F60 Countryman Spotted in California
Thanks to MotoringFile reader Michael S., we’ve got a fresh new look at the upcoming F60 Countryman. The test-mule was spotted in Santa Barbara last week. While we’ve already seen a number of spy pictures of the F60, this photo lets us appreciate the full profile of the car. As previously reported, this corresponds to the more rugged look supported by the larger UKL platform. Expect the new Countryman to be longer, wider, and taller than the current model.
As far as in the interior goes, the level of premium feel will be on par with the upcoming Clubman but based on a new interpretation making full use of the extra width of the car.
Larger and more rugged isn’t the entire story however. Expect a revised all wheel drive system, a plug-in hybrid variant and a JCW model with at least 250 hp.
MINI will most likely unveil the 2017 Countryman online next summer with a public debut happening at the Paris Motor Show in September of 2016. Deliveries in Europe should start shortly afterwards with a US release happening around the end of 2016.
<p>You forgot to mention heavier. It’s looking like that will be the price paid by sharing the ULK platform. Anyway, its good to see the car get closer to release.</p>
<p>Yeah I’m being told to expect the new Countryman to be both larger and heavier.</p>
<p>I’ve seen this test mule twice in Oxnard the past week.</p>
<p>The F60 Countryman shares its longer, wider and taller UKL platform with the all new F48 BMW X1, and both cars have an identical wheelbase. It’s interesting, therefore, to compare both cars in profile, in the attached photo. Note how much longer the rear overhang is on the X1.</p>
<p>I’ll be curious to see what the price difference will be between the new Countryman and the new X1. I think the new X1 looks more attractive that the old model.</p>
<p>I’ll be shocked if it drives as well as the previous X1.</p>
<p>Gabe, be prepared to be shocked. Autocar drove an F48 X1 xDrive25d, at the press launch in Austria last month. This is a summary of what they had to say about it:</p>
<p>“The good news is that despite the adoption of the new platform and its transverse engine mounting arrangement, the new X1 continues to be a highly rewarding drive with the sort of agility to shame many hot hatchbacks. The basis for its dynamic excellence is its superb chassis balance, which provides the high-riding BMW with genuinely fluid and responsive handling characteristics both around town and out on the open road.</p>
<p>The optional electro-mechanical variable-rate Sport steering system fitted to our test car proved responsive and communicative, endowing the new X1 with eager turn-in properties and typically firm weighting. Depending on the driving mode chosen, the outright body control ranges from family-car respectable to sportingly taut. Grip levels are ample, allowing you to carry decent speed up to the apex without any concern of a loss of purchase. Thanks to permanent four-wheel drive on the model we drove, traction was never in doubt.</p>
<p>From what we’ve seen so far, the new X1 is clearly superior to its hugely successful predecessor in almost all areas”.</p>
<p>BMW X1 xDrive25d</p>
<p>On sale October; Price £36,060 (est); Engine 4 cyls, 1995cc, turbodiesel; Power 228bhp at 4400rpm; Torque 332lb ft at 1500rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerb weight 1575kg; 0-62mph 6.6sec; Top speed 146mph; Economy 56.5mpg (combined).</p>
<p>Yeah I read that. I’ll only be convinced behind the wheel. The steering weight and feel of the previous generation X1 was probably only second to an M car in the current BMW range. The E84 will be a phenomenal buy on the used market in the years ahead.</p>
<p>via mobile</p>
<p>That is a sharp looking vehicle and I think the X1 may be the best overall value in the BMW lineup.</p>
<p>MINI is going to have to change their brand name…maybe BIGGIE…lol</p>
<p><a href="http://www.moniteurautomobile.be/actu-auto/scoops/future-mini-countryman-spyshot.html" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.moniteurautomobile.be/actu-auto/scoops/future-mini-countryman-spyshot.html</a></p>
<p>more pictures..</p>
<p>Is the test driver in the picture really short, or does it just appear that way because the car is so tall?</p>
<p>Lol, I was just thinking the same thing! Hopefully he is small otherwise the new Countryman is huge!</p>
<p>Yup, the beltline is almost up to his neck!</p>
<p>Some people like to sit low in the seat. I do that in my JCW Coupe, although part of that is aligning my vision with the small rear window.
Conversely, most people in SUV’s like to ride higher for the better traffic vision. He is not wearing a sideways hat and slouching so, who knows?</p>
<p>I’m assuming this will be the first mini with only automatic transmission?</p>
<p>There will be both automatic and manuals offered identical to the Clubman.</p>
<p>I am concerned with all Mini’s getting larger and heavier. It is not unreasonable for the SUV version but at what point is a Mini no longer mini? This is a trend with all car brands and I think part of the reason BMW had to insert new lineups under the old 3-series. The 3 series is as large or larger than the old 5-series. The new F-model Mini’s are approaching normal car sizes. As a fellow Mini club member and I were standing with arms crossed and heads cocked to the side I asked him, “What do you think of the new styling?”. He was silent for a few seconds and then said in a neutral tone, “It’s starting to look like…a…car.”. I think Mini’s number one asset is it’s unique style and the message it sends. If it loses that then it’s price point will cause it to lose to other competitors or people like me will pay a few bucks more and just get a beemer.</p>
<p>This is how it always has been in cars…. People bond to a brand or model, then they get older and want more “features” or space for kids or a growing backside. They SAY that they want the same small car, but then they don’t buy it because it isn’t what they really are willing to buy. All car makers struggle with this, some better than others.</p>
<p>Take the ULK platform, for example. It will deliver a more rigid chassis, and the engineering costs will be spread over more actual sales. This is good for the price of each car. But the downside is that the ULK mission is more than just mini MINIs, so we get a bit bigger, and heavier car.</p>
<p>It’s a bit of a false premise to insist on the same car, just more modern, as the R50/R53. It just can’t be done at any price point that makes sense. The more realistic question is would you rather have the MINI brand continue, with the growth in size that the unit sales volume increase demands, or not have MINI as a viable brand at all. I know this sounds pretty negative, but that’s just the way it is. The only way to do otherwise is to be a true boutique car that has a price point to justify poor economies of scale, and that would make todays MINIs, of whatever size, prohibitively expensive for all but the few who can afford what they want no matter the price or practicality.</p>
<p>You are spot on in saying that BMW needed the 1/2 series because of the bloat of the 3 series (I never thought it was the rebirth of the 2002, it was the rebirth of the original 320i, with a lot more power).</p>
<p>But all is not lost, if MINI means what it says about purity of essence (or whatever marketing phrase they are using to describe getting rid of fluff to focus on function), maybe we will see lots of the over the top design queues that have plagued MINI design from day one fall to the wayside. The 2 door hatch is still a very small car, with an exceptional chassis. That is the essence of a MINI, and it still is in the cars today.</p>
<p>I hope for the best, but fear for the worst. Over all the time I’ve been involved in the new MINIs (since the middle of 2002), they have done pretty well, all things considered. Yes, I think the R50 was the best looking, most clean design of them all, but I also acknowledge that the new cars are compelling in terms of performance and efficiency, and price points are still pretty good, all things considered. My dream MINIs would be the new cars in R50/53 clothing. But I know I won’t get it. Too bad, I think they’d sell well.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what I think about the new Cubman and Countryman. I’m not happy about the weight gain, but I was never a fan of the Countryman driving dynamics. Bu the ULK should really improve the chassis dynamics, and that’s a good thing. A couple days ago, I was flogging our 08 clubman in the local hills to the point of brake fade. I will miss the smaller Clubman, no doubt, but I won’t miss the build quality at all.</p>