Jul 6th, 2014
The MINI Countryman has been a massive success for BMW and MINI since its release in 2011. For it’s forth year of production MINI is giving it the typical visual and mechanical refresh. However unlike MINI’s past refreshes, the Countryman has received what has to be the subtlest nip and tuck imaginable.
We’ve detailed the revised Countryman previously on MF (both in the official release and hands-on) but it’s worth revisiting here. continued →
Jun 25th, 2014
Official Release: Two class wins in this year’s competition have boosted the BMW Group’s cache of titles acquired in the prestigious International Engine of the Year Award. The two latest accolades go to two power units that manage to combine sporty performance with exemplary efficiency in unique fashion. The 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology – as featured in numerous current BMW models – ranks among the prize-winners for the fourth time. Meanwhile, the 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo engine that drives the MINI Cooper S Countryman and the MINI Cooper S Paceman, among other models, has secured its eighth consecutive class win. continued →
Jun 23rd, 2014
The idea was simple – best the Tanner Foust’s 332 foot jump with a 360 foot jump in a bespoke 1,000 hp MINI Countryman. However things did’t necessarily end well for French rally driver Guerlain Chicherit and MINI. Lucky for him he was able to escape without serious injury. Lucky for us everything has been captured thanks to about a dozen GoPro cams and turned into a 12 minute documentary. Check it out after the break. continued →
May 30th, 2014
While MINI has introduced an entirely new car in the F56, there are still a handful of models on the older and not necessarily out of date RXX platform. In order to keep them fresh MINI and more specifically MINI USA has made some key changes to the exterior look and options list.
continued →
Apr 29th, 2014
The words Chinese and aftermarket don’t conjure up positive thoughts typically. And while we’re still not sure if what we see above is a quality piece of software and hardware engineering, it’s at the very least interesting. What it is is the first full aftermarket navigation system designed for the R55, R56, R57, R58, R59, R60 and R61 MINIs. What it runs on we don’t know (and believe me tried to ask) but it’s clear continued →
Apr 17th, 2014
The 2015 refresh of the Countryman is subtle. But it’s the right kind of subtle. MINI has carefully addressed issues throughout the R60′s production making this refresh less dramatic than it could have been. Furthermore the overall look of the car has held-up well and (in our minds) didn’t require a drastic nip and tuck to maintain it’s sales momentum. However what it is both subtle and striking in the form of exterior and interior trim updates. The results are a car that feels more upmarket and more refined.
Gallery after the break continued →
Apr 16th, 2014
According to MINI US product managers, all current R5X MINI models will get the same LED fog lights that debuted this week on the Countryman. Furthermore the Paceman will also receive all the R60 Countryman updates (sans the All4 appearance package – the silver accents) for the 2015 model year. The best news? This will be standard on all cars. But that’s not all that is changing for 2015. continued →
