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2017 MINI Countryman Kick Automatic Tailgate and Picnic Bench Detailed

Apparently, the new MINI Countryman is a Sports Activity Coupe, which probably puts it in the same category as the Infiniti QX30. It also has some features you might have seen on other vehicles, but not necessarily in this class.
2017 MINI Countryman Kick Automatic Tailgate and Picnic Bench Detailed 1 photo
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Besides the regular B-roll footage, MINI also released a couple of videos detailing new features. The Countryman is equipped with an "Automatic Tailgate," not groundbreaking stuff, but still useful.

To open the trunk, you kick under the car and sensors will pick you up to oven the trunk. Some carmakers offer a better solution, automatically popping it open if you stand next to the car with the key in your pocket.

But not everybody has a trunk that can close with a second kick. You can also activate it using the button on your remote or one located on the driver side door (where some cars have a hood release). Still, there's another button at the top of the trunk door that MINI forgot to mention.

The Picnic Bench option is another great idea, one usually seen on high-end Range Rovers (and the Bentayga). Considering how popular the Countryman is with people who go camping, we're sure it's going to be used a lot. Heck, at the end of the day, it gives you car park bragging rights.

Speaking of bragging, the new Countryman has a peach of an engine range compared to its predecessor. The base diesel, the Cooper D, now uses a 2-liter with 150 HP. Compared to the old 1.6D, that's worlds apart. Even your most basic Countryman is going to be peppier than an average crossover, thanks to its 1.5-liter packing a turbocharger. But considering this is a premium car, we'd still go for the powerful Cooper S or SD with around 190 HP.

Just be careful not to wear flip flops when opening the trunk because the hot exhaust is right under there! On second thought, that sounds like a cash cow lawsuit.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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