MINI Countryman; Paceman in 2012, WRC Edition

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joey D
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Joey D
Well I think probably current MINI owners who've moved onto a family and still want something fun to drive but can haul the kids and their crap around.

...big-ish...
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I'm not as concerned about the size itself--I love the Suzuki SX4--as I am with the principle behind it. You describe this car as "big-ish". But it's just not. The next time you get aroused, look down. That is how much longer the Countryman is than the Clubman. Tell me, can you fit a suitcase in your pants? No! It's size difference is negligible and the money spent on its development was utterly pointless considering it's still smaller than a Golf. They even named it the Countryman, like it's supposed to be put to work on thousand-acre cattle ranches in Colorado. What a joke! I was fully expecting a small SUV like a Tiguan or something useful. That would be perfectly reasonable coming from Mini. But this thing is just funny.

homeforsummer
Right, so everything smaller than a Golf is a waste of time?
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Absolutely not. But when you hype up the New Big Thing from Mini and it ends up being only very slightly bigger than what they already make and still smaller than its smallest competition it's very humorous to me. Why didn't they just jack up a Clubman?
 
It's actually named after the Countryman from back in the day:

747px-Mini_countryman.jpg


It'll sell by the millions though, but I need to see one in person before I make my final call on it.
 
Joey D
It'll sell by the millions though, but I need to see one in person before I make my final call on it.
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I'm sure it'll sell and that's another reason it drives me nuts. It'll sell despite being stupid and expensive.

It's actually named after the Countryman from back in the day:

747px-Mini_countryman.jpg
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Looks like a Clubman. The modern Countryman hardly has any purpose over the modern Clubman, and that's why I'm complaining. Now, if they didn't make the Clubman I probably wouldn't be so confused, because then it would be sufficiently differentiated from the Cooper line to satisfy me. But it's not, and therefore I'll just sit idly by watching and giggling as people gobble them up, wondering why they didn't buy a cheaper, more usable 5-door Golf instead.

Just to make my point clear, the reason this Countryman is retarded is because the Clubman exists. Get rid of the Clubman and suddenly it makes sense.
 
The Clubman exist to be a slightly bigger Cooper, you can actually sit in the back seats and put stuff in the rear...uhh what do you call the rear part of a not-hatch back? The Clubman drives just like the Cooper in every way except that you can't see out the rear view mirror.

The Countryman is going to sit higher up off the ground, offer AWD and have 5 doors with a back seat that can seat someone comfortably for extended trips plus crap in the back. There is a need for it and MINI is filling a market segment that doesn't really exist in some markets of the world yet...like the US.
 
Joey D
The Clubman exist to be a slightly bigger Cooper, you can actually sit in the back seats and put stuff in the rear...uhh what do you call the rear part of a not-hatch back? The Clubman drives just like the Cooper in every way except that you can't see out the rear view mirror.

The Countryman is going to sit higher up off the ground, offer AWD and have 5 doors with a back seat that can seat someone comfortably for extended trips plus crap in the back. There is a need for it and MINI is filling a market segment that doesn't really exist in some markets of the world yet...like the US.
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I think it's almost guaranteed that Clubman buyers would be very attracted to the Countryman if the Clubman didn't exist. The Clubman drives like a Mini and has back seats, you're right. But the Countryman will drive kind of like a Mini, has back seats, a bit of cargo space, a rear window, and AWD. Let us watch the sales trends of the Clubman after the Countryman comes out and see what happens.
 
Joey D
If VW was smart they'd market the Cross Golf here to compete with the Countryman and the Nissan Puke.
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The CrossPolo (as I recall, the CrossGolf is no longer offered?) would be an interesting addition to the US market, but if I may have a moment of internet honesty... I think I'd actually consider buying a Puke over the Countryman.
 
