INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH
Mini moving into premium compact SUV ring
Lindsay Vine-Smyth braved the British winter to experience Mini’s new Countryman
It must be fun being an engineer at Mini. Like Apple or Google, I imagine it is a free environment where anything goes and there are no limits to what you can create (except Paceman, they hit the limit with that). Every day you get to rummage through the BMW parts bin and play Tetris reinventing the wheel. That is exactly what they have done with the all-new for 2017 Countryman, which boasts fresh engines, a redesigned chassis and much more space. Size matters — that was the primary feedback from Countryman owners when Mini was in research and development with the second generation. As such, the new model is 20cm longer and 30mm wider than its predecessor, making it the largest Mini in the company’s 57-year history. Sir Alec Issigonis might roll in his grave, but Mini is confident the new dimensions will move Countryman up a segment truly to compete with premium compact SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA and the Audi Q3 (and upcoming Q2). That may be a stretch, but the new model has...
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