The 2017 MINI Countryman is Days Away – Here’s What We Know
The highly anticipated next generation MINI Countryman will debut in less than two weeks. That’s the word from the inside as MINI gears up for the marketing preview of what will likely be the brand’s most important launch to date. Given this we wanted to round up what we know about MINI’s latest crossover to give you a sneak peek behind the curtain.
When Can I Buy One?
After the 2017 MINI Countryman debuts online it’ll move on to the Frankfurt Motorshow in September. Sales will begin in Europe and the UK in November and December with the US market aiming for January 2017 (similar to the Clubman this year).
What Models Will MINI Launch With?
MINI will launch the Countryman in Cooper and Cooper S models day one with a diesel for European markets following months later. Unlike last time, all variants will be available with all wheel drive.
In the US the launch will consist of the 131 hp Cooper and 189 hp Cooper S – both will be available with All4 all wheel drive and both will be come with a manual transmission as standard.
How Big is This Thing?
The 2017 Countryman isn’t just a refresh but an entirely new car from the ground up. Because of that MINI has taken the time to go back to the drawing board to define a car that better meets the needs of owners. Because of that it’s both wider and longer than before with weight (likely) up slightly. How big is it? We’ve been told it’ll be slightly taller than the current Countryman and slightly longer than the new Clubman. Looking at the data below you can imagine what that would look like.
What’s New?
Everything. Like the Clubman the new Countryman (code-named F60) rides on BMW’s new UKL2 platform. It’s a longer and wider version of the same platform that underpins the F56 and all smaller MINIs. The platform is both lighter and stronger than the previous chassis.
What’s New With All4?
All wheel drive is all about priorities. If traction and safety is a priority over outright performance and efficiency, ALL4 should be paramount. But as we’ll find out, MINI has further reduced those traditional downsides that all wheel drive brings. In fact, performance has a good chance of being on par with the two wheel drive model and the MPG figure will likely only be marginally worse.
This is partially due to the fact that the traditional ALL4 weight penalty has gone down to only 134 lbs with this new revised version. Furthermore, measures for reducing system-related losses and an energy-efficient operating strategy have made MPG loss much less of an issue. But enough of the high level. Let’s talk details.
The system is a major revision to the one that debuted on the R60 Countryman. Power from the front drive to the rear axle is transferred by means of an angular gear (Power Take-Off) on the front differential and a two-part cardan shaft. The central component of the four-wheel drive system is an electro-hydraulically controlled multiple-disk clutch (Hang-On) inside the rear axle drive, which facilitates infinitely variable distribution of torque to the front and rear wheels. The idea is completely invisible engagement resulting in constant traction in any condition.
The angular gear is mounted behind the engine on the automatic transmission and crankcase. The input shaft is a hollow shaft construction and directly connected to the front axle differential. In this way, part of the drive force is transferred from the differential basket to the cardan shaft via the hollow shaft, the crown wheel and the pinion shaft. The angular gear operates at a fixed gear ratio (1:1.74) and is permanently engaged, meaning that the cardan shaft always rotates when the vehicle is driven. Reversal of transmission takes place in the rear axle drive so that the front and rear axle drive shafts both rotate at exactly the same speed.
The multiple-disk clutch located in the rear axle drive (Hang-On) directs a proportion of torque to the rear wheels according to each driving situation, ensuring optimal power distribution between the front and rear. In extreme cases (e.g. the front wheels are standing on ice), the ratio can be 0:100. In order to ensure maximum positioning accuracy, run-in behaviour and temperature influences are independently compensated, the system constantly adapting to ever changing operating conditions. We told you this is an improvement.
As before, when extra traction isn’t required the ALL4 system reverts to front wheel drive improving efficiency. In order to make use of additional saving potentials, the system has a multiple-disk clutch with a spring-loaded Efficient valve, which lowers the oil level in the clutch and significantly reduces friction losses (oil splash losses). When required, the system takes only a fraction of a second to build up maximum operating pressure in the Efficient mode and thus deliver maximum torque to the rear wheels. As you’d expect this all happens without loss in traction or any discernible change in the drivetrain.
