NYT: Taking MINI to the Max

Today, “all the news that’s fit to print” includes a thoughtful review of the MINI Countryman. Ezra Dyer kicks off with an observation we at MotoringFile know all to well.
It’s an immutable law of the car business: the more focused a company’s lineup, the greater the outrage when that company decides to expand its product range. When Porsche introduced the Cayenne S.U.V. as a 2004 model, purist fans reacted as if the company had announced it was branching into unicycles and Justin Bieber merchandise. “That’s not a Porsche!†cried many people who have never bought, nor will ever buy, a Porsche.
…Just as the aforementioned companies have long histories of building sports cars, the name Mini evokes sprightly front-wheel-drive two-door hatchbacks. So the new Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 — an all-wheel-drive four-door — is a pretty significant departure. And yet I’m not sensing much righteous frothy indignation among the faithful.
While mostly an overview, and not anything readers of this site haven’t heard before, I have to give Dyer credit for being neither an unwavering fanboy, nor a curmudgeonly contrarian when it comes to MINI’s biggest sibling. He neither winks nor scoffs at those quirky things that make a MINI a MINI. That’s refreshing.
In this car, as with other Minis, you’re paying for design. The Countryman interior, in particular, looks like something that other companies may cook up for a concept car but then abandon on the way to the showroom.
So while it’s certainly no new information or startling insights, the article is worth a read nonetheless.
12 Comments
<p>Sounds like he came to the same conclusion as Gabe. The Cooper S (without ALL4) is probably the sweetest variant for this model.</p>
<blockquote>When Porsche introduced the Cayenne S.U.V. as a 2004 model, purist fans reacted as if the company had announced it was branching into unicycles and Justin Bieber merchandise.</blockquote>
<p>Must be a youngster. Some of us remember the reactions to the front-engined 4-cyl 924 and the V-8 928…</p>
<p>Wonder how the CM (without All 4) will perform in the snow with a good set of snow tires.</p>
<p>A fairly clear eyed review I think.</p>
<p><></p>
<p>Must be a youngster. Some of us remember the reactions to the 914.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I’ll admit I’ve never seen one in the flesh, but I just don’t like the styling. They made it look..big. It’s still a MINI, and smaller than a lot of other cars, so why make it look so chubby?</p>
<p>Perhaps I will grow to like it, but it seems like a big (and heavy) sacrifice to make for a little extra storage.</p>
<p>Dan Neil at WSJ did a thorough review of All4 CM – he doesn’t like it – because he’s comparing it to a regular MINI. To him, the handling of the car disappoints.</p>
<p>Let’s put this into perspective. CM is to attract buyers who normally won’t consider a Mini or needs to fit a family. For the same price, you can get a more competent GTI. However, you can’t get a more stylish vehicle.</p>
<p>BMW could consider put in the new turbo 4 planned for the 1 and 3 series, but outright performance doesn’t seem to the goal of the CM.</p>
<p>Good review. I had already talked myself out of the ALL 4 because of the performance advantages of not having it. But, that was easy I live in Florida.</p>
<p>I am still pretending the Countryman doesn’t even exist. :)</p>
<p>that minimum length of 4 mtrs is BMW’s biggest problem.
our 2010 cooper has a very low polar moment of inertia.
it handles even better than our 1960 stage 2 mini did.
why couldn’t BMW elongate the cooper by creating a lighting fixture with an array of panoramic rallye lights up front? that lack is an Achilles heel on all MINIS with the factory-only lights. then they could fix
the rear end with a reinforced bumper to protect the car from spinning around into any low obstacles.</p>
<p>I recently saw my first Cooper S Countryman on while driving on a busy street at night so I wasn’t able to study it much. To my surprise it the overall design seemed “balanced” and it looked much better than all the photos I’ve been seeing. And it was in white with a black top, not my favorite color combo.</p>
<p>A couple of points to comment about: I agree, this not a 4WD like LandRover or other type vehicles. Why is not available on Cooper or One models? IS this because of the extra weight penalty?
The big centre instrument is MORE than a speedo – it has a variety of functions including a nav screen – often overlooked in such comments about the size.
You don’t buy a MINI for practicality – it is more about emotion and style.</p>
<p>Harmonica – MINI NZ took a Clubman and placed 350 Harmonicas all over the bodywork, and I’ll tell you it really “hums” a tune a various speeds. Its called a Carmonica
<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10706608" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10706608</a></p>