Consumer Guide’s Impressions of the 2010 Mini Crossman

Take one Mini Clubman, lift the suspension, add all-wheel drive, and season with SUV styling flavor. That’s BMW’s recipe for a cute new crossover wagon.

What We Know About the 2010 Mini Crossman

It’s no secret that BMW is planning to expand its Mini brand into a multi-model line. The mainstay two-door hatchback “hardtop,” redesigned for ’08, is being joined by the extended-body Clubman, which BMW hopes you won’t regard as an uncool station wagon (even if it does resemble one). Next on the list is an updated Mini convertible based on the redesigned hatchback and again offering Cooper and supercharged Cooper S versions for the U.S. market. It’s expected late in calendar 2009. Old-style ragtops have recently ended production, but BMW isn’t worried. In fact, demand for all Minis is stronger than ever, thanks to an appealing combination of cuddly retro styling, sporty driving manners, and budget-saving fuel economy to combat soaring gas prices.

What’s next? Try a Clubman in a crossover-SUV costume with standard all-wheel drive. This, too, is no secret. BMW freely admits it’s on the agenda, and spy photos of high-riding Clubman-based prototypes are all over the place. Only the name is in doubt, thanks to conflicting statements from BMW and Mini officials. For now, however, it appears that the cutest SUV this side of Japan will be badged Crossman--as in CROSSover ClubMAN. (The project was code-named “Colorado,” by the way.)

Sources say the 2010 Mini Crossman will be offered with the same 4-cylinder drivetrains as other U.S.-market models, but hooked to a new all-wheel-drive system engineered by Getrag, the German transmission specialist and long-time BMW supplier. (Getrag makes Mini’s current 6-speed manual transmission.) The suspension appears to be elevated by at least two inches versus front-drive models for clearing obstacles off the paved path, but we’re talking slight-duty “soft roader” here, not truck-tough boulder-basher. Judging by spy photos, wheel arches should have tacked-on flares to complement the raised suspension and likely wider tires--for that all-important “SUV look.” Other rumored styling changes to the Clubman design include a gaping secondary grille in the lower front fascia, raised roof rails to anchor an available luggage rack, and front-facing auxiliary “exploration lights.” We also see a one-piece rear liftgate replacing the Clubman’s dual swing-out cargo doors. Inside, the Crossman should get some kind of outdoorsy trim, perhaps water-resistant upholstery and/or a rubber floor covering instead of carpet. Call it “functional chic.”

That’s the basic picture, but more hard news should be emerging soon, so keep checking back with us for all the latest.

A Notable Feature of the 2010 Mini Crossman

We think BMW may use the 2010 Mini Crossman to introduce three fuel-saving features from Europe across the entire U.S. Mini line. One is a 4-cylinder diesel engine developed with France’s PSA Peugeot-Citroen. Another 1.6-liter, making a modest 110 horsepower, but also the same relatively hefty torque as the supercharged Cooper S gasoline engine. BMW North America is now rolling out 6-cylinder diesel options for its 3-Series sedan and X5 SUV, so an oil-burner Mini would be logical--assuming the four-banger can be made clean enough to pass tough new U.S. emissions limits. Meantime, gas-engine models may eke out extra mpg via a stop/start system and a so-called “intelligent alternator.” The former, familiar from most gas/electric hybrid vehicles, employs a large electric motor acting as a starter/generator. Placed between the engine flywheel and transmission, it automatically shuts off the engine at stoplights and provides near-instantaneous restarts on applying the throttle. The “smart” alternator, also governed by engine electronics, is programmed to charge the battery only when needed and thus cut fuel-wasting engine drag. Maintaining Mini-level mpg will be especially important for the Crossman, which is likely to weigh some 200 pounds more than a comparable Clubman, itself some 300 pounds heavier than a like-equipped Mini hatchback.

Buying Advice for the 2010 Mini Crossman

The 2010 Mini Crossman will share showroom space at some dealers with BMW’s own new X1, a compact SUV that’s expected as a 2011 model slotting below the company’s X3 in size and price. Though this may seem like self-defeating duplication, BMW sees its two crossovers as appealing to different buyers, and thus not likely to steal many sales from each another. But both will have extramural competition, so buyers will want to keep an eye out for rumored newbie wagonettes like the Audi Q1 and Volvo V30/XC30. Other alternatives would include AWD versions of the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix twins and funky front-drive hatchbacks like the Scion xB. If a Crossman is your choice, be careful with options. Minis already offer plenty of tempting extras that can boost the delivered price to eye-popping levels by compact-car standards.

2010 Mini Crossman Release Date: With the Oxford plant straining to meet demand for other Mini models, BMW has assigned production of the 2010 Mini Crossman to contract manufacturer Magna Steyr in Austria. Magna Steyr currently builds the BMW X3, but that larger crossover will be shifted to BMW’s South Carolina plant as part of a 2010 model redesign. Which means, sources say, that the Crossman probably won’t start sale until early in calendar 2010, and maybe not until later that year as a 2011 offering. Meantime, BMW is expected to whet the public's appetite with a series of lightly disguised Crossman “concepts,” much as the Clubman was previewed by various showmobiles a few years ago. The first one--dubbed Crossover Concept--appears at the Paris Auto Show in October 2008. The production version may not break cover until the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 2009.

2010 Mini Crossman First Test Drive: At best, media previews would be staged in late 2009, but more likely in the first or second quarter of 2010.

2010 Mini Crossman Prices: How much more will consumers pay for SUV looks and AWD? We’d guess around $3000 more than for comparable Clubmans, so plan on $22,500 for a base Crossman Cooper and something like $26,500 for a supercharged Cooper S. Go crazy with extras and you’re looking at $30,000-plus, though we don’t doubt that enough folks will indulge to satisfy BMW accountants, seeing as how most Minis already sell with fairly hefty option loads.

Article key :  Mini Crossman Review, Mini Crossman, Mini, New Car, 2010, Future Cars