2011 Mini Countryman
When you take a first look at the new 2011 Countryman, there’s no doubt it’s a Mini. Same upright windshield. Same short hood. Same shape to the headlights. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll see that it’s an all-new car that rides a little higher than a standard Mini. Moreover, it’s quite a bit larger, with a wheelbase stretched by 5.1 inches and an overall length that has increased by 15.7 inches.
the Countryman will be powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6 liter inline-4 engine with 120 bhp, or a turbocharged 1.6 whose twin-scroll turbocharger bumps output to 180 bhp. BMW, which makes Mini, says the naturally aspirated Countryman will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 10.5 seconds, whereas the turbocharged version is significantly quicker, doing it in 7.6. A 6-speed manual gearbox will be standard; a 6-speed automatic with manual control will be an option.
Perhaps more significant, the Countryman will be available with all-wheel drive, utilizing a system that employs an electro-hydraulic center differential that in normal driving will send up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels, with the ability to send all the torque to the axle with the most grip in extreme conditions.
With its added ride height and available all-wheel drive, the Mini Countryman is essentially a compact crossover vehicle, one step down in size from, say, a BMW X3. But like that BMW, the excellent driving dynamics of the standard Mini will likely be retained. To that end, the Countryman, in both front-drive and awd forms, is fitted with a sport-tuned MacPherson strut front suspension with forged lower control arms and a multilink rear.
please see the next post for the pictures of mini countrymen
