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Not Too Odd, Not Too Maxi. Is This Mini Just Right?
We recently got our first time behind the wheel of the latest iteration of the Mini Countryman, the 215-horsepower John Cooper Works model, and were left less than enthused despite the inherent fun factor that a JCW badge brings. Our time with the crossover suggests the Countryman is just too weighty and soft to properly wear the badge.
We have also spent loads of time in various Mini Clubman trims and, despite the oddity of its configuration, this model may be our overall favorite in the current Mini lineup. But it is decidedly not a volume seller, which Mini needs.

2021 Mini Countryman gets a light update inside and out

Well that didn't take long. We got a glimpse of the refreshed 2021 Mini Countryman last week, and now it has been fully revealed. Sure enough, it's a light makeover of the current model, bringing it up to date with the rest of the lineup. The major changes to the Countryman are on the exterior. The front and rear bumpers have been thoroughly redesigned. At the front, there's only one main grille opening, flanked by small slots at either end. The round foglights sit on each side of the grille as part of a black plastic surround. The rear bumper is now entirely body color, and can feature a prominent skid plate-style panel. The 2021 Countryman also gets standard LED headlights, fog lights and taillights. The latter now have the Union Jack design shared with every other Mini model. The S models have a new mesh grille, too. Two new exterior colors have been added, White Silver and Sage Green, as has a Piano Black exterior trim that colors all the chrome on the outside in black. Inside, the Countryman gets a revamped center display surround with touch-sensitive shortcut buttons and flush fitting hazard light and driver aid buttons. A version of the Mini Cooper SE electric car's instruments with 5-inch display is now an option. Two new interior leather colors are added, Indigo Blue and Malt Brown, both of which have their colors extended to the lower plastics on the doors and dash. Mechanically, the Countryman is carryover. The base Cooper gets a 134-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder. The Cooper S gets a 189-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder. The John Cooper Works gets 301 horsepower from a turbo four-cylinder. The Cooper SE plug-in hybrid combines the three-cylinder with an electric motor to get 224 horsepower. Range and fuel economy for the latter hasn't officially been announced, but it's likely to match the current model's 18-mile range and 29 mpg combined fuel economy for gas only. The Cooper and Cooper S are available with front-wheel drive and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission or all-wheel drive with an 8-speed automatic. The John Cooper Works comes only with all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic, while the hybrid comes with all-wheel-drive and a 6-speed automatic. The updated Mini Countryman is expected to go on sale this summer. Pricing and fuel economy will be available closer to the on-sale date. Related Video:

Next-generation Mini Cooper electric car caught in spy photos

Though the current generation of Mini Hardtop just got a refresh, it seems a new generation is around the corner. That new model appears in the spy photos above, and in electric form no less. At first glance, it doesn't look very different, but there are many small changes that add up to make it distinctly its own. At the front, the headlights appear to be more circular than the slightly ovoid units of the current model. They look as though they wrap a little more around the fenders, too. The grille appears to be enlarged a bit to match the bigger headlights, and the changes give the car even more of a cute, wide-eyed appearance than before. Other interesting things to note are that the hood scoop may be going away, as the one on this car is a fake. The hood cut lines also seem to go through to the wheel arches. Other subtle changes are revealed in profile. The front overhang looks slightly reduced, and the windshield looks more raked. Part of that appears to be because of the base being moved slightly forward. Not only has the windshield become more raked, so has the rear window. It's hidden by the newly added aerodynamic fairings below the rear spoiler. Finally, we can see the chrome, refrigerator-style door grab handles are gone in favor of more flush-fitting handles, and the charging door has changed sides to the left of the car. The back doesn't reveal much unusual, but the taillights have more square-like proportions, and they seem to fit more flushly to the body. There also appear to be some cut lines through the taillight area, so there may be more going on under the camouflage than we can see right now. We also get a small glimpse of the interior. It looks like there's a wide screen across much of the dash. It's in keeping with current car design trends, but is a major departure from the retro-inspired design of past Minis. The prototype we see here looks pretty far along in development. With that in mind, along with recent reports, the new model may be launched in 2023. It will likely be accompanied by gas-powered versions, since 2025 is the cut-off date for the last new gas-powered Mini option, and 2030 is the point where the brand will be fully electric. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.