In fact, obviously, this was a west coast test mule for the upcoming Mini Countryman, Mini's take on the small SUV. Yes, there are already official pictures of it out all over the net and it's already been shown on the east coast, but the west coast debut has yet arrived. Still, makes it curious why they would bother to try to conceal it.
Anyways. The car will reportedly come with the 172hp turbocharged engine, with torque vectoring 4 wheel drive. The interior is rumored to be very large, with a lot of usable space, just the opposite of the normal Mini. Another rumor is that this will be replacing the current stretched Mini, the Clubman.
Hopefully the price won't be too expensive. If they can manage to keep the base price below 23 or 25k at the most, they may have a winner here. What do you think?
Additionally, it has been confirmed that Mini will be taking the Countryman into the World Rally Championships. The car will prepared by the legendary racing shop Pro-Drive, who are based in the GB. Keep in mind, Mini has great credentials in the world rally scene, back in the 60's where it was beating out the big dogs with the tiny original mini.
