More Images of the Crossover in the US

Until we have some facts, it’s just blather. Maybe afterward, too.

I see some brake cooling docks.

We has been reported??

The one pic at the gas station with the light at an angle really shows the contours and doors well.

First MINI to have turn signals in the mirrors :-D. Wife loves those. Front bumper looks remarkably like the R55/56/57 with the wide opening and big fog lamps.

I agree with the concern that this might eat into the Clubman’s sales. I want a MINI with four doors, not the half door. If this is close in price to the Clubman, why would anyone buy a Clubman? That is, of course, all other things being relatively equal.

If this version is successful, I see the Clubman being killed off in the near future.

TX – the speedster will come in time…

The Countryman is not going to be the big hulking thing i think most MINI enthusiasts are afraid it is going to be. If all you haters want to justify yourselves for wanting to hate on something, buy a “ridemakers” Monster-truck-MINI. Then you have something to hate on, and you will see how silly it actually is. You probably have a MINI already…as do I…but, as many enthusiasts have found out – NOT EVERYONE WAVES!!! Not everyone who buys a MINI does so to be part of our little slice of the universe. I know this might come as some profound insight to some, but it is the harsh reality of a capitalistic society. Kudos to MINI for trying to provide a more main-stream vehicle so they can hold more parties for us enthusiasts like MINI UNITED, and MINI TAKES THE STATES. There will always be us here debating / discussing / and collectively creating a community based on something we all have in common. It just frustrates me to read that MINI owners have come down to being that GROUP (like in High School)…makes my Cooper cry…

I will be interested in seeing this in person to make my decision for an opinion on the styling. Do have to say the haunches on the rear panel line don’t do much for me currently and the front end really seems rather blocky.

What is more interesting is what this means for the huge amount of money used to develop the Clubman and the R60. Both cars are likely to be cross-shopped and I think being the love affair with the SUV in the US that the R60 will outsell the Clubman.

Still at the end of the day, conceptually this is not a Mini for me. I think whomever believes that the outcry from the community over this development is missing the point. Most people that are having issues with this car are not have issues with the design but rather the concept of a micro SUV in the Mini brand. Not something the removal of swirly vynal is likely to cure imo.

@Chad:

In Canada, the base Clubman S is only $1600 more than the coupe S. So, if pricing is similar for the Countryman, perhaps we can expect to pay about $2000 more for Countryman over the Clubman. I’d certainly pay this for a 4-door MINI with a lot more space than a Clubman. The pricing side is all speculation of course, but I still think that the Clubman’s days are numbered.

I think the coupe will still have a large market due to its cheaper price and pure driving fun. The Clubman, to me, didn’t go far enough. It didn’t have 4 doors and the rear doors, although neat looking, needlessly added to its price.

I rarely see Clubmen on the roads up here. I see lots of coupes. I’d be interested to hear how the Clubman is selling in other markets.

@Tim:

You should qualify what you mean by “up here”… as a fellow Canadian, and Clubman owner, I can tell you that they are selling well in Calgary. There are several in our local club!

Also, “MINI” is now a brand. Like any other brand they are going to extend their product offerings to keep interest in the brand. It’s not a one trick pony anymore. I think they’re building things smartly – BMW started out with the hatch, which has the strongest retro tie, then the Cabrio and Clubman. Like it or not, CUVs are popular today, and MINI is a modern brand.

I too am excited at the prospect of a Speedster, and other smaller or sportier oriented products, but bread-and-butter sales are needed to fund our enthusiast tangents…

@BenTYYC:

I’m in Ottawa, and I see about 3 MINI coupes each day. So far, I’ve only seen 2 Clubmans on the road — in total. Obviously, this is just my anecdotal experience, but it doesn’t seem like the Clubman is selling that well around my parts.

Don’t misunderstand me. I think it’s necessary that MINI expand its range. All I’m saying is that, with the Countryman coming, the Clubman becomes less attractive than before, given it didn’t offer much over the coupe to begin with.

How much is this beast going to weigh? I say it breaks the ponderous 3000lb mark.

Looks like the door windows have frames around them…at least the rear doors (it’s not as clear on the front doors to me). That’s a departure from the coupe (sorry, I don’t have a Clubman and can’t remember if they put frames on the door windows…I don’t think they did, but maybe I’m wrong).

Gabe: Thanks for posting that the mirrors won’t have turn signals on them! That’s one touch that makes me cringe and makes the R60 seem more like an SUV than a car.

I like the photos of the R60′s parked next to the pickup truck and the following one where it’s turning next to a lawn sign. Those gave me a lot more size perspective and I think this car is not going to be as hugely out of proportion as many of us fear.

I thought the turn signals on the mirrors was overkill since they also had them on the side panels like the other MINI’s, so nice to know they’re just camo like that split back window. The single wiper was the clue on that. The camo on the headlights really makes them look huge and out of proportion with the front end. All-in-all that camo does a great job of hiding everything.

I’ve never liked 4-door cars because the front doors/windows are always smaller than a 2-door, and the side pillar is usually right next to your head. Plus it looks like the Countryman has bulky window frames on all 4 doors, and I really like the large “frameless” windows on my Clubman.

The Clubman is the perfect size for me since I can haul more stuff, and when I do have extra passengers there actually is some leg room in the back. It’s basically a MINI station wagon; and my CA title has “SW” for the body type.

I’ll take a Countryman S over a Clubman S any day. @ 6’5.5″ I can use every last cubic inch of room I can get be it for cargo, additonal passengers, whatever. Now I have no problem fitting in and driving a Clubman or Cooper for that matter, but this just looks and feels more size appropriate for me, AND it has two additonal doors which does wonders for practicality. Anyways I digress…

With brake cooling ducts it looks like the Countryman S was intended to be a serious street ripping machine. I always wondered how they’d incorporate a hood scoop on the S version as an S specific feature that has been. It looks like they included an additonal grill within the front grill to differentiate the S from the base version as is done with the hood scoop on the Cooper and Clubman S versions. A very nice and original touch if you ask me. Now for actual photographs. Cannot wait!

Notice the faux rear barn-door camouflage overlay. It looks like the back is a hatch… Will be interesting to learn whether there will be a rear wind-down window like the old station wagons used to have.