For a long time it seemed that MINI had a certain place in the BMW Group product range. Years ago it would have been hard to imagine an off road MINI. Even if the idea of a MINI with all wheel drive crossed our minds more than once, we have to be honest and confess that we never thought about a model like the new MINI Countryman popping up in the MINI model range. But it seems that BMW considered that the MINI brand has reached a certain amount of maturity and that is time for it to go on new paths.
Launching a new model in the ever increasing competitive environment of the auto industry is no easy task, but approaching new market segments and creating completely new car models is even harder. So how did BMW approach this challenge that they set up for themselves?
Obviously, the starting point was taking everything that worked on currently successful MINI models and developing further those features that proved to work. Add the new features, pack lots of the latest high technology available, put all those into a new, attractive and functional shape and there you have it. At least this was our first impression about how the new MINI countryman was created. With a lot of attention to features that already target customer satisfaction and needs.
No doubt that there are enough people who believe that a MINI should always be a MINI, but what if you like all the features of a MINI but you simply need more space and occasional versatility for your car? In this case you can choose a MINI Countryman and have them all in one.
MINI Countryman is the first MINI car with four doors and enough interior space to accommodate five people in it.
From a marketing point of view, BMW considered to be appropriate to have a crossover in the model range. A crossover is basically a car designed to be used mainly in a city, but with enough features to go beyond that, like a ground clearance above average, usually compact but still spacious on the interior, with some off road capabilities, eventually fitted with all wheel drive. This is basically the standard concept of a crossover, but from it many variations can be derived.
MINI Countryman is a crossover, which makes it easy to use both in a crowded city and on a country road. This clearly comes as an advantage.
Following the launch of the new MINI Countryman there will be three petrol and two diesel engines of the last generation, all the engines of the new MINI Countryman being compliant both with the European emission standard EU5 and the USA standard ULEV II.
An all wheel drive system, suggestively called ALL4, is going to be available for some versions of the new MINI like MINI Cooper S Countryman and MINI Cooper D Countryman.
In order to preserve the precise handling characteristics of a MINI, the new MINI Countryman will also benefit from a new suspension. The design of the new MINI Countryman was meant to respect two main requirements: the values and characteristics of the MINI brand and the spaciousness of the new model.
The standard equipment features of the new MINI Countryman offer both an air conditioning system and an audio system with a CD player. However, the range of optional equipments is large enough to allow an advanced customization for every version of the MINI Countryman.
This is the kind of Mini I would definitely buy. Looks very capable and still a good town car, despite the fact that it is more of a crossover.