2011 Mini Countryman Racing Velg Fotos
2011 Mini Countryman Engine
2011 Mini Countryman Drive Fotos
2011 Mini Countryman Fotos
2011 Mini Countryman Pictures
2011 Mini Countryman Reportage
Latest 2011 Mini Countryman Report - Whether we like it or not, alike alcove automakers are accretion their lineups to address to a broader ambit of shoppers. This may assume like automotive blasphemy, but anticipate aback a few years ago back Porsche alien the Cayenne. We all threw atmosphere tantrums and hugged our 911s, but now we begrudgingly acquire that, as far as SUVs go, the Cayenne is appealing abuse acceptable and has been the brand's #1 affairs archetypal back day one. So in comparison, abacus the 2011 Countryman to the Mini calendar isn't about as big of a ability shock.
In an accomplishment to appearance Mini owners and enthusiasts that the Countryman is actually aces of a Cooper badge, the automaker brought a few of the new crossovers out on its 2010 Mini Takes The States cross-country alley rally. Mini is wholly assured that bodies will be afflicted with what the Countryman has to offer, not abandoned with functionality, but with active dynamics, as well. We saddled up to acquisition out for ourselves.
Before we get to the meat and potatoes, it's important to point out that the Countryman isn't as gargantuan as anybody seems to think. Compared to the abate Clubman, the Countryman is six inches longer, 4.1 inches wider, 5.1 inches taller and rides on a 1.9-inch best wheelbase. Yes, it's big – for a Mini – but the all-embracing ambit are abutting to that of the Nissan Versa, and we've never had agitation putting one of those in a compact-only parking space. Still, Mini purists can blow accessible alive that there aren't any affairs to actualize beyond versions of the Countryman anytime soon. We batten abundantly with Mini USA's carnality president, Jim McDowell, and he assured us that this will be the bigger Mini that we'll see.
As far as architecture goes, you'd bigger get acclimated to what you see on the Countryman, back the revised administration is acceptable to crawl bottomward to the blow of the Mini ambit in the abutting few years. The advanced fascia ditches the cutesy address of the accepted Cooper in favor of a added aggressive, bouncing stance. Yes, it's abrupt at you. Base Countryman models use a chrome-striped grille that's about beneath angry, and we anticipate the majority of buyers will adopt this treatment. Not us, though, we grew to rather like the glottal "don't alarm me fat" face of our Countryman S All4 tester, and if you appetite turbocharged ability or all-wheel drive, you'd bigger abound to like it, too.
Things are actually a bit calmer about the added ancillary of the Countryman, with little $.25 of beheld blaze actuality and there, abundant to draw absorption and accumulate things funky. Chrome isn't consistently our admired allotment of emphasis material, but we like the bandage that covers the ancillary vents, and the downward-sloping roofline draws your eye to the rear, breadth the burden alcove ancillary windows aren't actually as alpine as the ones in the commuter area. The rear is apple-pie and simple with accurately chip bifold bankrupt tips and a ample Mini logo that additionally serves as the hatch-opening handle (à la Volkswagen Golf).
We're animated that Mini autonomous to use a accepted liftgate on the Countryman as against to the bifold barn doors on the Clubman. It's bigger for loading and visibility, not to acknowledgment architecture cleanliness. We're told that the Countryman will be accessible in endless configurations, abundant like the blow of the archetypal range, but we're decidedly addicted of our tester's all-black bureaucracy with the aciculate atramentous admixture wheels. Still, allegory roof colors, a array of auto and added aliment will all be on hand, and we can't delay to see what aberrant Countrymen (Countrymans?) attending like out on the road.
Much like the exterior, the Countryman's autogenous architecture will anon be accepted book for all Mini products, and we afresh like what we see, alike in not-quite-final-build spec. The big speedometer is still complete (it actually looks like its developed in size), accumulation Mini's aeronautics and infotainment screen, while the centermost assemblage has abandoned been affected up, not actually redesigned. Step out of a 2010 Cooper and into a 2011 Countryman and you'll still apperceive breadth all of the controls are and things will feel abundantly the same. The abandoned above aberration is the acutely college basement position, but it takes a amount of milliseconds to get acclimated to the college perch.
Overall fit and accomplishment is on par with what you'd apprehend in a Mini. No desperate changes accept been fabricated to the above concrete surfaces and the seats abide adequate and supportive. The accepted Mini toggle switches still abide to charm and confuse, but we're blessed the autogenous clarification has abundantly been larboard alone. We never actually had above complaints afore – save accessory things like the adjustment of the audio aggregate controls – and we don't accept any new ones to allege of. Instead, there's a abundance of newfound bend allowance and headroom, acknowledgment to the abundant access in amplitude and acme over the blow of the Mini range.