YSSMAN
The CrossPolo (as I recall, the CrossGolf is no longer offered?) would be an interesting addition to the US market, but if I may have a moment of internet honesty... I think I'd actually consider buying a Puke over the Countryman.
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It appears you are right, I can only find the CrossPolo on the German VW website and something that looks like an egg call der Golf Plus with things like wie sein Plus an Sportlichkeit, an Eleganz und an Funktionalität standard! Wirklich!!!!!

Anyway enough Deutsch.

I don't even mind the Juke's design, it's modern and funky which is cool but I couldn't get past the Nissan badge therefore I could never consider one.
 
Joey D
It appears you are right, I can only find the CrossPolo on the German VW website and something that looks like an egg call der Golf Plus with things like wie sein Plus an Sportlichkeit, an Eleganz und an Funktionalität standard! Wirklich!!!!!.
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Just for gigs I'm going to guess that's a range topper with the sport, luxury, and technology packages. No joke.
 
Keef
Why didn't they just jack up a Clubman?
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That's what I'd call a very good question. The Clubman has a better looking bodyshell all round to begin with (in my opinion at least) so developing new tooling wouldn't have been necessary. Instant higher profits. And the AWD system would probably be just as easy to fit on the Clubman.

I'm not opposed to the idea of the Countryman, having a small car with plenty of ground clearance and AWD is a great one but it seems they're taking the difficult route.
 
Joey: we'll see what the mileage drops too after the US safety equipment is added on.

About the name: do you guys think that there's anyone left alive that's not in a nursing home right now that remembers the difference between Countryman and Clubman...even in Britain. remember, the car market outside of Jag in the US for britan has been dead for now officially thirty years. only collectors on the level of Jay Leno would fuss like that over here.
 
Keef
The next time you get aroused, look down. That is how much longer the Countryman is than the Clubman.
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Must be a pretty big car then...

Absolutely not. But when you hype up the New Big Thing from Mini and it ends up being only very slightly bigger than what they already make and still smaller than its smallest competition it's very humorous to me. Why didn't they just jack up a Clubman?
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Is the Golf really it's competition though? I've no idea where you pulled the Golf from.

I do like the idea of a jacked-up Clubman, possibly more so than the Countryman, but that doesn't make the countryman a bad idea. You're missing some obvious things about the design. Easier rear access, more headroom, more accessible luggage space. The original Mercedes A-Class is shorter than the original Ford Ka, but thanks to extra height and cabin length it has acres more space. The same principle applies with this new MINI.

Keef
Looks like a Clubman. The modern Countryman hardly has any purpose over the modern Clubman, and that's why I'm complaining. Now, if they didn't make the Clubman I probably wouldn't be so confused, because then it would be sufficiently differentiated from the Cooper line to satisfy me. But it's not, and therefore I'll just sit idly by watching and giggling as people gobble them up, wondering why they didn't buy a cheaper, more usable 5-door Golf instead.
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Because, and no offence to Golf owners here, but the Golf is boring as hell. And I would have said "at least it's dependable", but in the States you don't even have German-built ones to fall back on.

I know hatchbacks are like the Second Coming out there but we've had them for years in Europe and trust me, they're nothing special. That's why crossovers small and large are popular, because they aren't Just Another Dull Hatchback. As much as you may dislike the concept behind it or the fact that MINI are branching out a bit, it has a bit of character and a bit of style and people like that.

And I'm confused as to how you can't see the difference between it and a Clubman. It's bigger, taller, gives you more doors, a proper hatch, the option of AWD... it's like the difference between the Scirocco and a Golf.
 
homeforsummer
...gives you more doors, a proper hatch...
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While I don't actually like the Countryman or the idea of it... that much is true... the Clubman's gimmicky suicide door and hatch don't really add anything useful to the package. They could have just created a deeper hatch door for it (a la Honda CR-V... where the hatch door shutline isn't where you expect it to be). The suicide door entry still requires the front passenger to scoot forward if you want to give rear passengers comfortable entry. The Clubman would have been so much better if the fourth and fifth doors were completely conventional... it would have been prettier, too.

homeforsummer
it's like the difference between the Scirocco and a Golf.
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More like the A4 and Q5... think of the skinned face of the old Mini as the new Bini corporate look.

