Mini Countryman to Be Most Fuel Efficient CUV?

The first ever four door Mini is apparently well on its way to becoming the most fuel efficient crossover (CUV) according to parent company, BMW.

This, along with the added versatility of four doors is expected to generate more interest in the Mini brand. In fact, the Countryman is expected to account for 20% of Mini’s sales.

What makes the Mini so efficient? Well, Minis in general are inherently efficient due to small size and weight and the Countryman is no exception. But on top of all that, the Countryman will feature efficient engines such as a 1.6 litre gas engine or a 1.6 litre diesel which generates 5.4 L/100 kms and 3.5 L/100 kms respectively. It’s unlikely that we’ll get a diesel version over here, but perhaps with diesel A3′s making their way here, BMW may want something to combat it. In any event, if the diesel comes, it will likely come way down the line from the Countryman’s official release. 5.4 L/100 kms is nothing to sneeze at anyway.

Wagon Comeback: Acura TSX To Get More Junk in the Trunk

Call us crazy, but we are going to predict a swift return of the wagon. That’s not to say the end of the SUV, but CUV’s are definitely becoming all the rage, and let’s face it, they’re just jacked up station wagons. The term ‘station wagon’ is pretty taboo in the car world so you’ll hear car companies come up with new cooler sounding names such as ‘Sportcombi’ or ‘Avant’. Call it whatever you want, they’re wagons.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you just need to haul more stuff more often than not and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice performance and fuel consumption (like an SUV) in order to get it. Hence, our prediction of the return of the wagon.

Honda has officially announced that the Acura TSX wagon will make its debut at this year’s  New York Auto Show. You don’t debut a model at a U.S auto show unless you plan on selling it in the U.S, so it’s safe to say it’s on its way and insiders are whispering rumours or a fall debut at dealerships. No word yet on powertrain options, but the RDX’s turbo’d  4-cylinder is a strong possibility along with SH-AWD. If they make a stick available then colour us officially intrigued.

Acura is just the latest to step up to the wagon plate with Cadillac introducing a wagon version of their CTS (with rumours of a CTS-V wagon in the works), Saab continuing on with 9-5 and 9-3 wagons, and Volvo slotting a new wagon in their lineup as well.