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Avenue of the Giants Weekend Run - Sat. March 23, 2024

Saturday will be a very full day of cruising from Novato up through the Avenue of the Giants and ending at Eel River Brewing in Fortuna. Sun...

BimmerFile Drives And Reviews The MINI Countryman

BimmerFile discusses the substantial engine and drivetrain revisions on the 2011 MINI models; explains how the ALL4 - MINI's all wheel drive system for the Countryman - works; and then drives the Countryman prototype. It exclaims the Countryman to be "the best handling crossover currently on sale." On the exterior BimmerFile liked the design of the "shark nose."
It’s an aggressive and masculine design that gives the car a unique character while mapping back to the historical MINI form language. Yet it also works on a functional level helping with airflow and pedestrian impact standards.
BimmerFile's conclusion -
MINI has created the best handling and characterful small crossover in the world. While doing that they have pushed the MINI brand into a new category while maintain the character of what we’ve all come to love. However, that said, pricing will still play a significant role in the success of the R60 Countryman and in the US market no final pricing decisions have been made at this time. If the base price of the Countryman Cooper comes in at under $25,000 as we expect then it’ll be a full-on success. With that price it’ll compete with the more mundane crossover options while delivering in expectational performance, style and fuel economy all with a brand that still (even after introducing a crossover) means something. If the Coutryman does all those things then MINI has succeeded in pushing MINI (with brand attribute surprisingly intact) into a new, more lucrative and much larger market.