Has anyone else seen the new Mini Countryman?

[eshrules]

A quick Google shows a rumour that Prodrive are working on a WRC version, so if their tech finds it's way onto a consumer Countryman then it will end up being quite tasty...

I sense that's all it may ever be, why would prodrive want to WRC a plastic clubman? I've not driven one, but I wouldn't have thought that the mini chassis would lend itself to adopting WRC tech?

[circuitmonkey]

at least it has rear doors on both sides and isn't trying to kill English kids anymore

[Knoxville]

I sense that's all it may ever be, why would prodrive want to WRC a plastic clubman? I've not driven one, but I wouldn't have thought that the mini chassis would lend itself to adopting WRC tech?

Maybe, but S2000 cars are set to take over from the WRC cars we know now by around 2011 as I understand it and the Mini could be very well suited to that with Prodrive in charge of the project. If we do see one though I'd expect it to be a normal Mini, not a Clubman or a Countryman as the rumour was around well before those cars were anything more than concepts.

[dave87]

If I were spending £xx,xxx on a mini, it wouldn't be a four door, soft road pretender of a thing, but I presume I'm not the target market.

Irritatingly, and I did look at Minis before I bought my car, they kept changing things over the life of the car (not always for the better) and they commanded a stupid premium over what I thought they should be worth - iTax? Mini badge tax is equally as bad.

That said, I was tempted by a Mini Cooper S, with some JCW goodies - but the insurance company definitely did not like that idea.

[slugs]

i really really don't like the look of that car!