1979 Mini With 1071cc Cooper S Engine on 2040-cars

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Mini forgets to bring car to LA, shows Citysurfer concept scooter

See that red thing? It's the Mini Citysurfer Concept. It is not, in case you were wondering, an automobile. Yet despite this apparent shortcoming, Mini has placed it on a plinth at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The electric scooter weighs in at 40 pounds, can hit 15 miles per hour, cover 10 to 15 miles and can be folded up and charged in the trunk of a Mini Cooper (or any other vehicle with a 12-volt outlet and a roomy enough cargo area). According to the British marque, these qualities will give the scooter's owner the "spontaneous and convenient mobility even in those sections of an urban area not accessible to motorized vehicles."
It's not terribly difficult to see the appeal, as Mini explains it. With urban congestion becoming an increasingly serious problem - and some cities beginning to ban cars outright - the idea of an easy to charge and easy to stow runabout is extremely attractive. That's doubly true in the case of the Citysurfer, which is rather well equipped, as far as scooters go.

2025 Mini Countryman SE All4 First Drive Review: Electrified and better for it

CASCAIS, Portugal — Everything we said about the overgrown size of the 2025 Mini Countryman in John Cooper Works trim that we recently reviewed applies equally to the 2025 Mini Countryman SE ALL4. The former is powered by gas and the latter is electric, but both are the same size. Interestingly, both have about the same number of ponies, too. To recap, the new Countryman is 5.1 inches longer, 2.4 inches taller and 0.8 inches wider than the second-generation model, which in turn was 8 inches longer and more than 5 inches wider than the first-generation Countryman. A bit chonky, then. Our hackles may be raised by the size of the 2025 Countryman, especially as Mini claims itÂ’s a “Minimalist All-Rounder” — whatever thatÂ’s supposed to mean — but after spending a day actually driving the all-electric SE, we got over it. And we think buyers who care about MiniÂ’s illustrious history like we do will get over it too. ItÂ’s not without fault, but the Mini Countryman is more interesting in electrified SE trim than it is in suck-squeeze-bang-blow JCW trim. The Mini Countryman SE boasts twin electric motors, one up front and one at the rear so that all four wheels are powered. Total system output comes in at 313 horsepower (one lone stallion over the JCWÂ’s figure) and an impressive 364 pound-feet of torque (the gas model is good for 295 lb-ft). ThatÂ’s sufficient for a 0-60 sprint of 5.6 seconds — a bit behind the top-spec gasser, despite the extra torque, due to a weight penalty of nearly 600 pounds for a total curb weight of 4,400 lbs, but still quick. Feeding power to the two motors and contributing mightily to the porky weight is a 66.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack. ThatÂ’s enough capacity to provide up to 245 miles of range (depending on factors that include wheel size), which isnÂ’t bad, but short of all-wheel-drive electric crossover leaders that might be cross-shopped against the Mini, like the Tesla Model Y Long Range (up to 310 miles), Kia EV6 (up to 282) and Nissan Ariya (up to 272). As always, actual range will vary due to driving style, weather and the use of accessories and climate control. Mini claims a maximum charge rate of 130 kW. Again, thatÂ’s not bad, and equal to the Nissan Ariya, but far short of competitors like Tesla (up to 250 kW), Hyundai and Kia (up to 235). Considering its newness on the market, you wouldnÂ’t be wrong to expect some specs that actually move the needle instead of being mid-pack.

Mini ditches four-seat Countryman

Mini is walking away from the rear bucket seats in its Countryman crossover. MotoringFile.com reports that starting in 2013, the CUV will no longer offer just two seats in the second row. Originally, Mini was forced to offer the buckets due to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rules governing the the minimum vehicle width for the allowance of three-wide seating. That rule was recently changed, which allowed Mini to offer the bench seat. Not surprisingly, few buyers have opted for the awkward bucket-and-rail configuration since. Moving forward, all Countryman models will also come with the vehicle's flat-load rear floor as well.
During our time with our long-term Countryman, we found the middle rail between the two buckets to be a bit gimmicky, especially given the fact that the cup holders were only large enough to accommodate a 12-ounce can.