Due to the DSC controlling everything, wheel slip can be detected at an early stage. In an example where a Countryman threatens to drift outwards over the front wheels (understeer), increased tractive force is supplied to the rear axle, allowing the vehicle to turn in more accurately. On the other hand, ALL4 directs excess force to the front wheels, should the rear of the vehicle threaten to swerve outwards. As a result, maximum four-wheel performance is available even before slippage occurs. Put simply, the updated system not only ensures best possible traction and safety in wet or snowy road conditions, but also enhances vehicle stability, cornering dynamics and ride comfort. Further, in driving situations where the interconnection of all four wheels is disadvantageous – i.e. in an emergency stop – the system opens the multiple-disk clutch completely within milliseconds.
The Countryman Diesel (US Spec)
A Diesel in the US. We know. You’re wondering how we can be so confident about the US finally getting a diesel MINI when MINI USA has either shown ambivalence or pulled plug on the program in the past. Six years ago the US was on the verge of getting an R56 diesel. However due to the global economy meltdown the business case just didn’t make sense. However this time things are different. The UKL platform from the beginning has been designed to accommodate the urea tank required for US diesels making modifications less expensive. Then there’s the increased interest in higher MPG and diesel in the US that are both consumer cost (never mind the currently low fuel prices) and legislation driven.
So what diesel MINI will the US get? We believe MINI is planning to bring the Countryman SD for 2017 or 2018 model year. What’s the SD? Simply put it’s a diesel Cooper S drivetrain that produces 168bhp at 4000rpm and 266lb ft lbs at 1500rpm. MPG? That’s where things get really interesting.
The Cooper SD is rated at 70 mpg combined in the UK. In US MPG figures that’s 59 mpg. While the UK testing procedures are a little less stringent, that’s still an incredible number that would do more than just raise eyebrows for the US buying public concerned with efficiency.
The Countryman Plugin Hybrid All4
We initially had been led to believe the hybrid would be available on both the Clubman and Countryman. However if MINI is forced to choose one vehicle (due to costs) there’s a very good chance that choice will be the Countryman. Traditionally MINI’s volume seller within the larger offerings, the Countryman seems like a safer bet than the wagon-esque Clubman.
The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer plug-in hybrid fuses BMW eDrive with a model-specific form of power transmission – based on the front-drive of the standard BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. The 1.5-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo engine generates an output of 100 kW/136 hp together with a peak torque of 220 Nm (162 lb-ft), with power relayed to the front wheels via a six-speed Steptronic transmission. The additional high- voltage generator on the front axle fulfils three different tasks: it boosts the combustion engine for brief periods with extra output of up to 15 kW and some 150 Nm (111 lb-ft) from rest, generates electric power while on the move (which is fed directly to the high-voltage battery), and enables the engine to be started and turned off very smoothly thanks to its higher output compared to conventional starters. The electric motor is located above the rear axle, together with its two-speed transmission and the power electronics. It sends output of up to 65 kW/88 hp and maximum torque of 165 Nm (122 lb-ft) through the rear wheels.
If that equation sounds familiar that’s because it’s basically a less potent version of the same drivetrain found in the BMW i8 hybrid Supercar.
As with the BMW i8, the intelligent drivetrain management and networking with the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system ensure safe and supremely assured handling characteristics at all times, together with optimised traction, highly dynamic acceleration and cornering, and maximum efficiency.
The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer plug-in hybrid prototype accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in around 6.5 seconds. Its average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle for plug-in hybrid vehicles will be approximately two litres per 100 kilometres, which equates to CO2 emissions of under 50 grams per kilometre. The range on electric power alone as measured in the EU test cycle will be 38 kilometers.
When Sport mode is selected with the Driving Experience Control switch, on the other hand, the combustion engine and electric motor operate in unison and are geared toward a sporty driving style. The high-voltage generator provides a boost effect at low engine revs and generates electricity that is stored directly in the high-voltage battery up to a charge level of around 50 percent.
Unlike the other BMW Plugin Hybrids, the capacity of the main load compartment in the Countryman plug-in hybrid prototype is identical to that of its conventional siblings. And there is still a storage compartment underneath the load compartment floor, as well.
When will we see a hybrid? Based on sources we expect to see it sometime in 2017 or 2018.
