BMW News

    Hot on the heels of unofficial announcement that the two-door version of the Mini Countryman crossover will hit dealerships next year, Motor Trend snapped a pre-production Countryman Coupe doing laps on Germany’s Nürburgring.

    Mini will expand the Countryman lineup for 2013 with the addition of the two-door Countryman, based on the Paceman Coupe shown at the Detrit show in 2011. The Countryman Coupe will wear the same front fascia as the regular Countryman, but with a new tail section. The concept used the same 1.4-liter turbo-four and All4 all-wheel drive as the 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4, so expect the production car to do the same. That means six-speed automatic and manual transmissions, a base model using a naturally-aspirated 1.4-liter I-4 making 121 hp, a mid-level S model good for 181 hp with or without all-wheel drive, and a Cooper Works model complete with all-wheel drive and a 208-hp version of the turbocharged 1.4-liter.

    The car MT spotted looks to be a base Cooper Countryman Coupe model, judging by the less-aggressive grille that is found on the non-turbocharged production Minis. Around back, it wears more rounded taillights and a less-upright hatch that looks like the Paceman concept.

    The 2013 Mini Countryman Coupe should start production at the end of this year, and go on sale at the beginning of the next. Pricing is likely to top  the 2012 Cooper Countryman’s $22,450 base price with destination.—Paul Duchene