2017 Countryman Spotted on the ‘Ring (Video)
The announcement of the 2016 Clubman is not even one week old and we are already moving on to other news. A little more than a month ago, the F60 Countryman was spotted going strong on the ‘Ring. We’ve already shared plenty of information regarding the next Countryman, but this video gets us one step closer to the official debut of the fourth superhero.
When a prototype undergoes testing on the ‘Ring, it can be anywhere from 0 to 24 months away from being ready for production. And based on the BMW Group lifecycle rule applicable to most models, the new Countryman should be unveiled in the fall of 2017. However, some readers on MotoringFile have argued that MINI could debut this model sooner than anticipated. While we have little information on the matter, let’s reflect on the timeline of the FXX generation.
The Clubman will go on sale in the fall of this year and the Convertible is expected to become available in the spring of 2016. Between early next year and the fall of 2017 there’s no sign of any other model coming out beside the Countryman. Except for variations on the Clubman and Convertible (e.g. JCW, Hybrid), 18 months without a new FXX model seems like a long period of time, even more so during a wave of renewals.
A seven-year lifecycle in an industry where technology is changing so rapidly is perhaps becoming less relevant. Thinking that the interior of the R60 will still be available for the next two years feels like something is out of place, especially next to FXX models. On the other hand, MINI’s rebranding will extend over that same period of time, and having the Countryman associated with this milestone would make for a perfect tipping point.
What do you think? Will the Countryman come out sooner than the fall of 2017 or not?
<p>What niche does the Countryman fill? It seems superfluous, with the new Clubman arriving soon.</p>
<p>The Countryman’s trump card probably is AWD. Clubman is the station wagon MINI and the Countryman is the smallish SUV MINI.</p>
<p>But I thought the Clubman will get AWD eventually.</p>
<p>it will</p>
<p>As far as we’ve seen (I think), the Clubman’s AWD will be a hybrid system focused on MPG, not All4. All4 is more like what people who want AWD really want out of it.</p>
<p>Yes it will.</p>
<p>Think Dakar. Clubman wouldn’t cut it for Dakar but Countryman wins each year.</p>
<p>Think Dakar. Clubman wouldn’t cut it for Dakar but Countryman wins each year.</p>
<p>What’s the model in the pic? Looks nothing like the car in the video.</p>
<p>It’s not a model. Just someone having fun with Photoshop.</p>
<p>Shame, I really like that front end design.</p>
<p>that photoshop guy made a good looking design then. it probably wouldn’t pass Euro pedestrian crash standards though (just a guess).</p>
<p>It’s just autoexpress….err….I mean motoringfile making the lead from some photoshop fake…</p>
<p>At 1:40 in the video, the Clubman looks much bigger than the Countryman.</p>
<p>The Countryman is the larger of the two.</p>
<p>What do I think? Who the heck knows or cares? I have no hotline to the God of Minis. That sounds like the kind of question you see on an Apple rumor site.</p>
<p>If the pictures of the 2017 Countryman is the final version, I’m not a fan of where the day time running/fog lights are positioned.</p>
<p>Also in the video, the front/headlight look sure resembles a BMW quite a bit.</p>
<p>As I mentioned above this is a picture that someone made with Photoshop. It’s not official is any capacity.</p>
<p>Hmmm, didn’t see that in the article/feature. Ok. Thanks.</p>
<p>I meant in the comments section. But I’ve added an update to the post.</p>
<p>What do I think? I think the car driving around in that video is quite horrible looking. Doesn’t look like a MINI at all, and doesn’t look like something I would be interested in. At least the current Countryman has some family resemblance. Are the headlights rectangular? Just not my cup of tea….</p>
<p>My question was on the timeline, not the design. How can anyone assess the design of this car under so much camouflage? Unless of course you have x-ray vision.</p>
<p>It has heavy camo on it. The next Countryman will look like a cross between the current R60 Countryman and the new Clubman but much more rugged.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen Camo that hid the actual shape of the car before, well I have but it’s normally loose and baggy (lots of camouflaged cars here in the Metro Detroit area) and you wouldn’t take that to higher speed track testing. I’ve always found the Countryman the least MINI of all MINI’s anyway. Regarding timeline, who knows…..it depends on things that aren’t directly related to design, like plant capacity, supplier readiness, and market conditions. If the current one is selling well, which I think it is, then they won’t rush to market. They already have a full docket of vehicles, and the X1 hasn’t hit the streets yet.</p>
<p>Too bad. I saw the feature photo and thought things were finally starting to look up design-wise…only to be disappointed by the reality of the video. Why is it that a single person having fun with Photoshop can come up with a more appealing design than an army of German engineers? (I’m sorry, the Euro pedestrian standards can’t be THAT constraining.)</p>
<p>No one should judge the design of this car based on the video above. Beside camouflage, there’s really nothing to see.</p>
<p>I love the photo-shopped image btw. The Countryman is looking nice and flat on the track. I found it particularly cool to see the Countryman and the new Clubman in the same shot. I hope MINI brings the new Countryman to the US market sooner than 2017</p>
<p>The F60 Countryman will go on sale sooner than you think! So what’s the rush?</p>
<p>Well for a start, since the launch of F55, sales of R60 Countryman – previously MINI’s most profitable model – have been falling faster than a lead Zeppelin, and that situation will only get worse now that orders are being taken for the new F54 Clubman. R60 is technologically obsolete!</p>
<p>Fortunately its replacement, F60 Countryman, shares its UKL platform with the all new BMW X1 which goes on sale in the UK next month. F60 is effectively an X1 wearing a different party frock. The attached photo demonstrates the difference in size between R60 and F60. Note the longer front and rear overhangs and the longer rear quarter window.</p>
<p>The small/medium SUV is the fastest growing, and most profitable, automobile sector in the world, and the new Countryman SUV can’t come soon enough. Expect its launch in summer 2016.</p>
<p>I just hope it doesn’t have a large front over-hang. It would be a deal breaker for me, as it was on F56.</p>
<p>Too many people liking the Photoshopped image more than what they see in the F60? Is that what prompted you to take it down, along with the references to it in the text? Without any explanation whatsoever?</p>
<p>Nope. Too many people got mislead into thinking this was the actual car. The text was updated accordingly once the picture was gone.</p>
<p>I hope there is a 2 door version. Some of us would like a AWD vehicle but have no need for the extra two doors. There is also my opinion that MINI has never made a 4 door that was not hideous.</p>
<p>are you driving an all4 paceman now? The exact thing you described has been available for years.</p>
<p>Yes, I have a ’14 Paceman All4 which I love. I am looking at replacing my ’09 Clubman in 2017/18 and would love a FXX version of the Paceman then.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t hold my breath…</p>
<p>Nice to hear of someone who’ll put their money where their mouth is. <em>thumbs up</em></p>
<p>Yep I want my 2-door hatch R56 JCW but with AWD 😛
Sigh.</p>
<p>An interesting twist in the Countryman ‘saga’. Autocar is reporting today that JLR has entered into a manufacturing agreement with Magna Steyr, to free up production facilities and relieve pressure on JLR’s UK factories, which are said to be nearing full capacity. This is intended to be a short term agreement, to give JLR more time to secure a bespoke European factory. The report says that Land Rover production will start in Graz as soon as MINI Countryman and Paceman production finishes. This reinforces the view that the R60 Countryman will likely cease production sooner rather than later. Production of the MINI Countryman began in Graz in mid 2010.</p>