If there is a Mini that would benefit from a torquey, fuel-sipping diesel, it is the biggish and relatively heavy Countryman crossover. Luckily, that is exactly what Mini seems to be thinking, as well, because it is designing the next-generation U.S.-spec Countryman to at least be capable of offering an oil-burner.
The current Countryman can be ordered with a diesel in other markets, naturally, but its platform isn’t designed to hold the urea tank and SCR filter required to meet U.S.-market emissions standards. That hurdle will be cleared with the next-gen model, we recently learned from a Mini executive.
- 2014 Mini Cooper / Cooper S Hardtop Driven: Growing—and Maturing
- 2015 Mini Countryman Photos and Info: The Big Mini Now Looks Like the Little Mini
- Mini Countryman Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
Of course, Mini hasn’t confirmed a diesel Countryman for our market, only that it will be possible to sell one here when the next-gen model arrives in 2017. The next Countryman will be built atop BMW’s new front-wheel-drive platform, which is shared with the 2014 Mini Hardtop and the upcoming BMW 2-series Active Tourer.
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