2003 Mini Cooper Base Hatchback 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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2023 Mini Countryman PHEV could pack 322 horsepower

After having seen the 2023 Mini Countryman in spy shots late last year, we knew the brand known for diminutive was going to step up a weight class. A report in Autocar says the hatch will grow by an estimated eight inches or so, to about 178 inches — just three short of the Toyota RAV4. The report claims as well that not only will the 2023 Countryman be the longest Mini out there, but the most powerful. Word is BMW plans to apply the same PHEV powertrain as in the 2 Series Active Tourer, which combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with a 174-horsepower electric motor, producing a combined 322 horsepower and 353 pound-feet of torque. Such potency would put the coming Countryman beyond today's Countryman Cooper S E All4 banging out 221 hp and 284 lb-ft, and 21 ponies past the Countryman John Cooper Works. A battery with 14.2 kWh of usable juice, borrowed from the 230e xDrive, would make a healthy extension to the 18-mile all-electric range provided by the current Mini's 9.6-kWh battery. By increasing the vehicle's dimensions, Mini might be able to retain the 9.5-gallon gas tank in today's Countryman PHEV, despite the larger battery. Five more powertrains are said to complete the lineup, three of which might come here bringing 30 extra ponies over the present choices. The first is a less potent PHEV will be tuned to 241 hp., which might or might not make it Stateside. The next two could replace the engines already offered here. There's a a 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder with 168-hp, trumping the 134-hp three-cylinder on offer now, and a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 215 hp, outdoing the 189-hp in today's 2.0-liter. Both of those are aided by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Other markets that still enjoy diesel grunt can take advantage of a 2.0-liter oil burner. And the evolved UKL1 architecture shared with the X1 and X2 will produce a battery-electric Mini, which we'd expect to get U.S. papers at some point.  Spy shooters have caught a prototype fitted with a beefy rear hatch spoiler, large rims, and quad pipes, so there will be some kind of performance option. However, we don't know if that prototype was the PHEV, nor whether Mini plans to put the JCW moniker on the most powerful PHEV. With Mini having already announced changes for the U.S. 2023-model-year lineup, it's not clear when the new generation will debut here.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Mini Art Beat is a loud, driving social media billboard

Video billboards are nothing new, but a video on a moving car that's blaring music? Now that's something that will catch your attention - especially if you're driving alongside it in the streets of London.
That's the exact intent of Mini's new Art Beat, a Cooper Countryman turned marketing device that is custom-fitted with a staggering 48,000 LEDs. On its nightly drives through the city, the compact crossover showcases brightly colored videos, graphics and animations contributed by people around the world via social media. The Mini Space Blog describes the Art Beat as the "most vibrant and customizable NOT NORMAL ride you'll ever lay eyes on."

The 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP is overwrought and automatic

As we’ve said many, many times before: Nurburgring times are not the measuring stick automakers hold them out to be. They donÂ’t happen under controlled circumstances with independent observers and bone-stock cars, generally. So that makes the new 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GPÂ’s exact time – which BMW officially fudges as “under 8 minutes” and which spy shots peg at 7:56.69 – fairly meaningless. WhatÂ’s not meaningless are the optics. Regardless of whether others cheat, that time isnÂ’t particularly impressive, behind the likes of the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R, the Honda Civic Type R, and the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport. LetÂ’s say, hypothetically, that all of those faster ‘Ring runners were Â… ringers. Maybe the Mini isnÂ’t. But strip away this stopwatch discussion and what remains is perhaps even more controversial. The John Cooper Works GP is a busy little thing, be-winged and spackled with GP decals and red accents and unusual overfenders. And itÂ’s an automatic – no manual here. Certainly all this will excite some, but itÂ’s bound to create some controversy for its sheer audaciousness. LetÂ’s start with the styling. Deep, bright red accents abound, looking almost like enamel. The trim is otherwise darkened, even the badging. That large split wing above the rear hatch has a distinct sci-fi vibe, like it was ripped off the concept art for a 2042 fusion-powered race car. Whether it meshes with the loosely-defined retro vibe of the underlying Mini Cooper is up to you. The most striking exterior element is the overfender treatment. TheyÂ’re a combination of a plastic understructure and a chopped carbon fiber material cap with a hexagonal seam motif. In pictures, it looks a bit like fiberboard – probably not the look Mini was going for. The panels stand proud of the fenders, too, especially at the top seam. If weÂ’re being generous, they look quite bold. But it seems that this element will live or die on how it appears in the flesh, so weÂ’ll wait until then to analyze it more. The styling is going to create some polarization, and so too will the mechanical spec and performance numbers. The turbo inline-four makes 301 horsepower – respectable, sure, but not outlandish. The 0-60 time is off the pace compared to the superlative Civic Type R, which clocks a 4.7-second run according to Car and Driver (Honda is mum on 0-60 times, by the way). The GP? 5.0 seconds. Good, but not the best – just like its claimed ‘Ring time.