Mini Countryman: 2010 Geneva Auto Show

LONDON — Mini's new five-door, five-seater Countryman crossover is surprisingly spacious, Inside Line has learned after getting an exclusive look at the vehicle. The Countryman will make its official debut next month at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show and will go on sale in the U.S. in 2011.

BMW is targeting the Countryman at such hatchbacks as the Volkswagen Golf, Mazda 3 and Toyota Matrix as well as crossovers including the Honda Element, Suzuki SX4 and VW Tiguan, although these are all bigger than the crossbreeds that the Countryman will do battle with in Europe.

BMW believes the Countryman will significantly widen the appeal of the Mini brand by providing the space and convenience to satisfy family-car buyers for the first time. Its loftier ride height and bulkier body may also tempt those who consider the standard Mini too small.

The big surprise, literally, is that this is a much larger car than you might expect, being substantially longer, taller and wider than the standard Mini hatch. So it's not very Mini-like sizewise, but absolutely recognizable in styling despite a hood that looks much squarer when viewed from the side, and the fact that it has four conventionally hinged doors — a configuration no Mini has previously offered.

They open wide onto an interior that's again familiar-looking, the traditional circular speedometer dominating what is nevertheless a unique dashboard. Most of the trim is notable for its high style and quality. The most striking interior feature is a twin-track rail that runs over the top of the transmission tunnel to the rear seats, or between a pair of rear seats if you order the Countryman with four individual chairs rather than a back-bench-carrying trio. The rail carries the front-seat center armrest and can be optionally equipped with cupholders, sunglass grips, iPod mounts, a fold-out table for the rear, phone cradles and more, and it's electrified so that your gadget will recharge. Ingenious, even if the base of the rail track looks like a bit of a dirt trap.

Another intriguing feature is a hand brake shaped like the throttle handle of an aircraft, which snakes its way past that center rail.

Something of a novelty, for those already familiar with the Mini, is a trunk big enough to be usable even with the sliding, reclining backseats in their rearmost position, and a lot of space with them dropped down, although they don't fold flat.

Despite its extra bulk — a Countryman weighs around 275 pounds more than a hatch — Mini is claiming the crossover still has the "go-kart handling" of its smaller models, promising quick steering and limited roll.

You can also order all Cooper versions of the Countryman with four-wheel drive, which is called All4. Most of the time it's only the front wheels that are driven, but when a front wheel slips, drive is rapidly directed to the rear wheels by a quick-acting hydraulic clutch. The rear axle also turns active if the Mini is driven with more enthusiasm; its yaw, accelerator, steering wheel angle and cornering force sensors prompt more torque to be sent to the back wheels for improved handling balance.

Mini is also claiming modest off-roading ability for the Countryman as a result of its raised ride height, aided by a dynamic stability control system configured for slippery conditions. There are three 1.6-liter engines: 98 and 112 horsepower and a 184-hp turbo.

The Countryman rides on an all-new platform and will be built at Magna Steyr's Graz plant in Austria rather than at Mini's Oxford factory in the U.K., as the British plant lacks the capacity to build this additional model. The suspension layout — MacPherson struts up front, multilink at the rear — is carried over from the smaller car despite the new platform, but the suspension is modified to deal with the additional weight. There's some speculation that this new platform could spawn a more SUV-like version of the Mini, with tougher-looking styling and heightened off-road capability.

Standard equipment — for Europe, at least — includes 16-inch wheels, roof rails, rear parking sensors, air conditioning, an alarm, the interior rail, bike rack preparation, a basic Bluetooth setup and a high-grade stereo with a central bass speaker and a digital radio as standard, which Mini says is an above-average specification for the class.

Cooper S versions are identified by unique front and rear bumpers and a horizontal body-color bar at the base of the honeycomb pattern grille, while Coopers get horizontal chrome slatted grilles.

Inside Line says: The Countryman makes more of a maxi of this Mini and brings it closer in size to mainstream models. It's a credible stretch of the Mini concept. — Richard Bremner, Correspondent