I think I'd like it better as a two door or clubbie style 3rd door then the 4 door

 

The initial rummors were that this would be built on the new X1 platform which is esentially a 3 series chassis with a lift kit and suspension upgrades to match it. I do not like SUV's no matter their size, but having driven a couple of X3's and an original X5 I can tell you BMW does a good job of making them hold onto the road. Part of this is their tire selection which tends to be wide and expensive. It is also just like the Mini and other BMW's the ride is pretty stiff.

One thing I have not seen people talking about is the fact that all wheel drive allows a lot more power to be put down to the road. The JCW could get even more power than curren versions. Assuming they use the same engine those mods would then be availible to non-Countrymen. BUT if they do use the X1 chasis that opens the door for easy engine swaps with anything in a 3 series (335i twin turbo hello!!) Hell you might even be able to get a M3 engine in there, imagine that beast of a car.

As with the Clubman it is best to just wait and see what the final specs will be. We also do not know how the speedster and coupe fit into the offereings. I am thinking that coupe with a ton of power could become a really interesting option kind of like a 2 seater Focus RS for America.

 

I can't see how the X1 could share any power trains with the CrossXdresser. The power train that this toad has is transverse (east-west) & not inline (north-south). That fact alone makes engine sharing most difficult. I'm guessing that is why it has the prince of an engine.

 

I can't find it now, but the letters on the door are the same as the all wheel drive system on the X1. If this thing is not being built on the X1 chassis and I do not think it is the current Mini which would leave BMW making a brand new chassis just for this vehicle? Just does not make any sense?

Anybody else any other details?

 

Well lots of things BMW is doing do not make much sense these days. Gotta love that AMC SX4 clone they are now trying to sell.

 

Yea, BUT that thing did not cost very much to engineer or produce since it is 99% out of the parts bin already. The Countryman is being produced at a factory in Austria (I think I know it is not in England) so they have to make something else there or that factory is going to need to be re-tooled pretty quickly. I agree lots of their stuff is weird, but they do tend to make money on them, have you seen the sticker price on the SX4 clone? You could have bought AMC at one point for what a loaded X6 costs

 

I sent M.A.D. a link to the pics and she told me to start saving my penny's because she would like one for x-mas next year. Doesn't surprise me that she likes it because she also likes the X6 and the new 5 Grand Turismo.

I can honestly say that I don't hate it. The interior looks pretty cool and I like some of the design cues of the exterior, but can't imagine the ride will remain true to the rest of the MINI family.

 

+50,000 Don't like it. Reminds me of a Pontiac Vibe

 

http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/01/...ison/#comments

Here is a size comparison with the r56 from MotoringFile. I thought it was going to be bigger. Doing some rough conversion the r60 will be about 13.5 ft long and according to their measurements the r56 is a little over 12.

 

Just a bit more info regarding the length of the Countryman from Motoringfile.com:

R56 Hatch: 145.6″
R55 Clubman: 156″
R60 Countryman: 161″

BMW X1: 175″
BMW X3: 180″
BMW X5: 191″
VW Golf (three door hatch) 165″
VW Golf (five door hatch)
VW Tiguan: 174″
Suburu Outback: 188″

They also have a pic to showing the R60 and R56 side by side for height comparison.

Motoringfile.com Story