January 19 2010

Say hello to the Mini Cooper Countryman, a vehicle that's had a busy month here on Kilometer. First, Mini debuted the Beachcomber, a door-less preview of the new model. Then we posted renderings based on the Detroit concept, and a few days later, Mini released a teaser video of a camo-covered test car. And now, one day later, three images have leaked out onto the internet.

We have to say, we think it looks pretty good. Sure, its grille makes it look like it's a bit disgusted by something, and we do think the roof might look awkward in any color but black. But overall, Mini could have done much worse--remember the original concept from two years ago? The production car has four full doors, a first for a Mini, and despite what some spy photos showed us, the rear hatch is not split like the Clubman's.

From the pictures, it looks like Mini will do as they did with the Clubman, giving the Countryman a full name of "Mini Cooper Countryman" or "Mini Cooper S Countryman." Along with the Cooper S badge, the model shown here wears an "ALL4" badge, confirming Mini's name for its new xDrive-based all-wheel-drive system. We'll bring you more as we watch the information spill out.

Source:  Kilometer Magazine