MINI Crossover Spotted in California

Sections: R60 (Countryman) Jul 9th, 2009 87 Comments

Our friends at Cars.com have some visual proof that the MINI Crossover (name TBD) has stepped foot onto US soil.

The official reveal is a few weeks away but look for photos to slip out from various sources before then. The Crossover will get its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show (this year it’ll be the mother of all shows if you’re a MINI/BMW fan) and should go on sale in the first half of 2010.

Written By: Gabe

C4

Terrible.
Melis

I am weary of how more weight, and higher center of gravity, longer suspension travel, and awd will make this “MINI” drive.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Terrible.

And that in a nutshell is why people hate comments on the internet.

I am weary of how more weight, and higher center of gravity, longer suspension travel, and awd will make this â€œMINIâ€ drive.

There we go. That’s better.
C4

@Gabe:

Are you serious? Oh gawd, please gimme a break!

I call things as I see them. The R60 is an abomination plain and simple. An insult to the core values and heritage of MINI. I am not alone on this line of thinking.

Last I checked, we still live in a free country. If we don’t like someone’s opinion we either challenge it or ignore it and move on.

A $40K pig in silk clothing…. Still a pig.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Last I checked, we still live in a free country. If we donâ€™t like someoneâ€™s opinion we either challenge it or ignore it and move on.

I think that’s what anybody reading comments on MF has learned to do when they see your name Frank – “move on”. Not that my opinions matter but I personally could care less if you don’t like something. Hell I can’t imagine I’m going to like the R60 myself (and I’ve been pretty upfront about that). But not liking anything at all usually means you stop coming to the site.
C4

Where is the name “Frank”?

I do not appreciate you insulting me in a public forum.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

@C4: Ok… C4. Carry on hating. You’re free to say what you want and think what you want. I just thought I’d do the same for once. Have a nice day :)
hardingsan

@C4: umm, wow. in a tizzy today? if you have an opinion and some logic behind it, put it out there, but don’t just throw out one word hate messages.

it seems like all gabe wants is for the comments on his site to be intellectual, rather than trolling.
Beavers

@Gabe&hardingsan:

Here here! I can’t imagine how disappointing it must be for Gabe and co. to see the level of comments progressively drop. Honestly I have spent less time on this site in the last few months specifically because of these types of comments. The MF community belongs to all the readers and commenters. It would be really cool if we all stepped it up a notch with either:

A) Reasonably thoughtful comments that contribute to the community OR B) Enough self-control to say, “hey, I have nothing of value to contribute to the dialog, so I’m going to keep my trap shut on this one.”

Just one guy’s opinion – YMMV.

Beavers
Chad

I’m not understanding the C4 hating… If this product is a failure, and MINI cancels it after 2 or 3 model years, then won’t people sharing C4′s opinion be pleased? Wouldn’t that provide encouragement for someone to generate such “anti-buzz” for the product as much and as loudly as they can? That’s what criticism is, right? Sharing an opinion with the intent to sway the opinions of others? The SUV backlash begins now, right? Sure Melis’ comment is more helpful, but it’s not like C4 was comment spamming.
alpinamike

Gabe you need to show us some Roadster pics from Cali, they will change the tune. :)
Larry T.

People are entitled to their own opinion, but it does wear thin after a while… Im with Gabe.

I SWEAR I saw 2 driving on the Florida Turnpike near Gainesville on July 4th, but they had Camo Decals on them…not the other decals. I almost jumped out of my seat…freaked my wife out!

LT
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=646540594 Kevin Tu

Are there dimensions to this thing? I’m interested in how big it’s going to be.
Mk1

I agree with Chad. I think I understood C4′s one word comment perfectly – he thinks a MINI 4-door cross-over is a terrible idea, Brand, purity, concept, heritage-wise. Did not offend me, or seem troll-ish or spam-ish. I don’t agree with him, but he succinctly stated his point of view. Some will agree, others will not. I engoy reading all the comments on this Blog, pro and con and think no less of C4 for his opinion, as a fellow MINI traveller. “We have more in common than not.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1609199 Jason Williams

For the sake of MINI’s karma, I hope they bring the speedster to production to counteract the ill effects of the crossover. Perhaps this will be MINIs “Cayenne” as in; bringing needed traffic and money into the dealerships to help finance other more exciting projects (ahem…speedster)
http://www.facebook.com/mphang Mike Phang

It looks almost as large as the BMW X1… I’m not sure I like that. I would’ve been alright with a four-wheel-drive five-door hatch (Fiesta-sized) MINI, but this is too large for my liking.

