The 2010 Geneva Motor Show afforded us our first glimpse of the Mini Countryman live, and we’re a little nonplussed about this new Mini crossover and the departure from the core of the Mini brand. The Mini Countryman is a five-door Mini with the possibility of ALL4 all-wheel-drive and a differential with DSC which manage the torque distribution of the vehicle. We don’t have a problem with any of this technology per se, we just don’t really understand its inclusion on a Mini. We guess the only explanation lies in the pressure to frequently create something new for the Mini image, not to mention jumping on the SUV band wagon.

The Mini Countryman appeared with the new Mini One petrol engine line-up, and the Mini One cabrio model. The Countryman is available in the following engine options: One 98 hp, Cooper 122 hp, Cooper S 184 hp, One D 90 hp, and Cooper D 110 hp. The ALL4 option is available only with the Cooper S and Cooper D. After the jump is the first Mini Countryman video, where the philosophy behind the model begins to make more sense. Only time will tell whether that translates into sales or not.

Mini Countryman live at Geneva motor show

Continue reading: Mini Countryman live pics from Geneva and Countryman promo video

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After the leaked pics of the new Mini crossover vehicle, the Mini Countryman, appeared on the internet, the company has moved fast to present the rest of the details and some more pics ahead of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show launch date. The Countryman is seen as an important model for the brand, bridging the gap between the classic retro appeal of the Mini and the current trend of SAV and SUV vehicles.

We can see the company was not yet ready to release details, with some confusion over the technical specs that will be available in Europe or the US. The press release after the jump is from the US, and so the technical specs are provisional, as the car will debut on that market a full year after its European appearance.

From what we can understand though, the Mini Countryman in Europe will be available with a range of five engines, in the different kits on offer. The Countryman One is equipped with a 1.6-litre aspirated engine with 98 hp, the Cooper will have the same engine but 24 hp more, while the Cooper S will have the 1.6-litre Twin-Scroll single turbine engine with Valvetronic technology and 184 hp. The diesels on offer include the One D with a 1.6-litre engine and 98 hp, and the Cooper D with 112 hp.

Mini Countryman official pics

Continue reading: Mini Countryman official pics and details

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Official leaked pics of the Mini Countryman have appeared, only one day after a teaser video of the Mini crossover vehicle. The version of the Mini Countryman seen in these pics is an all-wheel-drive Cooper S, with a new grille and front bumper. It’s similar to the Mini Beachcomber concept seen at the 2010 Detroit auto show, although appears to be slightly more compact, and with a hatch shape closer to the Mini Cooper.

This particular colour is Pepper White, contrasted with a black roof and blacked out wheels. The mini Countryman keeps the dual exhaust pipes, and has an interior design in classic Mini style, incorporating a speedometer in a centrally mounted position in the dash. It has black seats and white overhead, although the turquoise coloured door and centre trim is a bit bizarre.

The Mini Countryman won’t officially debut until the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March, and will be available on the market by the end of the year. It will cost about 25,000 euros, while you can expect to pay about 4,000 euros more for the Cooper S version. Expect to see more details soon, after these leaked pics, and check out the psychedelic teaser video after the jump.

Mini Countryman leaked pics

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There’s plenty on offer from Mini in 2010, with a new petrol engine range for all Mini First, One, Cooper and Cooper S models in the hatch, covertible and clubman ranges. The Mini First and Mini One will now have a 1.6-litre engine which replaces the 1.4-litre, and will have more power and torque with better fuel consumption.

A new Mini Rainbow colour option is available, and the Mini Graphite Special Edition model range will now include Clubman models. The Mini Rainbow series will offer three different paint options of Sunlight Metallic, Asteroid Metallic and Nightlife Metallic, and will be available in March/April 2010.

A Mini One Covertible car will also now be able, providing an entry level model in the open air range that previously included just the Cooper, Cooper S or John Cooper Works models. The Mini One Convertible will have a 1.6-litre engine with 98 hp and 153 Nm of torque, and should cost less than 15,000 pounds. Check out the new Mini Rainbow paint job in the gallery!

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These Mini spy shots show nothing very particular on the exterior, apart from centrally-mounted twin exhaust pipes for the Cooper and the Clubman’s hood scoop, to suggest diesel models. The models are very similar to the standard petrol S versions, but reports say that on the models being started and driven, both had that London-cab, diesel hum of the engine.

This has lead to speculation that Mini is working on S versions of its Mini One D versions. The standard Mini diesel has about 90 hp, while the Cooper diesel has 110. If we see a couple of tuned S diesel versions, we could be looking at 140 to 150 hp, with impressive torque of about 300 Nm.

Source | Autoblog and WorldCarFans

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We’ve all had someone write something in the dust of our car when we’d been a little too long between washes, and in light of this, Mini has produced a “Mini Wash Me” art book featuring artists that have worked with automobiles for the first time.

Ten artists have produced works for the project: Smash137, Fabian Bertschinger, Marisa Pichler and Gigi Burn, Tika, Euro, Aurèle Sack, Stefan Ege and Seak, August, Rémi Jaccard, and Dieter Meier.

The book has been produced in Zurick by designer Alfredo Häberli, author Michèle Roten and Professor Jacqueline Otten from the Design Department at the Zurich University of Arts. 2,000 copies of the book will be available from November, showing Mini’s long term link with the art world and pop culture. For more information, see www.washme.ch and check out the lovely gallery below.

Mini Wash Me artbook

Continue reading: Mini "Wash Me" art

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According to reports the Mini Countryman, also known as the Mini Crossover, could debut at the Detroit motor show in January 2010. The new model’s presentation has been postponed more than once, most recently at the Frankfurt motor show where the company concentrated on the Mini Coupe and Mini Roadster concepts.

The crossover is code-named R60 and should be marketed under the “Countryman” moniker. It will have all-wheel drive and a bodywork derived from the Clubman model. The project is under the management of Steyr in its Austrian facilities, although indications from BMW are that collaboration between the two companies might cease due to the Magna-Opel acquisition.

Mini Crossover Concept

Source | Motoringfile

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Here’s a cute video from Mini on Mini drivers vs non-Mini drivers. I get the feeling you could make your own at home, using the scenes from this as inspiration. I particularly like the “pet of Mini driver” but pick your favourite.

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A new BMW “0-Series” is to be developed on a Mini platform, to compete in the compact sector against the Audi A1 and Mercedes A-Class. The Mini-based BMW is currently named “UKL1″ and would come in three different versions: a three-door hatch, five-door hatch and two-seater roadster.

A new three and four-cylinder engine would appear, and the BMW could even be built at the same assembly facilities as the Mini. You’ll have to get yourself a copy of Car Magazine to read more.

Source | Jalopnik

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These spy shots show the Mini Countryman undergoing further testing, as the Mini Crossover pursues its ambitions to enter production. It’s a precarious situation as the model doesn’t seem to have the backing of the company itself.

Its presentation was postponed and the Mini crossover made no appearance at the Frankfurt motor show; and there have been murmurings that perhaps its production was being reconsidered.

However, the Mini Maxi is seen here and after the hype of the Mini Coupe Concept and Mini Roadster Concept, it’s difficult to say what the future holds for the Mini Countryman. It seems that given the money already invested, the Countryman gets the green light by default. We could see it at the 2010 Geneva motor show, but then again, who knows?

Mini Countryman crossover spy shots

Source | Autoblog.it

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