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2025 Mini Countryman goes electric, gets bigger at Munich Motor Show

This is the 2025 Mini Countryman, and just like the new Cooper, Mini is revealing it in electric form first.  However, unlike the Cooper, the Countryman is growing in size by a lot. It’s now 5.1 inches longer, 2.4 inches taller and 0.8 inch wider than before. Its longer wheelbase and wider track width really accentuate the growth in size. For reference, the new Countryman is very similar in size to the new Niro. MiniÂ’s new Countryman wears its size well, as it does so with a combination of ruggedness and high fashion all-in-one. Its colored accents, large wheels, distinctively shaped headlights and simplistic body lines come together to create a classy but still forward-thinking look. Since Mini is introducing electric versions of the Countryman for this generation, it focused on reducing the coefficient of drag versus the old model, and itÂ’s gone from 0.31 to 0.26 in the new car. Two electric versions are being revealed now, including the Countryman E and Countryman SE ALL4. The basic E has a single electric motor good for 204 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, which gets you from 0-62 mph in 8.6 seconds. The sportier Countryman SE has two electric motors for all-wheel drive, which boosts output to 313 horsepower and 364 pound-feet of torque. This gets you a rather quick 0-62 mph time on just 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 112 mph. Range for the single-motor E is 287 miles on the WLTP cycle, while the SE takes a hit down to 269 miles – both are packing 64.7 kWh battery packs. Expect those range figures to be lower in EPA testing. Charging the electric Countryman offerings will be even more convenient than the electric Coopers, as the maximum charge rate is a solid 130 kW. Mini claims thatÂ’s good for a 10-80% charge in under 30 minutes. And if youÂ’re at home, the Countryman features rapid 22 kW AC charging if you have the right hardware to support it. There will be gasoline variants of the Countryman at the end of the year, too, with the base model and an upgrade model adopting the S ALL4 moniker. Mini says they will use updated and more powerful engines. Europe will get a diesel version, and there will also be a John Cooper Works performance variant at some point down the road. When it comes to fun driving, Mini again promises the Countryman will be an engaging to-drive crossover.

Top Gear caught filming Best of British near Buckingham Palace

YouTuber and car-fan extraordinaire Shmee probably had very little trouble tracking down the Top Gear film crew recently, as the group was putting together an episode that could accurately be described as "excessive." With its flag-waving (literally) Best of British theme, the TG guys gathered a jaw-dropping array of British cars, and parked them all right in front of Buckingham Palace to make extra sure that the point was driven home.
Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were outfitted with a trio of Jaguar F-Types festooned with gigantic Union Jacks, with which to survey the landscape of British motoring glory. In the video below, you'll see that this includes any number of Mini, Aston Martin, Lotus, McLaren, Land Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce models (just to name a few), as well as a healthy dose of weird stuff that most people would never guess at being built in the UK. The lawnmowers and military vehicles are especially cool.

Mini Vision concept presages next-gen Cooper Hardtop

Mini is preparing to launch the third-generation of its trademark three-door hatch, and while we've already shown you that car mostly devoid of camouflage in spy shots, the BMW-owned brand has still seen fit to release a concept that previews the new design. Called the Mini Vision, it looks broadly similar to the cars we showed you at the beginning of the month, aside from a few concepty styling pieces.
The Vision is a well-balanced blend of the stylish hatch that rebooted the Mini brand in 2002 and the more bloated model that arrived in 2007. It's more rounded than the 2002, but seems decidedly more muscular than the 2007, and features modern accents like full LED headlights inspired by the sadly not-for-production Rocketman concept. Mini's traditional floating roof soldiers on, while the concept wears side grilles that seem borrowed from the Countryman and Paceman. Based on what we've seen in the spy shots, however, that treatment isn't going to make production, at least not on the models we've seen.
It's safe to say that the interior on this concept bears only a slight resemblance to what we'll see on the production car. The integrated Union Jack straps in the door panels are a cool touch, but the Vision's cabin looks like something out of a flying saucer. We'd expect only inspirational traces to arrive on the production model.