Say Hello to the Countryman
The number "4" has special meaning for the newest member of the MINI Family. Four wheel drive, four seats, four doors – and it's the fourth MINI in the range. The Countryman has come a long way from what was known as the "Crossover Concept“ for the Paris Motorshow in 2008. And boy, what a result.

Honestly, when I first heard of the plan for the MINI Sports Activity Vehicle, I had my doubts. "Can this really work?“, I asked myself. The spyshots of the car with its distinct black and yellow camouflage foil did not really help in making a decision. But now I have to say: Congratulations to the design department, the Countryman is not only a great-looking car – it is a great-looking MINI.

Being a MINI, the Countryman is said to have the typical go-kart-like handling of a "normal“ MINI – which says a lot about the chassis of Number 4 - after all, it still is a Sports Activity Vehicle.
On the technical side, the Countryman is not so different from his siblings: the Hatchback, the Cabriolet and the Clubman. Number 4 will sport exactly the same range of engines, starting with the 72kW One, followed by the 90kW Cooper and the top-of-the-range Cooper S with a 135kW Twinscroll Turbo. There will also be the 66kW One D and a new 82kW Diesel for the Cooper D.

On the inside it's quite hard to spot any differences from the other family members at first glance, but if you look closely then you'll notice the Center Rail that had its debut on the Beachcomber Concept in Detroit this year. Munich has told us that there will be all kinds of stuff you can mount on this rail, be it an iPod/iPhone Dock or a hardbox for your sunglasses.

The Cooper S and Cooper D models are also available with MINI’s new four wheel drive system "All4" with an electrohydraulic middle differential. This is a very clever piece of kit: It actively diverts the power from the engine to the axle which has the best grip at the wheels, and this means better traction on every surface. Additionally, the front differential is fully lockable.

Expect the Countryman to hit dealerships sometime this fall.


Borrowed from http://www.miniunited.com/web/10224/blog/-/blogs/319705

 

I could use one of these.

 

I think it looks much better with the straight bottom grill like the first pic shows. The bump on the bottom is maybe more aggressive, but I think its fugly. They should have stuck with the classic shape. I still hate how they split the grill on the gen1's.

 

The Cooper grille looks better then the S version. The S looks as if it is unhappy.

 

Can we give the "go-kart-like handling" meme a rest? C'mon, you can't raise a car a few inches and stretch it by more than a foot without impacting how it handles. I'm sure it feels like a go-kart when compared to a Suburban, but I can't wait for a head-to-head comparison with a coupe.

 

I like what I see but I'm holding all of my judgements in reserve until I drive it.

 

Anybody know the price?

 

my god that's the HUGEST mini logo i've ever seen!!!

 

I give it a pass because it also opens the rear boot. Also, the rear boot is relatively large and plain so it is as well proportioned as they could have made it in my opinion.