Mini have updated their current car lineup with the new Countryman, a car which promises to be quite good off the road as well. It will go on sale in September in the UK with an estimated price tag of £17,000.
This new Mini is quite important as it is the first one with four doors from the current lineup and even more interestingly, it comes with an optional four-wheel drive system. It is a permanent all-wheel-drive system called “ALL4” and it uses a electro-hydraulic differential which sends the power either to the front or to the back, depending on the situation. Normally, it has a 50-50 power distribution but under extreme circumstances it can become rear-wheel drive only. The suspension should be good as well as it features MacPherson spring struts on the front and a multi-link rear axle.
Three petrol and two diesel engines will be available for the Countryman when it goes on sale with power outputs ranging from 90 hp in the Mini One D Countryman to 184 hp for the 1.6-litre in the Mini Cooper S Countryman. The range-topping 1.6 petrol comes with modern technology like a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection and fully variable valve management. This should maximize power while keeping fuel consumption at bay.
To make sure that the full capacity of the engines is used, the new Mini also gets other fuel saving technologies. Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start Stop, a gear shift point indicator, and on-demand management of the engine’s supplementary units are there to make sure the car doesn’t waste any fuel. As far as gearboxes are concerned, there are two available: a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic with Steptronic.
The new car is said to be highly customizable with a lot of interior colours, trim strips and upholstery combinations available. It comes as standard with four seats even though a three-seat bench is available as a free option. The car comes as standard with air conditioning and a CD player with sat-nav, a phone, a panoramic roof, adaptive headlights, a towbar, alloy wheels and sports suspension as optional extras.
Check out our gallery below for more pictures of the new Mini Countryman.
Source: BMW