That said, I can see why BMW is bringing this car to the market. There’s a lot of demand for it (despite what MINI enthusiasts say)–a car for those who want the MINI style but aren’t ready to give up the space of larger vehicles.

More shots here: http://www.automotivetraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=712&Itemid=194
baskers, Abinger Hammer, England

Really feel that this product dilutes what a MINI is. The Clubman is acceptable as there are clear roots.

However, this is simply cashing in on the pseudo-4×4 gang. Now when people ask “What car do you drive” my response as “MINI” will now be met with “Which one”

When they do reveal this car, I sincerely hope that they call it a MAXI or something – it simply is, won’t and never will be a MINI.

I have always been proud of my R53 and admired the R56′s due to the real purity of the brand… this I think takes the shine away from it somewhere.

Any-hoo… I can still continue on my Supercharged adventures!

(PS – I have lurked on this site for years, but felt compelled to post for the first time!)
DBM

I hope it’s as successful as the cayenne. That way the mini division can open more dealerships & invest money into R&D so build an even better cooper and JCW models.
eto

All I can think of is the unsuspecting motorist seeing this drive by and wondering what insane person decided to paint their car like that!
rkw

C4, it is unhelpful to simply comment “Terrible”. It would be equally unhelpful if I were to comment “Fugly”. Now if I expound on exactly what I find to be fugly, it suddenly becomes a useful and constructive comment worthy of further discussion. This is what Gabe was getting at in his first comment.
AN

No split rear window like the Clubman? I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Iâ€™m not understanding the C4 hatingâ€¦ If this product is a failure, and MINI cancels it after 2 or 3 model years, then wonâ€™t people sharing C4â€™s opinion be pleased?

It’s not about loving or hating this car. I’m not arguing for it in anyway. It’s about the type of insidious and shallow comments that are illustrated well in the first on this article.
Chad

@Gabe: I would agree that it was a simplistic comment, but to call it insidious? That seems a bit overreaching.
Chris

I can understand that MINI thinks this is a good idea, but I can’t help but feel like it’s a mis-step for the brand. I just hope that it isn’t such a mis-step that it hurts the company.

I can’t really see one of these fitting in amongst the rest of the Mini family at various Mini events (especially those built around the Mini’s handling). And that might be the worst of it, from a community standpoint.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

@Chad: It’s the long history of comments like that that go back years and are as often as 2-10 times a day that make it insidious.
gokartride

I’m glad to see that the fancy yellow/black camo graphics have remained in use long enough to grace our shores. I’m sure the car will look awesome, if only for the loss of the vinyl!!!!
AN

I don’t know if I dig it or not. I can’t tell with the crazy camo. But all this killing the brand chat cracks me up.

About 18 months, many on this site said the same of the Clubman. And though MINI sales are down, they’re far better than virtually all other manufacturers. Yes, I know Subaru and Kia are kicking ass right now. Yay.

Someone already made the Cayenne point, so I won’t, but the purists should be happy that the Clubman helps the brand to grow, so there will still be a brand.

I also can’t resist adding that I seem to recall C4 hating all over the Clubman way back when, and now owning one. Luckily for me, he’ll point out my error if I’m wrong.

Motor on people.
Mk1

Yeah, that crazy yellow camo WORKS, darn it. Need to see it up close and personal. Didn’t think I’d like the Clubman, until I saw it in the flesh. Same with this I think. It will fit with the MINI crowd that wants to stay with the MINI crowd, but have a family, or the need to carry passengers larger than a six year old. Now if only the price was right :-(
RJ

@Chris…

I’m thinking that maybe it works at a MINI gathering / club / track event…..mom (or dad) drives up in the Crossover, carrying the grille, kids, strollers etc…and the significant other drives up with little Jimmy or Susie strapped in, ready to have a go at the autocross. It may work….
RJ

….finishing that comment ….

