A Maxi MINI

Written by Juliet Potter: 25-January-2010

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I've always had a thing for MINIs. You could even go so far as to say it's been my dream car for quite some time now. My grandmother used to drive one and it brings back all sorts of lovely childhood memories for me - I even remember the jingle from the television commercial. How's that for recall?

 
Yet as a mother of two (and with one on the way) and a 6-foot-tall partner, my dream-car was out of the question, with MINIs only being sold in 2-door models and with minimal space for families, obviously.
 
So it is with great joy I find myself posting the news that MINI is releasing a mega-MINI named the MINI Countryman. Mega-exciting.
 
And it doesn't look too bad to this MINI lover. It looks just like a MINI, only larger, and with more of the signature MINI elements to love.

Interior features

The seating is high, it's super comfy, it's still adorable (loving the centre console, which opens up new, individual options for integrating all kinds of storage boxes, cup-holders, external audio devices, mobile telephones and other creature features) and the centre rail forms an unconventional, visual and functional connection between the front seats and the rear passenger compartment.
 
The MINI Countryman comes standard with 4 seats, while a 3-seat bench is available as a no-cost option. The interior is perfect for long distances, with generous legroom, headroom and shoulder freedom. The rear seats move fore-and-aft either individually or in a 60:40 (3-seat bench) split; the backrests can be tilted for angle, either individually or in a 40:20:40 (3-seat bench) arrangement, increasing capacity in the luggage compartment from 350 to 1170 litres.

Engine choices

The MINI Countryman is available in 3 petrol and 2 diesel engine models and they're fast. The 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine in the top model comes with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct fuel injection; and also with fully variable valve management, offering amazing engine power and fuel consumption.

Fuel economy

As a particular highlight of the MINIMALISM fuel efficiency concept, the MINI Countryman comes standard with a wide range of features serving to reduce fuel consumption and emissions: think Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start Stop, a gearshift point indicator, and on-demand management of the engine's ancillary units. And as an alternative to the 6-speed manual gearbox featured as standard, the petrol engine models are also available with 6-speed automatic complete with Steptronic.
 
All in all, we're hankering for a test-drive. It's a hard job but someone has to do it.

Stay tuned MINI lovers...