By Daryl Lee

MINI HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of the Countryman, a compact sport utility vehicle/crossover.

Broadly resembling current models albeit with a jacked-up suspension, the Countryman revives a name last seen in the 1960s and will also represent the first four-door production model from the brand.

Model variants will comprise both petrol and diesel, though only the petrols one should be noteworthy here. Naming conventions follow that of others in the Mini stable, starting from the One Countryman, Cooper Countryman and range-topping Cooper S Countryman.

The Countryman has a longer 2,595mm wheelbase versus the 2,547mm wheelbase of the next largest in the current Mini lineup, the Clubman, and making it 17mm longer than a Volkswagen Golf.

Visual highlights include slight changes to the trapezoidal grille, more angular headlamps and a tailgate that opens like on a conventional station wagon.

Interiors should retain Mini’s oversized central gauges and will come standard with a four-seater configuration with a conventional five-seater arrangement also available.

Engine variants range from the 1.6-litre normally-aspirated 98bhp unit in the One Countryman to the 1.6-litre turbocharged number in the Cooper S Countryman producing 184bhp with both featuring fuel economy enhancers such as regenerative braking.

The Countryman will also come with an optional ‘ALL4’ permanent four-wheel drive system and driven by either a six-speed automatic or manual gearbox.

Sources from BMW Asia say the Countryman will be launched here in early 2011.