….the significant other drives up in a Cooper / Cooper S / Speedster / whatever with little Jimmy or Susie for a go at the autocross…
Roccorocket

How do or does that crazy back door/doors, system operate. I use GMC vans w/3 part doors for work and would not buy a car with them. I have a Clubman S for 4 more days and the barn doors are ok but, 3?

Clubman S was my wifes car and she never complained about a blind spot.

Oh, and Chad. Negative posted without thought are not interesting to others.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1232156929 Mike Roberts

I agree with Gabe about C4. He has shown that he can put together a valuable comment but yet he continues to hide behind his anonymous pseudonym and spew his spam on almost every post here.
Aaron

The photo that cars.com posted isn’t showing us MF readers anything new. I guess the new bit is that they’re testing it in CA and it makes me wonder…why ship the mule all the way over here for a test drive? I wonder if they’ve been test driving it across the US…

I too am concerned about the mass, bulk, ride height, of the car and whether it will still drive like a MINI should. We’ll see. I’m pretty hopeful though as this would be a perfect way for me to stick with the brand as my family gets another +1 in a couple of years. I can’t wait for the Frankfurt show.
bee1000

As Jeremy Clarkson said about Tata, “I hope they make tons of money selling the Nano, and spend it all on fast Jags.”

We have nothing to lose by Mini adding new models (even if I have no interest in them) and making more money. My R53 will be the same great car when this comes out as it was when the remodeled R53 came out, when the R53 auto came out, when the R56 came out, when the Clubman came out…
Phil

I heard that this is the replacement for Mellow Yellow, the new Interchange Yellow/Black Camouflage exterior paint with body color roof.
Phil

@bee1000

Very good point about Jeremy Clarkson’s comment… on a similar line of thinking, Porsche fans were outraged when Porsche announced the Cayenne, yet it is the profits from the very successful SUV that have helped develop the current range of Porsche cars and have enabled the company to continue mostly on its own.

I’m not opposed to the Crossman, but I understand why many people would be. I also know that there are alot of people that would love something fun like a MINI but need legitimate 4 passenger capacity and also need something that has a bit more space than a Clubman. This car will sell well. If you don’t like it, at least understand that it is necessary to keep the MINI brand viable and will enable it to remain successful as a “seperate” brand within the BMW family. This is what you need to maintain an independent MINI dealer network and ownership experience. It is what you need to be able to expand the dealer network into new markets that do not have dealers. It is also what you need to keep the profits coming in to fund MINI’s other future projects.
Hoover

It will be nice when we can actually see what it really looks like…then maybe some of the hand wringing will cease. The official reveal can’t come too soon for me. I can’t get a sense of this thing yet. That camo does its job well. I can’t wait to see the front and rear, and all the other design choices(especially the lights and grill)…and see it grouped with other MINIs to get a better sense of scale, as well as getting a feel for the future of MINI design in general. We may get an idea of the four door/hatch “wagon” variant–a model I think more would stand behind.

I can’t help but comment on the other topic that has surfaced in this thread. I appreciate Gabe’s frustration. I just tend to scroll through the comments, and don’t bother reading those from some contributors any more.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1478389903 James Irmiger

I was shocked at some of the pictures floating around showing the size next to regular people and other cars. Surprise, surprise, it’s really not that big at all. It might just be a nice little SAV when all is said and done.

I share some of the others concerns about diluting the brand, but just look back at the 60′s era variants and I think you’ll get an idea of what MINI is trying to do now. I believe wholeheartedly that they’ll position the R60 as the smallest (dare I say MINI’est) SAV in the marketplace which will still stay true to the “smaller is better” axiom they’ve always stood for.

