First impressions of these pictures; I quite like the shape of the Mini Cooper, a sensible iteration of the retro movement. Considering the car’s shape, size and nature, the car looks very much right. Taking that same image, stretching and prodding it a bit here and there, I’m not sure if it is a clean-cut translation with the same effects.

One would have to wait to see what the Countryman would look like in person before passing final remarks, but it does seem quite awkward. Like a young larrikin being forced by his family into a line of work he doesn’t like, in a hand-me-down suit that just doesn’t fit.

looks aside, the Countryman will be offering a fun, fresh and attractive option to the mini-SUV market. The interior is passed on from the smaller, older brother, and still looks fresh and spacious.

Mini Cooper Countryman

One of the biggest changes to the interior (other than the extra doors and seats, erm) is the centre console. Resembling a hippy monorail track, this nifty bit of gear allows you to customise and alter the fittings your console will take on the trip. Long haul? whack in some drink containers for all of those coffees and Red Bulls you’ll be inhaling. Want something else in there, well your imagination (and Mini’s list of options) is the limit. That, we will find out later.

You’ll notice that the image supplied shows a capacity of two people across the back. Don’t worry, a three-person bench seat will be an available option. The rear seats also fold, giving you a nice 1170 litres of space to utilise. Try that in a Mini.

Mini Cooper Countryman

Expect the Countryman to come with two diesel options, along with 3 petrol. More information about these engines are coming through, however we know that they are new, will be frugal and won’t be boring (think BMW).

Prospective Countryman buyers will also have the choice of the traditional front wheel drive or all wheel drive (named ALL4). If you need the space, but still want to tear up the back roads, you can specify a handling package, which will lower and stiffen the Mini.

This could work out to be a real family pleaser, providing a little something for everyone. more information is yet to come through about the Countryman, so stay in touch.

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• What happended to the hot hatch? Part 1

Let’s have a look right back at the start. Many credit the Volkswagen Golf GTi as the first to start the craze. Sure, it was the first to have that now fabled GTi badge, but there were some (very good) hot hatches before it that are very much worth mentioning.

Perhaps the best place to look for a good backgrounder is the iconic Mini, especially the Cooper ‘S’. Released first in 1959 by the British Motor Company (BMC), the first Mini Cooper was a collaboration between original designer Sir Alec Issigonis and friend John Cooper.

In it’s most exciting form, the Cooper S had a engine capacity of 1,275cc (up from 848), and was fed by twin SU carburettors. During the mid 60’s the Cooper ‘S’ tore many prominent international race events to shreds. Wins at the Monte Carlo Rally  in ‘64, ‘65 and 67 (a 1, 2, 3 result in ‘66 was disqualified by a French judge) is just one example.

The car also got notable fame at the 1966 Gallaher 500 held at Mount Panorama, where nine (!) Morris Cooper S’ took the top places. Wins at races on weekends, especially the endurance races helped boost a car’s image through the roof. “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” didn’t just sound good, it was very apparent.

I have seen a Cooper S in action at a Historic Sports and Race Car Association (HSRCA) of NSW race meet at Oran Park and Eastern Creek. The only time the Mini Cooper was not breathing down the neck of 289 V8 Mustang (Similar to Geoghean’s) was down the longer straights, but the little Cooper made up for the loss quickly under brakes and with cornering speed.

What made the Cooper ‘S’ dominate so easily? It screams at you when you look at it; the size and weight of the car gave it huge physics advantages over anything else. The Cooper S did not weight over 700 kg; speaking volumes about the car’s characterstics and performance. For a quick comparo, the current Cooper S is 3,714 mm long, and 1,912 mm wide. The 1964 Austin Mini Cooper S, with the 1275 motor was only 3,054 mm long and 1,410 mm wide.

Although it is one of the lighter sportscars available today, the Cooper S still weighs around 1,100 Kilos. Where does all the extra weight go? softening creature comforts for weak, fragile drivers who should harden up?

I honestly beleive, as technology is stepping forward across all things mechanical, we should be able to keep weight down easier. A small, simple hatch that weighs around 800 kg would require only a tiny modern turbo’ed petrol motor to whisk it along. The whole mentality behind it though, seems to be lost.

We will just put in a bigger motor, which will need a bigger radiator and clutch, which will need a bigger housing, which will need a heavier gearbox, which will need strengthened/heavier diffs and axles. Oh, we better put bigger brakes on it as well. And while we’re at it, we can whack bigger wheels and tyres on it as well.

Are we just gettting bigger?

Is it too imaginative and selfish to imagine a car built to a weight, using lightweight components like exotic metal compounds and small, punchy and exciting motors? Is it still feasible?

Stay tuned, because I will explore this later in the second installment. A Car magazine poll crowned the Lancia Delta Integrale the best hot hatch, followed closely by the Saab 99 Turbo.

What do you think? Leave a comment about what you think is the best hot hatch of all time, whether it is opinion or personal experience, it is all valued.

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