at that one instead :D:D:D
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/235.jpg
http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mini-beachcomber-concept-5-540x385.jpg

[dmdigital]

I think if the Beachcomber gets the go ahead we won't see it in Australia because of our wonderful ADR's.

[BigJon]

I think if the Beachcomber gets the go ahead we won't see it in Australia because of our wonderful ADR's.

Why would you want it? It doesn't have doors or a roof:eek:. Only Land Rovers look good like that:D.

[dmdigital]

Why would you want it? It doesn't have doors or a roof:eek:. Only Land Rovers look good like that:D.
Did I say I wanted one? I'm can't say the concept images make me want one.

As for only Land Rovers... remember the Moke!

[Phoenix]

I'm sure the purists will hate the countryman, but I love it. I would defenitely consider it for a car for the missus! (and naturally id take it for a spin occasionally as well ;) )

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I'm sure the purists will hate the countryman, but I love it. I would defenitely consider it for a car for the missus! (and naturally id take it for a spin occasionally as well ;) )

I reckon the cooper diesel could be the go. :)

MINI in Aus have a bit of a problem though.. the clubman is an orphan. It's hugely expensive and they can't sell them.

Where will the countryman fit into the lineup? I can't see them selling if they price them above the clubman. I think it would replace the clubman. The clubman is 47 for the chilli S + onroads, so one would think it would be 50 + onroads. That's a full 10k more than the Golf GTI which is very equivalent. That's a big ask for even a MINI lover like myself.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Rumormill: Mini could produce John Cooper Works Countryman

by Noah Joseph (http://www.autoblog.com/bloggers/noah-joseph/) (RSS feed (http://www.autoblog.com/bloggers/noah-joseph/rss.xml)) on Jan 27th 2010 at 5:22PM
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/151.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/mini-countryman/#30)

Mini Countryman - Click above for high-res image gallery

JCW Countryman (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/countryman)? Sounds like a chain clothing store you'd find at your local shopping mall, but to automotive enthusiasts – Mini (http://www.autoblog.com/make/mini) aficionados especially – it could only mean one thing: a performance-oriented version of Mini's just-released crossover.

While the thought of the vaunted John Cooper Works badge being applied to a crossover might seem like sacrilege, that's exactly what Bimmer (http://www.autoblog.com/make/bmw) fans – including those within the company – thought before the debut of the M versions of the X5 and X6 (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/04/new-york-preview-bmw-x6-and-x5-get-the/) crossovers, and that hasn't stopped those models from reaching production. In the shadow of the oddball X6 M (http://www.autoblog.com/model/x6+m), suddenly a JCW Countryman doesn't seem so strange, now does it?

Considering that the base Countryman's turbo four already churns out 184 horsepower (compared to the 172 hp Cooper (http://www.autoblog.com/model/cooper) S hatch), a Works-prepared Countryman could surpass even the JCW Cooper's 211-hp output, driving through all four wheels. Rather interestingly, more than that could put the Countryman into Subaru WRX (http://www.autoblog.com/model/wrx) territory, but we'll likely have to wait a while to see it come to fruition (if it does at all), with sources pegging its potential release in about two years' time.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

In the UK it will be in WRX territory, but here it will be in WRX STI territory - ie 60k+ by the time you try and get it out the dealership door.

That's why it will struggle against cars like the Golf GTI.