I’m hoping for the best.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575595751 Steve Grobben

Am I the only one who appreciates the black and yellow camo? I think it’s kinda funky. I’d like to take a test drive of the R57 in the trim shown above with Bootsy Collins riding shotgun.
MINIme

Are we really still debating this vehicle. Those who like or need and can afford one will have one and those who hate won’t. It is that simple. We all know the regular posters who dislike this move by MINI. You have expressed yourself clearly. Now, give it a rest.
RJ

@ Roccorocket…

If you follow the link in one of the comments above, you’ll see that the ‘barn doors’ and the handle are fake on the Crossover…there’s a picture on the link showing the rear hatch fully opened in conventional hatch style….the commentary associated with the link indicates that it’s just a standard hatch, not any kind of multi-opening door.
Head Honcho

Complaining is one thing, but the only thing worse to me is complaining about complaining. Why give someone the credit and attention they want. Just ignore it and move on. If no one ever pays attention to a complainer that person will get bored and move on. I see the same thing at China Car Times. Everyone complains that all the cars are copies of other cars on every post and everyone complains about that person complaining. Pretty annoying.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=721410455 Vin Reddy

5 Bolt wheels rather than the normal MINI 4×100′s.
SFRedMCc

I parked my Clubman next to a Cayenne the other day and they are HUGE!! Actually the 911′s I’ve parked next to are even longer than my Clubman. Isn’t the Crossover only about 7-9 inches longer than the Clubman; so doesn’t that still make it the smallest “SAV” in production? And isn’t the new X1 about 18-20 inches longer than the Crossover?

Anyway, that “black and yellow camo” does do an amazing job of hiding the design, but in the process it also makes any new car design look horrible. And add in those black wheels and it is absolutely “butt” ugly.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1478389903 James Irmiger

SFRedMCc,

I don’t know, I think I might like to rock that full wrap around San Francisco for awhile! Maybe the hippies will finally see me coming and not cut me off ;) he.he.
Chris B.

For crying out loud people it’s not like MINI built a Ford Excursion and dropped a small turbo 4 banger in it and slapped MINI badges on it. I swear, I don’t know if it’s an American thing (and I’m American, and proud) or what??…but this tendency to make things worse than they actually are. I don’t get it? It’ll be barely any bigger than a Clubman and use design featires, technology and parts similar to what you find in pretty much any other MINI on sale today. Pipe the F down already. Sh!r! Not everyone can live with a two-door “mini” car and BMW needs to justify the continued expenditures on the MINI brand. This is the car (along with other forthcoming models) that will help you and many others continue to enjoy the MINI brand. I’d hate to know MINI’s future without it, because it will sell like f’ng hotcakes.
http://www.lifeinthewest.ca Steve

“In a Town Called Malice” The song I play while buzzing around in my “MINI” for a truly Mini Experience. So, I seen many pictures and the prototypes, yet this shot, I believe is the reason some find this MAXI-MINI butt ugg. I am sure that when it hits the shores, that we can call our MINI’s, The Mini-Mini, and the Clubman, the 4×4 will in my opinion be called and classified as the Maxi-Mini, or Mini-Ute. I LOVE my 2009 Mini, have only had it a month, have a 2001 RAV4, hate the RAV but used to think it was a super handling SUV, the Mini sticks to the road like glue, NO SWAY, even at 130kph in the pouring rain! I hope that this MAXIMINI, does as well, I’ll pre-order asap. PUT ME DOWN FOR 1 site unseen. Except, PLEASE…No Barn Doors, maybe Please a hatch style that opens window or window and Door flat fold down.
Larry T.

Yeah!
Mk1

ChrisB, Well said. Times two.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=561823790 Brendon Ziegenbein

i didnt think Mini would end up producing this. Time to stop driving my r53 and seal it in the garage for a couple years then make a huge profit on it….Grrr MIni

← 5th Gear: Alfa Mito vs MINI Cooper Ask MF: Faulty Fuel Gauges in an R53? →

Sort by MINI model

Recent BimmerFile Stories

MINI Model Cheat Sheet

1st Gen MINI
R50: One & MC Hatch
R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt.
R53: MCS Hatch
2nd Gen MINI
R55: Clubman
R56: Hatch
R57: Convertible
R58: Coupe
R59: Roadster
R60: MINI Crossover
R61: MINI Crossover Coupe
3rd Gen MINI
F55: Clubman
F56: Hatch
F57: Convertible
F60: MINI Crossover
F62: Traveller

Advertise with MotoringFile

If you or your company are interested in advertising on the most influential MINI website in the world, please visit our Advertising section. If you have further questions about becoming a sponsor or would like to see our rate sheet please feel free to contact us directly.