2011 MINI Crossover coming to Frankfurt in production form
Click above for a gallery of the MINI Crossover Concept
According to BMW, the reception to its MINI Crossover Concept from the Paris Motor Show was so positive that the automaker approved the project for production in 2011 just four weeks after it debuted. The production version of the jacked-up MINI CUV is slated to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, which is right on schedule with earlier projections. Don't expect to see the concept's trick rear doors or the side-hinged driver's side portal on the production model, which will instead rely on four normal front-hinged openings and a standard tailgate. Also on the menu is an optional four-wheel drive system complete with low range when drivers want to tackle the Rubicon, which is, of course, never.
According to sources at MINI, the car will retain the brand's trademark kart-like handling, in spite of the ample ground clearance and meaty rolling stock that will be required on a vehicle with off-road intensions. In any case, the biggest MINI won't come cheap. Expect the 2011 MINI Crossover to pick up where the current range lets off, with a base price of around $29K. MINI also promises a full range of available options, so consider that figure nothing more than a vague starting point for the customizers among us.
Gallery: MINI Crossover Concept
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike 7:48PM (1/28/2009)
Please don't, Mini.
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Steve 8:03PM (1/28/2009)
Who would want a jacked-up mini?
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Snark 10:30AM (1/29/2009)
Plenty of folks want a compact, efficient vehicle that can also take on a snowy or poorly maintained road. This is actually smaller than a last-generation VW Golf and only a bit taller, but it's got some capability for all the folks (like me) who'd strongly consider a MINI but can't because they also need a vehicle to get to trailheads, put-ins, and remote areas served only by back roads and fire trails.
The demand for these vehicles might not be apparent to Easterners and other folks who rarely leave major cities, but I live near Denver and regularly drive on unsurfaced roads and through deep snow, because my rural road isn't plowed by breakfast. And I camp and hike in Utah and Arizona, which is riddled with @#%@% dirt roads. But I also want something easy to park and agile that gets 30mpg.
Jacob Hurlbut 3:43PM (1/29/2009)
Well, people who live where that height is necessary. Like out in the country.
Ayle 8:15PM (1/28/2009)
WTF is that thing?
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XGM 8:19PM (1/28/2009)
It's strange that even if I know this just doesn't fit, there is still something I find attractive in the concept.
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Kevin 8:34PM (1/28/2009)
So wrong. :(
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Blake Luttrell 8:48PM (1/28/2009)
29k? What the hell?
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P.V. 9:08PM (1/28/2009)
"According to BMW, the reception to its MINI Crossover Concept from the Paris Motor Show was so positive..."
Some people just have no sense of taste or class whatsoever.
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BlackEmblem 9:13PM (1/28/2009)
In before MINI becomes just like the Saturn brand.
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Erik Tomlinson 9:46PM (1/28/2009)
Ughhh, just make it go away.
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Fox 9:58PM (1/28/2009)
What a joke. One sure way to destroy a strong brand...
Just leave it as is BMW...Don't be stupid with a SUV, you already have the X3 and X5, and the rumored X1...
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ToniCipriani 10:25PM (1/28/2009)
As if the Clubman wasn't bad enough...
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Randy915 12:50AM (1/29/2009)
Perhaps rebranding it to Biggie Cooper™ will help move more than 2 units every year.
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ImSteevin 2:39AM (1/29/2009)
STOP THE MADNESS. STOP THE MADNESS. ISSIGONIS WOULD WEEP.
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hkingkong 10:10PM (1/29/2009)
these crossover things needa stop
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Snark 11:27AM (1/30/2009)
Why? They're more useful than a sedan or a wagon.
joowan 5:35AM (1/29/2009)
remove the "Mini" and just call it BMW Cooper..
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Rocketboy 8:24AM (1/29/2009)
Yes, because there's never been an off-roading car/truck in the MINI lineup.
Oh wait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_Moke
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Kumar 8:48AM (1/29/2009)
Good call on the reference. People tend to forget (or never knew) that there were variants with the original Minis as well.
The clubman could've used that back door, so hopefully they'll dump the dual doors from it next year. The size on the clubman is decent, but those rear doors are annoying.
Otherwise, the sliding rear doors are a little novel in a mini suv, but the thing looks a too bloated. I wonder if they could throw magnaride suspension in that so you could drop it a bit for normal driving.