MINI Countryman vs Morris Mini Minor

MINI by name, definitely not mini by nature! The Countryman will be the fourth model to join the range when it steamrollers into showrooms in September, but with four-wheel drive and offroader dimensions to match, is it still a MINI? We brought it face-to-face with the original 1959 Morris Mini Minor to find out.

Before the new BMW-engineered hatchback first arrived in 2001, we were sceptical about whether it could live up to the legend of the Alec Issigonis-designed original. But the moment we got our hands on one it was clear that BMW had done a fantastic job of transferring the DNA.

Sure, the current Hatchback, Clubman and Cabriolet are all longer, wider and taller than the 1959 original but they retain the same cheeky styling and go-kart handling that made that car so famous. The Countryman’s arrival though has forced us to re-evaulate exactly what it is that makes a MINI a MINI.

The reaction at the Countryman’s unveil in Geneva was lukewarm, with some journalists pointing out that it was too big and lacked charm. And lined up against the Morris Mini Minor its inflated dimensions are brought into even sharper relief.

Measuring 4.11 metres bumper to bumper, the Countryman is over a metre longer than its ancestor. And while the roofline of the original sits at just 1.35 metres the Countryman towers over it at 1.56 metres high. Side by side the 51-year old car looks tiny and fragile, the 4x4’s 18-inch rims are almost twice the diameter of its modest hub caps.

And it’s not just the Countryman’s expanded waistline that has traditionalists up in arms. It’s the first five-door model ever to wear the iconic badge, the first with all-wheel drive and as if to cement its ‘outsider’ status, will be built not in Oxford, but contracted to Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.

Having said all that, BMW’s business model is impeccable. Expanding the range not only attracts new customers but lowers production costs at the same time. And that’s the key to the Countryman - it’s not targeting diehard MINI fans, but a whole new type of clientele.

Gone are the days when the MINI relied on its traditions and origins. The current family of BMW-designed models are examples of expert marketing, global lifestyle products that appeal to a wide range of buyers. The Countryman simply adds another string to its bow.

MINI Countryman Cooper D stats

Length:4.1m

Width:1.8m

Height:1.56m

Kerbweight:1,385kg

0-62mph:13.2 seconds

Morris Mini Minor 1959 stats

Length:3.1m

Width:1.2m

Height:1.4m

Kerbweight:626kg

0-60mph:29.7 seconds

Fiat 500L

Fiat’s new 500L five-door MPV will go on sale in 2013, after debuting at the upcoming 2012 Geneva auto show. Fiat had already confirmed that such a model was coming, but now it has released photos.

The “L” in its name stands for “large,” and the 500L lives up to its moniker by offering two more doors than the regular 500 hardtop as well as seating for a fifth passenger. European 500L is 163.0 inches long, 70.1 inches wide, and 65.4 inches tall; that’s a little longer and taller than and roughly the same width as a Mini Countryman. The measurements will be essentially unchanged. Cargo room, is sure to increase beyond the pitiful 10 cubic feet available behind the smaller 500’s rear seats.

Styling-wise, the transition from 500 to 500L reminds us of the relationship between the Mini Countryman and the Mini Cooper hatch; the 500L looks like a 500 that stuck its thumb in its mouth and an air hose in its tail. That said, it’s not totally unattractive, and details like the bulging fenders and the wraparound windshield add some zest. The enormous front quarter-windows are somewhat debatable, however. The front end’s big black bumper and chunky plastic trim on the doors and rear end add some crossover-ness to the appearance.

Speaking of crossover pretensions, the 500L will be front-wheel drive—but we expect an optional all-wheel-drive system adapted from the architecturally related Fiat Panda to be worked into the mix eventually. We’re hoping the 101-hp, 1.4-liter four from the standard 500 isn’t in the running; the 160-hp, turbocharged four from the 500 Abarth would be a nice alternative. The Euro-spec model gets Fiat’s TwinAir two-cylinder and a 1.3-liter turbo-diesel among its options.