MINI Cooper Countryman

Automobile magazine just published its First Drive review of the forthcoming MINI Countryman.

The fourth of six anticipated Mini bodystyles arrives for 2011. The Cooper Countryman is the first — but probably not the last — Mini with four doors, four real seats, a four-cylinder engine consistent with tradition, and (optional) four-wheel drive. Don’t think of it so much as yet another run-of-the-mill crossover but more of a high-spirited wagon with enhanced mobility. Unlike fellow made-in-England Minis, this one is manufactured in Graz, Austria by Magna Steyr using a unique (read NOT a BMW X1 or X3) platform.

Read the article First Drive: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman.