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Mini hops on the rooftop tent craze

Among the many changes ushered in by the pandemic year, has been an explosion in the popularity of camping. But even more so than camping trailers and RVs, rooftop automobile tents seem to be having their moment. Everyone, it seems, suddenly wants to sleep on the roof of their car. Most often, we see these tents perched atop some tricked-out overlanding rig or at the very least, a factory offroader like the Land Rover Defender or Ford Bronco. But how about a more earth-friendly option? Like, say, getting back to nature in a battery-powered Mini? Both the battery-powered Mini Cooper SE and the plug-in hybrid Mini Countryman SE offer roof rails, a key foundation for a rooftop tent. Taking advantage of that feature, Mini offers two different rooftop tents as factory accessories, as seen here. Unfortunately, as of now, they're only available in Europe. The intrepid nature-lovers better not go too far from civilization in the Cooper SE, since it has just 110 miles of range (according to the EPA) — although Mini optimistically suggests that many campgrounds now have EV charging points, so you can power up while winding down. For its part, the plug-in hybrid Countryman SE claims 17 miles of EV range before the gasoline engine fires up. Should the rooftop tent craze continue even after people once again feel safe checking into a Ritz-Carlton, it would be great to see more offerings that are designed for smaller host vehicles. After all, eco-friendly cars would seem to be thematically aligned with the nature appreciation that's inherently a part of camping. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4

The One Mini Should Have Taken Rallying
It needs to be said: Mini using the Countryman as their World Rally Championship racer's bodystyle of choice has done them no favors on the marketing front. And that's what it's all about in motorsports these days: marketing and image. We have just driven the 2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4 through Frankfurt's surrounding rural areas, and even in thick snow where few souls dared to tread, it has singularly rekindled some faith in the John Cooper Works sub-brand - a glorious name whose credibility has been threatened by portly and somewhat pointless products like the JCW Countryman.
The JCW Paceman is a little quicker than its Countryman relative, a little lighter, hunkered down lower, and better looking. We can't say we're crazy anymore about the stock Chili Red details and black exterior they keep showing us at these launches, but that's just paint. Then there's that projected pricing of $36k-plus that puts us on the verge of yelling "¡No mas!" But the All4 system on our 215-horsepower Paceman worked extremely well when paired with a set of exceptional Pirelli Sottozero Winter 210 Serie II tires (sized 205/55 R17 91H all around). The combination of all-wheel drive and good rubber encouraged us to gradually up the average speed and enthusiasm the further we drove along.

Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything

Ask anyone that's driven a classic Mini, and they'll probably tell you that their first reaction to driving it was a lot like the start of this video - whooping, shouting, laughing and a whole lot of smiling. This video, from Jon Quirk, editor-in-chief at Auto Trader UK, highlights the connection between him and his Rover Mini Paul Smith. He really nails the man-machine interface that makes owning a great car so much fun. Besides that, Quirk does a good job of enumerating what is so enjoyable about driving a fun car on a twisting road.
For our British readers, this video is also meant to test the waters for a new format from Auto Trader UK, called "I Bought One." With Quirk's Mini, the car-buying site is looking at telling the story of people and their interesting cars. We think this video is a great start, with high production value and solid content. Head on over to the YouTube channel, and let them know what you think. But first, scroll on down for the entire video on this awesome Rover Mini.