Hello All-New Mini Countryman!

The car makes its debut at the 2016 Los Angeles motor show

Mini has taken the wraps off the 2nd generation Mini Countryman. Winning the title of ‘largest Mini ever’, the new Countryman is nearly 200mm longer and 30mm wider than its predecessor, with the wheelbase growing by 75mm too.

Trivia: Launched in 2010, the Countryman was the first Mini with four doors, a large tailgate, five seats and optional all-wheel drive. A total of more than 5.4 lakh units were sold worldwide.

Overall, the new Countryman looks sleeker, but retains signature design elements like the ‘helmet roof’, hexagonal front grille, upright tail lights and large headlamps, but with evolutionary changes. Daytime running LEDs come as standard, while LED headlamps are also available as an optional extra.

On the inside, the 5-seater gets major updates. For starters, you get optional features like the powered tailgate and ‘Picnic Bench’ - a flexible surface that folds out of the luggage compartment and provides seating for two people. The increased dimensions have raised the cabin and boot space, with the latter going up by a full 100 litres. The dashboard has been redesigned to include elements like rectangular AC vents, while the lower half of the cockpit has been restyled as well.

Radio Mini Boost with a 4-line display in the central screen and Bluetooth connectivity come as standard, but as you’d expect, there are a host of optional extras. These include: 

• Radio Mini Visual Boost with a 6.5-inch colour display.
• A Harman Kardon hi-fi speaker system.
• Navigation and the MINI navigation system professional.
• The ‘Wired package’ that includes an 8.8-inch touchscreen interface that features new graphics.

At launch, Mini will offer the Countryman with two petrol and two diesel engines:

Petrol

Mini Cooper Countryman: 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that makes 136PS of power and a peak torque of 220Nm.

Mini Cooper S Countryman: 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 192PS of power and 280Nm of torque. 

Diesel

Mini Cooper D Countryman: 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine producing 150PS of power and 330Nm of torque. 

Mini Cooper SD Countryman: 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that makes 190PS of power and a peak torque of 400Nm.

The range also includes the first ever Mini with a plug-in hybrid drive i.e. the Cooper S E Countryman ALL4. The plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) is powered by a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that works together with an electric motor to deliver a combined output of 224PS and 385Nm of torque.

A 6-speed manual gearbox comes as standard, while a 6-speed autobox is available for the Countryman as well. The Cooper S Countryman and Cooper D Countryman can be had with an 8-speed automatic gearbox too, while the Cooper SD Countryman gets this as standard. The Countryman also gets a drive mode selector with 3 selectable modes – Mid, Sport and Green. Based on the mode chosen, the system alters the behavior of the steering, throttle response, transmission, dampers and even the exhaust sound.

European sales of the new Countryman begin in February 2017, with other markets following in March. Expect a launch in India come mid-2017.

Read More on : Mini Cooper Countryman