Nother CarGuy

MINI has taken the wraps off the 2021 Countryman, ahead of its launch later this year. Looking instantly recognizable, the facelifted crossover has a revised grille that is flanked by new LED headlights. The model also has modified bumpers, restyled wheels and new Union Jack LED taillights. While the styling changes are relatively modest, designers also gave the Countryman a revised color palette that now includes White Silver Metallic and Sage Green Metallic.  There’s also a new Piano Black Exterior package which swaps chrome for high-gloss black accents on the headlight surrounds, grille and door handles. The updates continue in the cabin as drivers will find a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel and a newly optional digital instrument cluster.  The model also boasts revised trim and updated infotainment systems with 8.8-inch displays.  Speaking of the latter, certain systems now support Amazon Alexa.  Last but not least, there are two new leather options called C...

Completing the  new generation Countryman’s range  is the hotter John Cooper Works model. The crossover’s full name in the USA and Canada is the 2018 MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4, but we’ll keep it tongue-twister-free by referring to it simply as the JCW.  As with every other  JCW variant in MINI’s  lineup these days, the performance version of the Countryman uses the familiar 2.0-liter twin-scroll gasoline turbo delivering 228 horses and 258 ft lbs (350Nm) of torque. It’s paired to a standard 6-speed manual or an optional 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission, both linked to a standard all-wheel drive system. Regardless of transmission choice, the Countryman JCW will hit 60mph (96km/h) in 6.2 seconds, making it 0.8 to 0.9 seconds or a blink of an eye quicker than the Cooper S Countryman ALL4, and reach a top speed of 145mph (233km/h).  A firmer suspension setup combined with stronger four-piston Brembo brakes, together with the drive mode ...

Meet the second generation of  MINI’s soft crossover , the bigger and more masculine 2017 Countryman, revealed a few weeks prior to its world debut at the LA Auto Show in mid-November.  When MINI presented the first generation of the Countryman back in 2010, it was the brand’s biggest model, a title it lost last year with the transformation of the  new Clubman into a proper  five, or rather, six-door station wagon, only to regain that distinction now in its second iteration.  The 2017 Countryman has grown by 200mm (7.9 in.) in overall length and 30mm (1.2 in.) in width, while its wheelbase has been extended by 75mm (nearly 3 inches), thus positioning it closer to regular compact SUVs  like Audi’s Q3 .  MINI says that the growth spurt has resulted in “significantly increased space on five fully-fledged seats” as well as in storage, with luggage compartment volume up by 220 liters over its predecessor to 450 liters or 1,309 liters when the seats are f...