Mini Crossover: Insiders Reveal New Details & Frankfurt Unveiling Plans

Mini Crossman SUV Winter Testing Spy Photo

By Thami Masemola
January 29, 2009 9:00 PM
Filed Under: Frankfurt Motor Show, German, MINI

Bosses at MINI have told the folks at InsideLine that the brand's first 4x4 vehicle has been approved for production. According to Dr Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President of MINI Brand Management, the MINI Crossover was given the nod only a month after being shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. That was thanks in part to positive public feedback. Before then it had been spied testing.

The fourth body style from the current MINI range is able to carry four adult passengers and go over higher obstacles than the hatch and Clubman. The Crossman will be up to 4 metres (157.5 inches) long and feature an interior that uses space innovatively. As per MINI's founding requirement it should still be able to handle like a go-kart as well.

The MINI SUV will be offered as front-wheel-drive first then later a version of BMW's all-wheel-drive system, xDrive. The car will look different from the Paris concept but will retain its MINI character. Driving the wheels will be the usual 1.6-litre petrol engines plus the diesel as well as a possible future 1.6 twin-turbo. However a JCW model is not being considered for the Crossover.

A production-ready example is scheduled to be shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The speculated price for a MINI Crossover S is about US$34,000 (€26,000).

Source: insideline

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Tags: MINI spy, Crossman, MINI Crossover, Crossman rendering

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Comments

4u2p

January 29, 2009 10:51 PM

Yeah its a crossover allright. Between Skoda Fabia and something out of Scion, with a hint of Fiat Panda on the c-pillar.

Max_Speed

January 29, 2009 11:00 PM

They should have stayed with the Copper.

4u2p

January 29, 2009 11:04 PM

Yeah, I mean I dont blame them, they are just trying to capitalize a good idea, but do it with style, not like this.

BabyMilo

January 30, 2009 1:05 AM

i think it looks abit london taxi-ish, but my overall opinion is bad, the clubman was fine that is a cool car but this just doesnt look like it.

Snark21883

January 30, 2009 1:07 AM

I think it's a great idea. Small Mini-branded SUVs have existed before. Even if they hadn't, a compact vehicle capable of taking on just about any road surface while getting around 30-33mpg highway makes a great deal of sense - plenty of outdoorsy people (bikers, hikers, kayakers, campers) need allroad capability but also don't want or need a large SUV. Few options exist if you need/want ground clearance but find high fuel consumption unacceptable. Not a single compact SUV sold in the US gets 30mpg highway without a hybrid system.

MINI has always been about providing a car that's smaller and lighter than its competition while providing exactly what its owners need, so I don't see any branding problem with this either. It's also smaller than a Golf in every dimension but height, so it'll be pretty tidy.

Edited by user on January 30, 2009 at 1:10 AM

Bristol411S3

January 30, 2009 2:32 AM

"Small Mini-branded SUVs have existed before"

Really? What were they then?

I am not sure the Mini Moke counts as an SUV...

The BMW MINI has even less in common with the original Mini now.

Edited by user on January 30, 2009 at 2:37 AM

Snark21883

January 30, 2009 2:38 AM

The Moke, of course - which doesn't count as an SUV, just as this lifted C-segment hatch doesn't.

As for having something in common with the original Mini - what exactly do you propose bringing back that the original MINI had but the current ones don't? These are small, fun to drive, and efficient without being a penalty box. They use space well and are good for urbanites. What else was the old Mini? What else do you really want to bring back - the tin-can structural soundness, shitty engine, or the ride that makes your kidneys hurt. Of course MINIs aren't as small as the original - if that bothers you so much, wait two years and buy the Smart-class MINI that's coming out then.

Edited by user on January 30, 2009 at 2:45 AM

Bristol411S3

January 30, 2009 10:56 AM

I had a MINI Cooper S for 5 years and loved it. It was, of course, very different to the original Mini, but in many ways just the same, especially with its agility and kart-like handling. I can't see either of these attributes being easy to take into a SUV.

Whatever the original Mini was, it did its job very well. It was VERY fit for purpose. Arguably, the new MINI is very fit for purpose too in the modern climate. I just can't see the SUV fitting the same bill.

Edited by user on January 30, 2009 at 11:37 AM

Snark21883

January 30, 2009 6:24 PM

That's probably because you're not one of the people I was talking about in my first post.

"plenty of outdoorsy people (bikers, hikers, kayakers, campers) need allroad capability but also don't want or need a large SUV. Few options exist if you need/want ground clearance but find high fuel consumption unacceptable. Not a single compact SUV sold in the US gets 30mpg highway without a hybrid system."

There are a lot of folks for whom a very compact vehicle with good gas mileage and ground clearance, that's still very fun to drive for its class, is fit for purpose far more than a two-door hatch. It's not like this is a Suburban, it's the size of a Golf - still a size class that's very easy to make agile. And these days, even proper SUVs can handle well.

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