<p>wider, longer, taller and heavier than the outgoing model…. sad.</p>
<p>Blame the buying public.</p>
<p>based on what, though? I see quite a lot of Countrymen around here and there isn’t even a local MINI dealer (the nearest is about 100 miles away). I certainly see far more Countrymen (Countrymans?) than, say, 4-door Coopers.</p>
<p>Have they polled all the current Countryman owners and learned they are all dissatisfied with the current sized vehicle? Or are they just sticking their finger in the wind and guessing?</p>
<p>You just answered your own question… If the market wanted the smaller car there would be more 4-door Coopers than Countryman in your area.</p>
<p>Yes the Countryman has been out longer than the 4-door, but the uptake on the 4-door doesn’t appear to be as fast as the Countryman…</p>
<p>Contrary to popular opinion, MINI rarely just makes decisions by tossing a dart at the dart board… They’ve got the sales numbers and other market research data that we just guess about…</p>
<p>Just because American drivers favor the slightly larger Countryman to the 4-door Cooper doesn’t mean that they want their Countryman to be bigger. Maybe they find it “just right” (as CA-MINI apparently does, in his post below). I also see more 2-door Coopers than 4-door Coopers, but that doesn’t mean most people only want 2 doors, it just means that the segment of the market to whom a little Cooper appeals to prefer 2 doors. If we deduce from Countrymans being more popular than 4-door Coopers that everyone wants a bigger car, then reductio ad absurdum MINI should make the F60 the size of an escalade, so that it’s bigger than anything else on the road.</p>
<p>I think CA-MINI brings up some interesting points about what the Countryman is competing with — right now it kind of sits alone in the marketplace as a very small, upscale crossover SUV, with (slightly) sportier driving dynamics than stuff like the VW Tiguan etc. If they make it larger but less fun to drive they are going to find themselves in competition with more and more generic crossover SUVs with less to differentiate themselves from the competition besides the higher price tag.</p>
<p>Thank you Patrick W. for following on one of my thoughts–I agree with your conclusion. In recognition of MichaelB’s point I am absolutely sure BMW/MINI are following various marketing research to maximize sales and market acceptance. I also saw Gabe’s comment–“Blame the buyers” Both comments bring me to question the basic wisdom of “chasing market share/sales vs. compromising your brand”. At what point does MINI become a badge engineered small BMW?? To me, that is the trajectory that BMW/MINI seems to be on. I believe that most “R” model MINI buyers were taken with a smaller, unique!, more European style, performance, heritage vehicle with ample opportunity for personalization. I admit that customer pool is not enormous in the US, however I would counter that if you produce vehicles that compete in the mainstream and appeal to the broad customer base, you MUST have competitive pricing and exemplary quality to be successful. As much as I love MINI, honestly, they can not claim either of those things. What’s left? A disappointing mainstream vehicle that alienates enthusiasts and fails to grab a majority of non-enthusiast customers. Hope that is not the future</p>
<p>Countryman……the one vehicle in the MINI lineup that’s never been of interest to me. But probably excites dealers the most since it will bring in those looking for a crossover.</p>
<p>I am a current Countryman owner and very satisfied with my current vehicle. I must admit I am very concerned about the description of the F60. I know purists would say even the R60 is too large, but it is still a small vehicle, at least by US standards. It provides the agility, performance and experience that only a smaller car can provide (if properly designed). If the F60 is slightly larger than the new Clubman one has to wonder how it will drive and feel. It is hard to imagine that at that weight and size it has any relation to the MINI driving experience. That is not to say that it won’t be a solid car on it’s own merit, but will it still contain the characteristics or spirit of what a MINI should feel like? I know this is a very common theme, but it certainly is relevant here. A couple of other thoughts for all of you. At the projected size the F60 will be competing against the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, and other modern small crossovers, as well as it’s own cousin the BMW X1–That’s some tough competition. Last observation–MINI sales in US are sagging, but Europe and the rest of the world is doing well. Seems like BMW is sizing the F60 to cater to the US size/market. Will they add some US sales but lose Global sales because the car is now too big for the tastes of the Global market?</p>
<p>The text says slightly taller, but the table shows 4.3″ lower compared to the R60. I hope it is lower.</p>
<p>That’s the current Clubman.</p>
<p>I kind of like the stance and proportions of the camo one. I hope this thing turns out to be somewhat cool with a REAL USABLE backseat … I know … wishful thinking.
You know what took away sales from MINI, at least from what I can tell in NYC, the Jeep Renegade. Its what MINI used to be … fun, quirky, tossable and can be had on the cheap if you don’t want all kinds of tech options. And it’s real offroad capable … with a usable back seat. They are everywhere in NYC.</p>
<p>This article says the new Countryman is less than 2 weeks ago…2 weeks ago. What says you, @gbridger:disqus? You got me all excited.</p>
<p>So it’s been 6 weeks since this post and it promised the reveal of the new Countryman in less than 2 weeks. Any idea when it will happen?</p>