After months of spy photos and videos, the 2017 MINI Countryman was officially revealed this week before its first public appearance scheduled in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The second generation of premium compact of MINI is bigger, faster, more versatile and more efficient than ever. It also now has a plugin hybrid model in the range.
MINI has gone one step further with the new generation of the MINI Countryman. With the exterior design, the model evokes the iconic urbanites range while also having the rural soul thanks to greater ground clearance a high driving position and an image achievable through elements such as exterior package MINI ALL4 and longitudinal roof rails.
Its wheel arches are large and the increase in width combined with generous surfaces help create an attractive play of light and shadow that highlights the changes. The new generation has specific details such as the ceiling shaped "hull", vertical taillights, the hexagonal grille and the large LED headlights.
Taking advantage of the arrival of the new generation are the new body colors offering such as the "Blue Metallic Island" and the "Chestnut." The same goes for the wheel designs.
The interior is now more spacious. The driver and passenger have greater headroom and shoulder. The new MINI Countryman is about 20 centimeters longer and about three centimeters wider. The wheelbase has been increased by 7.5 centimeters.
In the rear, the new Countryman offers three full seats and expanded the opening of the rear doors for easy access and exit from the passenger compartment of the second row of seats. The storage capacity also increased as MINI added new places to store objects and the luggage compartment now can handle 450 liters cubes. A figure that can be increase up to 1309 liters if the rear seats folded down.
At the technological level, progress is remarkable. The new MINI Countryman 2017 offers numerous driver assistance system and connectivity is evident as well.
Turning to the mechanical section, we will find a range consisting of four engines. Divided equally between blocks of petrol and diesel. It covers the power range between 136 hp and 192 hp. Depending on the chosen engine, one can opt for a manual gearbox six - speed or automatic six-speed. And for those looking for a model that is more capable, an all-wheel drive ALL4 is also available.
The Cooper Countryman has 1.5 3-cylinder gasoline and achieves 136 hp and 220 Nm. The Cooper S Countryman has four-cylinder gasoline 2.0 and has a power of 192 hp and 280 Nm. The Cooper D Countryman uses 2.0 four-cylinder diesel to achieve 150 hp and 330 Nm while the Cooper SD Countryman has a 2.0 four-cylinder diesel that achieves 190 hp and 400 Nm.
The new MINI Cooper Countryman ALL4 SE come to play an important role in the range. It uses a hybrid system consisting of a gasoline engine three-cylinder with 136 hp and an electric motor of 88 hp. The combustion engine is connected to a six-speed gearbox, while the electric does the same with a single speed transmission.
Because each block acts on one of the axles, electrified propulsion can enjoy a configuration of four-wheel drive. It will allow circulation in purely electric mode up to 40 km thanks to its lithium-ion battery. When driving in electric mode the maximum speed stands at 125 km/h. The average consumption is 2.1 fixed liters per 100 kilometers and CO2 emissions of 49 grams per kilometer.
Checkout the all new 2017 Mini Countryman below, which is expected to debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show a few weeks from now.
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