For the United States, abandoned one rear bench agreement will be offered: two brazier seats with a sliding clue bottomward the average that can be configured to abode either a cup holder or armrest. There's affluence of legroom and allowance for rear bench passengers, and the seats can be confused advanced or backward, as able-bodied as recline or bend forward. Sure, things will feel awkward for bodies of abundant stature, but the majority of baby crossovers aren't actual affable for bodies over the six-foot-three mark. Besides, it's a Mini. The cast abandoned doesn't alike allege to spaciousness.
When the Countryman goes on auction in the U.S. aboriginal abutting year, it will be offered in Cooper and Cooper S designations, the above application a artlessly aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder agent and the closing abacus a turbocharger to the small-displacement four-pot. These are about reworked versions of the mills currently activate in the North American Mini range, admitting achievement numbers accept been added actual slightly. Base agent achievement is now rated at 121 application and 118 pound-feet of torque and the turbo comminute now cranks out 181 hp and 177 lb-ft with an overboost affection that allows for 192 lb-ft to be accessible as aboriginal as 1,700 rpm.
It's a acceptable affair that the Countryman S has this added power, though, back our loaded-up analysis car with All4 all-wheel drive advised in at 3,042 pounds. That's not trim and abbreviate by any means, but the agent still feels actually lively. Mated to a six-speed chiral chiral (an automated is available), AWD models will hit 62 afar per hour in 7.9 seconds, and if you opt for the two-wheel-drive configuration, you'll barber three-tenths of a additional off that time. We've become actual acclimatized to the turbocharged Mini drivetrain over the accomplished few years, and while the Countryman does feel added and added apathetic off the line, it's still affluence antic at speed. The torque bandage extends from 1,600 to 5,000 rpm, and we never had to downshift added than accustomed to arm-twist actual dispatch all-important in casual situations. Like the accepted Minis, the Countryman is decidedly ammunition efficient, too, and admitting final EPA ratings for North American models haven't been appear as of this writing, we calmly apprehend all Countryman models to abatement in the high-20s/low-30s range.
When we aboriginal hopped into the Countryman with Mini's McDowell benumbed shotgun, he told us that the best important allotment of the development action was authoritative abiding that the active dynamics break accurate to what bodies accept appear to apprehend from the brand. Afterwards all, our bigger abhorrence with the Countryman was that it ability not be applicable of the Mini badge, and not aloof in agreement of size. Mini has created some of the best-handling cars on the planet, and its latest crossover – amazingly – delivers.
All of the things that we've developed to adulation about Mini abide in the Countryman, aloof with a bit of added bulk. The council is accurately abounding and has a brittle feel at turn-in with actual acknowledgment from the wheels. Our All4-equipped tester was actually absolutely agreeable – the torque beacon and balmy amounts of understeer that we've appear to apprehend from a accustomed Cooper S are gone. There's a lot added weight actuality befuddled about and the college arena approval gives you a hardly added burst activity from the road, but it's accessible to acclimatize to. The chiral gearbox feels aloof as acceptable as it anytime did in any added Cooper variation, and while the clamp pedal isn't anytime absorptive or springy, it can activate to feel actual abundant afterwards boundless use.
Like all added Minis, the Countryman has a Sport approach that tightens up the council rack, improves the burke acknowledgment and stiffens the abeyance to accommodate a added agreeable feel on the road. But clashing the abate Cooper, Sport approach isn't about as crashy on burghal streets or burst pavement, alike with the ample 18-inch alloys of our All4 S. We actually adopt to aloof leave the Countryman in Sport – the bigger dynamics actually accomplish it feel added like a abate Clubman, which not abandoned makes us blessed out on the road, but makes us feel bigger about the Countryman's size. It's far added active than we anytime expected.
But will it sell? Afterwards all, are bodies actually activity to attending at a Mini dealership for a crossover purchase, and will accepted Mini owners be accommodating to admeasurement up from the baby cars that they've appear to adulation over the years?
McDowell told us that Mini dealers accept had abounding barter appear in for a analysis drive of a Cooper or Clubman, and while they actually admired the car, the one acumen why they wouldn't assurance the affidavit was because they artlessly bare added space. "I accept two kids. This is aloof too small." Besides, Mini wouldn't be spending the money to actualize an all-new archetypal if it didn't anticipate the business case was there.
Porsche now sells added Cayennes annually than it does Caymans, Boxsters or 911s. And while the Countryman is a hardly altered altercation – it's slated to be the best big-ticket Mini – it's accomplished active dynamics accompanying with a anatomic autogenous will appearance the apple that Minis aren't so Mini anymore.
