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Mini Crossman
By
Ben Pulman
11 January 2008 11:05
Under all that weird metalwork is the new Crossman, a name recently let slip by a Mini official. This is Mini’s new SUV, or rather SAV as the Brit-based company prefers to think of its latest car as a sports activity vehicle. In other words it won’t be a mud plugger.
The car in our pictures is a chassis mule allowing BMW engineers to develop the SAV without the worry of disguising prototypes. Initial development work was carried out under Clubman bodies, but this mule means items like the lights can be placed in their final production position.
What we can’t also see through the bumblebee bodywork are the rear driveshafts – there’s a very clear black sheet to keep out our prying eyes.
This will be the first four-wheel drive Mini though, because the market demands it. Power in the Crossman will come from 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines. The Mini’s 1.4-litre unit didn’t make it into then Clubman, so don’t expect it to be present in the heavier Crossman either.
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