2011 Mini Countryman

Grab yourself a peek at these new images that were just released of the new 2011 MINI Countryman. Many spy photos have been released previously of this car under quite a bit of camouflage, but these are the first images we know of that let you really see what to expect. How do you think it is shaping up so far?

Mini Countryma

2011 Mini Countryman Interior

The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, behind the Ford Model T.

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke — a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper “S” were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through to 1967, although in 1966 the Mini was disqualified after the finish, along with six other British entrants, which included the first four finishing cars, under a questionable ruling that the cars had used an illegal combination of headlamps and spotlights. The original Minis were marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor respectively, until Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969. The Mini was again marketed under the Austin name plate in the 1980s.

The Coupe Concept is instantly recognizable as a Mini from the front, as its hood, headlights and grille are similar to those on a Cooper S. It isn’t until you get to the roof where the Coupe Concept starts to differ from a Cooper; as its name suggests, the concept has the profile of a traditional coupe with its slanted rear window and short rear deck.

Unlike many coupes, though, the Coupe Concept doesn’t have a traditional trunk. You open a liftgate to access the cargo area — just like in the Cooper. The concept has an 8.8-cubic-foot cargo area. That’s larger than the 5.7-cubic-foot space the Cooper has behind its rear seats, but the concept benefits from not having a backseat at all.

The Coupe Concept is powered by the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder from the John Cooper Works edition of the Mini. In the concept, it’s rated at 211 horsepower and 192 pounds-feet of torque.

The Mini Cooper has carved out a niche for itself in the U.S. as a premium hatchback, and a car like the Coupe Concept, if produced, is a smart way for the brand to branch out. It gives shoppers who don’t like the look of a hatchback a reason to consider Mini.