2012 Mini Cooper Countryman S All4 Hatchback 4-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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2021 Mini Countryman spied wearing a subtle change of clothes

Mini isn’t taking its crossover lineup anywhere but forward these days, and a facelift for the tall Countryman appears to be next in line. We got details for the hot JCW version of the Countryman a couple of months back, but a mid-cycle refresh is on the docket for the regular version now. Spy photos of the refreshed Countryman show all the exterior changes will be coming to the front and rear portions of the car. Everything else about the long and wide Mini is staying the same, but we could see some interior improvements in the name of technology. As for whatÂ’s visible through the camouflage, the Countryman doesnÂ’t appear to be going through anything radical in the front or back. The grille looks like itÂ’s taking on the same shape as the current Countryman. However, a few minor changes to the lower front bumper are noticeable. Mini looks to be changing up the vents/intake design down there. We donÂ’t mind the carÂ’s current design, but this doesnÂ’t seem to be changing much anyway. The most obvious change out back is the carÂ’s taillight design. ItÂ’s a different pattern on the curvy red light element, but itÂ’s not a Union Jack flag. Perhaps Mini will ultimately tack the Union Jack on it, but this prototype doesnÂ’t wear the British pride on its hindquarters.  Perhaps the big takeaway here is more about the lack of changes Mini appears to have in store. WeÂ’ll be hoping the upgrade is heavy on tech and new features rather than actual design changes. The Countryman went through a radical (large) rebirth for the 2017 model year, but hasnÂ’t exactly lit the world on fire with sales since. Last year was the modelÂ’s best year since 2014, but itÂ’s still behind the modelÂ’s all-time best-selling years. WeÂ’ll expect this light refresh to hit us for the 2021 Countryman, so a reveal sometime next year is likely.

Psychology can wipe out 20-25% of your EV's range

There are two primary takeaways from a recent study of electric-vehicle driving habits in Germany. One: an electric vehicle with 25 percent of its battery charge left creates the same reaction in drivers as the fuel needle on "E" in a gas-powered car. Two: familiarity breeds comfort. The study, conducted by Germany's Technische Universitat Chemnitz and funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, put some real numbers on the concept of "range anxiety." According to Green Car Congress, that anxiety truly kicks in when there's less than a quarter of the driving range left on an EV's battery and the study found that a typical car's range is "shortened" by a 20 to 25 percent "psychological safety buffer." If we take the popular Nissan Leaf as an example, the official 84-mile single-charge range is really closer to 63 miles in the head of the driver. The longer the driver spent in the EV, the shorter his mental buffer became. The study was culled from data involving just 79 drivers who tooled around Berlin in Mini E EVs for about six months, collectively putting a quarter-million miles on the electric vehicles. The good news is that the longer the driver spent using the EV, the shorter his mental buffer became, which meant he could comfortably get more miles from the car. So, to all you EV advocates out there, know that once drivers spend some time with an EV, they get more and more used to what the car can do. It's a lesson we've learned before. Just remember that to new EV drivers, the single-charge range is a lot smaller than the one old-timers see.

Mini forgets to bring car to LA, shows Citysurfer concept scooter

See that red thing? It's the Mini Citysurfer Concept. It is not, in case you were wondering, an automobile. Yet despite this apparent shortcoming, Mini has placed it on a plinth at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The electric scooter weighs in at 40 pounds, can hit 15 miles per hour, cover 10 to 15 miles and can be folded up and charged in the trunk of a Mini Cooper (or any other vehicle with a 12-volt outlet and a roomy enough cargo area). According to the British marque, these qualities will give the scooter's owner the "spontaneous and convenient mobility even in those sections of an urban area not accessible to motorized vehicles."
It's not terribly difficult to see the appeal, as Mini explains it. With urban congestion becoming an increasingly serious problem - and some cities beginning to ban cars outright - the idea of an easy to charge and easy to stow runabout is extremely attractive. That's doubly true in the case of the Citysurfer, which is rather well equipped, as far as scooters go.