New Mini SUV Could Be a Perfect Limousine Party Bus
Rumours of a Mini SUV have been knocking around for some years now. This may be anathema to those who are still trying to come to grip with the fact that the new Mini is simply not small anymore. But, if you had any doubt that a 4x4 Mini was in the pipeline, the Mini Crossover Concept is set to be on display at the Paris Motor Show early next month.
A four-door, four-wheel drive Mini is happening, and it is not simply a concept car - this is definitely going to reach production. However, at over four metres in length - more Focus size than Fiesta - and 1.6 metres high, the Crossover Concept isn't a small car. In fact, calling the car a ‘Mini’ is a bit of a misnomer.
Despite the size, though, it's a strict four-seater - the two rear chairs are separated by a centre rail to which, Mini asserts, you can attach 'cup holders, storage units and entertainment consoles'. In fact, there is a bespoke set of dishes and cups, created by German potters Porzellan Manufaktur exclusively for the Concept Crossover.
Equally quaint is the Crossover's door arrangement, which puts the mildly odd single suicide approach from the Clubman to shame. Three of the doors open in the normal fashion, but the rear drivers-side door is a Peugeot 1007-style sliding effort. There's also a side-hinged boot featuring a retractable window, and a folding roof which extends the length of the car. At this stage there's no mention of what power train the Crossover will use, or how the four-wheel drive system might work.
With the ever increasing range of SUVs being converted into limousines, one can’t help but wonder how long it will take before a stretched version of the Mini SUV is making news in the limousine world.
