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Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid out for a snowy stroll

When Mini launched the Countryman in 2010, it emerged as the brand's first all-wheel-drive model. Now there's a new Countryman on the way, and it's also set to mark a Mini first by incorporating not just a mild hybrid system, but a plug-in hybrid powertrain. And that's just what we're looking at here. How do we know this prototype is packing a hybrid powertrain, you ask? A fair question, and we'll tell you: because the manufacturer chose to mark "Hybrid Test Vehicle" on the door. And because parent company BMW is already known to be working on a PHEV system for the 2 Series Active Tourer on which the new Mini crossover will be based, it's fairly safe to say it won't be developing a separate system for the Countryman. Expect the hybrid mega-Mini to combine a 1.5-liter inline-three driving 136 horsepower to the front wheels, and an electric motor good for another 102 hp on the rear wheels for through-the-road all-wheel drive and a combined output of nearly 240 hp. That's more than even the John Cooper Works performance model has offered. Scope out the spy shots in the gallery above, where you'll also find an interior shot of a conventional next-gen Countryman.

Mini Superleggera Vision is the all-electric roadster Mini needs to make

It could be argued that Mini has not built a pretty car since the R53, the first of the reborn Minis, was put out to pasture at the end of 2006. I've owned two R53s, so yes, I'm horribly biased. The styling situation in Oxford hasn't improved much for 2014, either, as the bigger, more frightened-looking Mini begins to arrive in dealerships, boasting a very un-Mini-like front overhang. This, though, this works.
It's called the Superleggera Vision, and straight away, we should point out that it's not designed by Mini. It's a product of Touring Superleggera, whose other creations include the stunning Disco Volante. It's a darn nice piece of design, and we're especially fond of its tiny, Jaguar D-type-like rear fin. It's also perfectly designed for it's debut location - the Concours d'Elegance at Italy's Villa d'Este.
Despite being a Mini, the Superleggera still boasts a traditional roadster layout, with a long hood and a shorter rear deck. The front end boasts a pair of traditionally styled Mini headlamps, which sit above a version of the new Cooper's gaping grille. The profile is brightened by a pair of character lines, the most noticeable of which runs from ahead and over the front wheel wells toward the back of the diminutive droptop. Of course, we can't not mention that amazing fin. It should be fitted to every Mini Roadster posthaste. The rear of the car, meanwhile, almost reminds us of an old Aston Martin Vanquish, thanks to the shape of its taillights and their rounded rectangular enclosure. And yes, those are union jacks inside the taillights. God save the queen.

Mini Cooper Countryman only small car to earn good grade in latest IIHS crash tests [w/video]

Competitors in the small-car segment didn't do nearly as well. Four vehicles earned "poor" grades.
Only one small car out of 12 tested earned a good grade in the latest round of crash-test results compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Mini Cooper Countryman received a "good" ranking on the organization's small-front overlap test.