- Mini seems to recognize the importance of a manual transmission in its cars
- An off-road focused Countryman may be on the books
- Remarks were made during a Mini driving event in the States
The very British brand – well, except for the very German parts – called Mini historically has had no trouble producing a wide array of variants of the vehicles in its lineup. Speaking to a publication south of the border, suits at the company are hinting it may soon join the ranks of OEMs which are adding a ‘safari’ trim to at least one of its cars.
Oh, yeah – the spox also said “I wouldn’t say never,” in reference to a manual transmission.
We’ll start there, since Mini is presently sliding into an era devoid of vehicles with three pedals. Given the go-kart like nature of its product, a stick shift adds much to the driving experience of a Mini – even if an automatic may be technically quicker around a racetrack. “It’s not a never again,” said Michael Peyton, Vice President of Mini of the Americas, in an interview with local media during which the subject of manual transmissions was raised.
As with many other OEMs, the manual transmission has taken a backseat at Mini, where the option once available across its entire line of cars. Blame take rates, emission regs, whatever yer villian-du-jour might be; though it is worth noting the hottest variants of Mini, marketed under the John Cooper Works banner, are said to have had a roughly 50/50 take rate on manuals in some models.
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Peyton elaborated on the current trend of building up factory offerings with an eye to off-road capability, which makes sense considering the brand has invested enough in off-road racing to win the Dakar Rally six times. In that vein, something like a Countryman assembled beyond the All4 designation and perhaps even beyond the X-Raid variant which got an extra 1.6 inches of ground clearance thanks to a suspension lift and 28-inch all-terrain tires on 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels. The X-Raid was a machine built by a German company of the same name, a private motorsport team specializing in cross country rallying.
While the X-Raid was never officially offered in North America, there is certainly a case to be made for a factory variant on this side of the pond. Many shoppers over here like the idea of a crossover shod with all-terrain tires and jacked up even further than stock – witness the success of Subaru’s Wilderness sub-brand, GMC with its AT4, and even outrageous examples of this craft like the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato.
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