The Countryman is now most powerful Mini by a country mile
IT’S THE biggest ever car to carry the Mini badge and now that it’s undergone the John Cooper Works treatment, the second- generation Mini Countryman can also claim to have the most powerful engine ever offered on any production car in the company’s history.
The engine in question offers a 2-litre capacity, four cylinders, one variablegeometry turbocharger, 231hp and 350Nm of torque. That power goes to all four wheels via the All4 intelligent all-wheel drive system and – despite the fact that the car comfortably seats five, is over four metres long,1.57 metres high and tips the scales at over 1300kg – results in a 0100kph time of 6.5 seconds. If you go for the eight- speed Steptronic sports transmission rather than the standard six- speed manual transmission, this 0-100kph dash is 0.8 seconds quicker, still.
This turn of straight-line speed is very impressive for what is essentially a compact SUV. And to ensure that the car doesn’t topple over in the bends or bury its nose in the tarmac under braking, the new model has multi-link rear suspension and a suite of electronic stability aids.
Working together they can lock the front axle differential, push torque to individual wheels for the best grip, or offer the right amount of traction when driving over ice, through snow or on sand and gritty surfaces.
On top of this, the driver can select pre-programmed modes to make the absolute best use of every drop of petrol in the tank. — Relaxnews