I may change my mind if I see it in person. I already like it better than the Clubman... which, after a ride and drive flog on the track, I don't hate as much, anymore... (I still think the styling is ewww).
 
I Vote this to be Totally Bad-Ass...

500x_mini_wrc_countryman.jpg


She's got a 1.6L Turbo four, massaged by BMW. Bangin' AWD system. Should bring the pain to the new Fiesta WRC and the Citroen DS WRC. I just hope they sell a kitted-up street car like this with the rally lights.
 
Its the most hideous piece of s**t ive ever seen ! the person who designed this mess should run away . ive seen nicer looking alleyways than this :yuck:
 
With a EG6
Its the most hideous piece of s**t ive ever seen ! the person who designed this mess should run away . ive seen nicer looking alleyways than this :yuck:
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It's a race car, it's supposed to go fast, not look pretty.
 
With a EG6
Its the most hideous piece of s**t ive ever seen ! the person who designed this mess should run away . ive seen nicer looking alleyways than this :yuck:
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I'd definitely have picked an alleyway as the analogy in that sentence. Name something ugly. An alleyway. Definitely.

Then again, I'd also have made sure my username was grammatically correct ;) I'm one of those people.
 
Justin
It's a race car, it's supposed to go fast, not look pretty.
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Yeah but the Citreon DS3 WRC car manages to look good and go fast. The probelm here lies with the fact the Mini is ugly to start with.
 
Between the debut of the Fiesta WRC, DS3 WRC and the Countryman WRC... I like the MINI's look, overall, the best. It just looks more like a '90s WRC bomber than one of these new overbaked goodies that have been rolling around lately.

Plus, it's nice to have a new company/car in the mix.
 
I like the way that MINI WRC looks. Sure, race cars aren't supposed to look pretty, but it looks very nice. MINI's corporate strategy looks very promising.
 
Well when you start with an ugly base car you get an ugly racecar. I still think it's badass to the core, but not all that pretty.
 
Joey D
Well when you start with an ugly base car you get an ugly racecar. I still think it's badass to the core, but not all that pretty.
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...and I'm sure that MINI isn't worried what it looks like. More like how it performs...
 
GT_Prologue5
...and I'm sure that MINI isn't worried what it looks like. More like how it performs...
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You're joking right? MINI is one of the most image driven brands in motoring history, to disregard that in the pursuit of competitive racing would be undermining their marketing entirely.

And that's not to say that MINI don't produce capable cars, but when the exterior options are a bigger deal than the engine spec for most customers it's clear where their priorities lie.
 
Oh man this is going to be epic!

Motoring File
MINI Headed to Dakar in 2011

feature_dakar.jpg


The translation is a bit rough, but BigBlogg is reporting that a MINI Countryman sponsored by Monster Energy [drink] and run by the X-raid team will compete in the infamous Dakar Rally desert race through Argentina and Chile come January. According to BigBlogg, the project was approved by BMW back in June and they’re under the gun to get the car ready for the January start. MINI worked with long-time partner Magna Steyr to design the car, which appears to be positioned as the successor to X-raid’s current fleet of BMW X3 desert racers — offering a lower center of gravity and better handling. The best part? Powering this little desert mongrel will be a twin-turbo diesel pushing 310 horsepower and twisting a massive 524 ft/lbs of torque!
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Full press release can be found here: Link
It's a PDF, you've been warned.

Spy video of the prototype can be found here: Link
 
It'll be the first Long-Travel MINI. Actually, that sounds pretty cool...I like the Willman-style double coilover shocks in the artist's impression. XD
 
huh? I thought the Dakar rally was permanently gone because of terrorist problems?
 
Sniffs
huh? I thought the Dakar rally was permanently gone because of terrorist problems?
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The Dakar Rally is now in South America, probably shouldn't be called the Dakar :lol:.
 

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