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At first glance the little hatch above may look like the Infiniti FX. It is actually BMW MINI’s third variant in its line-up of “New MINIs” and it will be an all-wheel drive type of vehicle. MINI will be previewing the upcoming MINI crossover “softroader” SUV (reportedly going to be called the “Crossman”) at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The MINI Crossover Concept rides on a 2606mm wheelbase (longer than the Cooper’s 2466mm and Clubman’s 2547.6mm) and has a conventional four doors with two on each side of the car. The driver’s side has no B-pillar so that particular door is of a sliding type that slides to the rear to open. The rear hatch once again opens with a split in the middle, so I suppose you could call this a 6-door hatchback? The focus of the interior is the “MINI Centre Globe” which is installed in the place of where you’d typically expect the giant speedometer to be. The 3D sphere uses laser projection to display two different views if viewed from different positions. This allo...

MINI Countryman details and gallery released! January 20, 2010 at 8:32 pm by Danny Tan · Filed under BMW , Cars , International News Earlier we posted up three leaked images of the MINI Countryman ; now BMW has released full information and a complete gallery of the MINI brand’s fourth model. The Countryman crossover is MINI’s first four-door and first four-wheel drive vehicle – ALL4 all-wheel drive is an option. But don’t worry, the brand’s famed “go-kart feeling” is retained, BMW claims. A choice of three petrol and two diesel engines are available, all Euro 5 compliant. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine in the Cooper S combines fully variable valve management (Valvetronic) with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct fuel injection for the first time, making 184 bhp and 240 Nm (260 Nm on overboost). 0-100 km/h is done in 7.6 seconds while top speed is 215 km/h. The 122 bhp/160 Nm naturally aspirated engine in the Cooper is good for ...