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Jan 20th, 2010, 03:40 PM
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A day after pictures of its new crossover were leaked out to the web, MINI has officially released details and photographs of the 2011 MINI Countryman. Originally scheduled to be unveiled at next month's Geneva Auto Show, the Countryman was originally supposed appear at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show but was unfortunately delayed. It is a little ironic then that MINI was forced to move ahead with its announcement after yesterday's leak.
The 2011 MINI Countryman (the car may take on other names in other markets) becomes the fourth model in the MINI family, the first with four doors and a widened rear door. Despite the foray into the crossover segment, the Countryman retains signature MINI design elements, only on a larger vehicle. Key characteristics such as the roofline, grille and wheel arches remind us the Countryman is still very much a MINI.
The MINI Countryman will come standard with four seats arranged around a front-to-back center rail. An optional three-seat bench available at no additional cost. Depending on how the seats are adjusted, MINI says the Countrymanhas a storage capacity of 12.2 to 41.0 cubic feet.
MINI's ALL4 all-wheel drive system will be available as an option on both the Cooper S and Cooper D Countryman. The ALL4 system provides half of the engine's power to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions but when needed, can transfer 100% of the power to the rear for added traction.
MINI will offer three gasoline and two diesel engine options, though only the gasoline engines are likely to make it over to North America. The base MINI One D Countryman will have a 90 hp four-cylinder turbodiesel engine while the top-level MINI Cooper S Countryman option will have a 1.6L turbocharged engine with direct fuel injection and fully variable valve arrangement, claiming 184 hp. All models come standard with a six-speed manual transmission while the gasoline engine models will be available with a Steptronic six-speed automatic transmission.
More: 2011 MINI Countryman Crossover Officially Revealed After Pictures Leaked (http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/01/2011-mini-countryman-crossover-officially-revealed-after-pictures-leaked.html) on AutoGuide.com
A day after pictures of its new crossover were leaked out to the web, MINI has officially released details and photographs of the 2011 MINI Countryman. Originally scheduled to be unveiled at next month's Geneva Auto Show, the Countryman was originally supposed appear at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show but was unfortunately delayed. It is a little ironic then that MINI was forced to move ahead with its announcement after yesterday's leak.
The 2011 MINI Countryman (the car may take on other names in other markets) becomes the fourth model in the MINI family, the first with four doors and a widened rear door. Despite the foray into the crossover segment, the Countryman retains signature MINI design elements, only on a larger vehicle. Key characteristics such as the roofline, grille and wheel arches remind us the Countryman is still very much a MINI.
The MINI Countryman will come standard with four seats arranged around a front-to-back center rail. An optional three-seat bench available at no additional cost. Depending on how the seats are adjusted, MINI says the Countrymanhas a storage capacity of 12.2 to 41.0 cubic feet.
MINI's ALL4 all-wheel drive system will be available as an option on both the Cooper S and Cooper D Countryman. The ALL4 system provides half of the engine's power to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions but when needed, can transfer 100% of the power to the rear for added traction.
MINI will offer three gasoline and two diesel engine options, though only the gasoline engines are likely to make it over to North America. The base MINI One D Countryman will have a 90 hp four-cylinder turbodiesel engine while the top-level MINI Cooper S Countryman option will have a 1.6L turbocharged engine with direct fuel injection and fully variable valve arrangement, claiming 184 hp. All models come standard with a six-speed manual transmission while the gasoline engine models will be available with a Steptronic six-speed automatic transmission.
More: 2011 MINI Countryman Crossover Officially Revealed After Pictures Leaked (http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/01/2011-mini-countryman-crossover-officially-revealed-after-pictures-leaked.html) on AutoGuide.com