THERE’S more MINI for your money on its way.
MINI is launching a fourth model – appropriately with four doors and with the option of four-wheel drive.
Called the MINI Countryman, the MINI has gone ‘crossover’, combining the looks of a MINI with the functionality of an SUV. That means four doors, a wide opening rear hatch, elevated driving position and greater freedom of space.
The MINI Countryman comes as standard with four seats, but there will be a three-seat bench available as a no-cost option.
The Countryman will have a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, and features the MINI version of BMW’s fuel-saving EfficientDynamics technology called MINIMALISM (Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start Stop, and a gearshift point indicator). A six-speed automatic is an option from the standard six-speed manual gearbox.
As an option the MINI Cooper S Countryman and MINI Cooper D Countryman will be available with permanent four-wheel drive. Or, in MINI speak, MINI ALL4 all-wheel drive. This distributes drive to front and rear wheels in variable amounts depending on traction requirements.
The new MINI Countryman prices have yet to be announced. It is expected to go on sale in quarter three.
Four-door MINI gets 4×4
