Geneva Show 2012: Mini

Now we make our way to the Mini stand, where the British brand greets us with two important new arrivals. We have been able to get behind the wheel of the sportier version of the Countryman with the arrival of the John Cooper Works, and see up close the Clubvan Concept, a Mini with generous load capacity.

Although it is still a prototype, the Mini Clubvan Concept is very close to a possible production model. It is the same size as a Clubvan, but its obvious changes with only two seats separated from the cargo area by a steel grille make it the first mini van from the Oxford brand.

Aesthetically it features a bodywork in British Racing Green, with the mirrors and roof in the same shade and a wide variety of stickers. It has five different doors: the two front ones for access to the seats, the two rear ones for loading, and a last one on the passenger side that opens in the opposite direction, all of which makes the interior much easier to reach. However, we will wait for the definitive version and, above all, to learn the price of this van.

The next new arrival is the Countryman John Cooper Works, which features the most powerful engine in the range and the all4 traction system. The first thing that catches our attention is its more aggressive styling, with a combination of red and black along with a sporty exterior kit featuring pronounced bumpers, 18-inch alloy wheels and dual exhaust outlets.

Moving inside, we see that it continues to maintain the colour combination, with leather seats featuring red stitching and a sport steering wheel. The engine powering this Countryman is a 1.6 that develops 218 CV of power and around 300 Nm of maximum torque between 2,100 and 5,200 rpm. This allows it to reach 100 km/h from a standstill in about 7 seconds and keep the accelerator pressed flat out until reaching 225 km/h. With the Countryman John Cooper Works, Mini aims to appeal to customers looking for the qualities of a small SUV and the performance of a powerful engine.

Photos | Highmotor Team