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Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Mini USA will temporarily stop importing manual transmissions

Emissions certification woes strike again, this time at Mini. The U.S. arm of Blighty's iconic car company has had to temporarily put a stop to importing any models with manual transmissions beginning with July production, which is when BMW typically begins rolling the new model year down assembly lines. According to MotoringFile, calibration testing for the six-speed manual is taking longer than expected. The outlet guesses the interruption will conclude by September, because it has "seen these type of delays in the past and they've lasted from 1-4 months." It has queried the brand's head of communication, who said, "As much as we at MINI USA would like to have a definitive timeline, it would be too early to say." The spokesman did, however, say that Mini remains committed to the manual gearbox. That comes in contrast to Toyota's recent breakdown of manual take-rates across a range of vehicle types, Hyundai jettisoning the manual on the 2020 Elantra, and stalwart enthusiast rides like the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and Chevrolet Corvette leaving the stick-shift fold. Nevertheless, Mini's efforts feel, at best, like raging against the dying of the light, especially because the end of the MF report states, "the other big news is that Mini USA is also eliminating the manual option from some models all-together." MF isn't yet certain about which models are affected, though. Buyers stepping up during the row-your-own intermission will get a crack at the long awaited seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a revised eight-speed automatic. The DCT will slide into the Cooper and Coooper S models, the traditional automatic makes a home in the 301-horsepower John Cooper Works Clubman and Countryman.

2017 Mini Countryman is even bigger and now has a plug-in model

The least mini Mini is getting, um, less mini. Great, now we're done with the "mini" jokes from here on out. The all-new, second-generation Countryman is wider, longer, and rides on a stretched wheelbase. And oh yeah, the plug-in hybrid is the first electrified Mini since the Mini E last seen in 2010. By adding 8.1 inches of length and 1.3 inches to the width, the Countryman is easily the biggest Mini ever built. As a key-carrying fan of Mini's older pint-sized models, this is a disappointment. But the size increases pay dividends in the cabin, making this effectively the first Mini that won't result in assault charges for forcing passengers to ride in the back. The 2.9-inch stretch in the Countryman's wheelbase contributes to a hefty 3.8-inch jump in second-row legroom, and there's around two inches of extra shoulder room in both rows. There's a bump in cargo volume, too. Trunk space increasesby 1.1 cubic feet with the second row up, and 5.4 cubic feet with the back seats folded down. That cargo space is easy to reconfigure, too, with a 40/20/40 split in the seats and up to five inches of fore/aft movement. So yes, the Countryman is an annoyingly large Mini, but it's inarguably the most versatile and family friendly vehicle ever built by the British brand. Whether the overall dimensions please or anger you, everyone can get excited by the changes under the hood. Leading the pack is the first-ever hybrid Mini. Called the Cooper S E Countryman All4, Mini paired its excellent 1.5-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder with a 7.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and an 87-horsepower electric motor for total output of 221 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque, which is enough for a brisk 6.8-second run to 60 miles per hour. Fully charged from the plug on the driver's side front fender, the latest electrified Mini can cover 24 miles at up to 77 miles per hour. We like that kind of balance. But while the Cooper S E Countryman is almost certainly very efficient, there are a few sacrifices. The biggest is the 9.5-gallon fuel tank, which is far smaller than the standard car's 16.1-gallon tank. That's not a problem if you have time to charge regularly, but it will be an annoyance on sustained road trips. Like the BMW X5 xDrive40e, the Countryman PHEV will feature three separate powertrain modes. Auto eDrive leaves things up to the car's computers, Max eDrive forces the car to run on electrical power alone, and Save Battery does exactly what it says.