In this week’s Ask Nathan:
- Will we see a Mini Cooper pickup?
- Do I hate Tesla, or the man behind the brand?
The first question comes from a Facebook follower who asked about a MINI pickup heading into production.
Q (Via Facebook): RE: Mini Pickup
My sister has a 2020 Mini Countryman and I was thinking that it could be a MINI pickup truck. Listen to what I say Nathan. You said the newest Mini Countryman is really big so it could be the base for a tiny pickup that competes with the Ford Maverick. I think that their sales are poor and them ditching the stick shift was stupid and a lot of people got mad.
Do you think a Mini pickup truck would sell?
— Abdule MM
A: What if BMW built a Mini Countryman pickup?
There have been rumors, concepts and plenty of fan interest in the idea of a Mini Cooper pickup. Several years ago, I threw the question out based on input from viewers, and the response was surprisingly positive. Still, it seems rather unlikely that BMW and MINI would go for it.
So, what if?
The current Mini Countryman ALL4 S actually has some interesting ingredients for a tiny pickup. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder produces 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which is more power than a Ford Maverick. Having driven the Countryman, I can tell you it feels like it has plenty of power to spare.
Add a small pickup bed and some additional structural reinforcement, and you could have a pretty interesting little truck.
The biggest problem is packaging. The Countryman has a wheelbase of roughly 106 inches, so keeping the rear seats would probably leave you with a bed of around three feet, maybe a bit more.
That’s tiny.
But the Countryman already has about 1,100 pounds of payload capacity, while the gas-powered ALL4 can tow up to 3,500 pounds. Those are surprisingly respectable numbers for something this small. Still, you have to bump up that payload, which may require a heavy sub-frame and serious suspension upgrades.
I guess (but it’s rather doubtful) you could stretch the Countryman to compete more directly with the Ford Maverick, but I honestly doubt Mini would ever go that route.
Instead, what if Mini kept it appropriately small?
Rather than competing with traditional compact pickups, it could create a sub-micro pickup of its own. Four-wheel drive/all-wheel drive, 241 horsepower, a small but useful bed and enough capability to haul bikes, camping gear or whatever else a Mini owner decides they absolutely need that week.
It wouldn’t be a work truck.
It would be a lifestyle truck.
And that’s exactly where Mini might make something like this work.
Then, reality hits…
Could BMW sell a Mini Countryman pickup? Absolutely.
Could they make it more useful with a longer bed and perhaps a 2,000-pound payload rating? Probably.
Will they?
That’s another story.
BMW and MINI have made no announcements about entering the pickup market, and I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for one.
But the ingredients are already there. A powerful turbo engine, available all-wheel drive, respectable towing capacity and a compact footprint could make for one seriously entertaining little truck.
It wouldn’t replace a Maverick. It wouldn’t be seen at many worksites.
But it might be ridiculously fun.
— N
The last question comes from a fan who is bothered by BMW’s marketing in the new Spider-Man movie.
Q (Via YouTube): RE: You hate Tesla and Elon!
@Massi_TI – Nathan is annoying. You can dislike Elon but love the car. Not hard man. 130 000 employees work at that company!
@BryceLovesTech – His hatred for Tesla is growing tiresome
(These two comments were connected)
A: This again guys (or just one guy with more than one account)?
The reason I’m responding is because you’re wrong. I don’t hate Tesla, nor do I “hate” Elon Musk. In fact, I maintain that Musk revolutionized the EV world. He was smart enough to build an amazing empire and bring some of the best talent in the industry into his various endeavors. That’s a proven fact.
I’m also fascinated by Tesla, particularly its FSD self-driving technology. It’s one of the things about the company I find genuinely interesting and something I continue to watch closely. It’s amazing tech.
That doesn’t mean I have to love everything Tesla does.
I don’t think Teslas are particularly fun to drive. They’re not. They’re outstanding commuter vehicles, but compared with some of their competitors, they lack a certain fun quotient. I stand by that.
A minor gripe is their ubiquity, and the lack of interesting color choices doesn’t help.
I also understand why some people find Tesla’s interiors polarizing. If you like physical buttons, traditional controls and less reliance on a giant center screen, Tesla’s approach can be frustrating to some. And it’s not just me saying that. Plenty of consumers have made the same criticism.
Then there’s Elon Musk.
Yes, his politics can be an issue for some Tesla owners. Not because everyone who owns a Tesla agrees with him, but because some owners have found themselves dealing with harassment or even vandalism simply because of the association with the brand. I’m not exaggerating. It’s something I’ve personally discussed, including at around the 20:10 mark in the video I provided above.
Now, I know the fanboys and fangirls will jump all over anyone who dares criticize Tesla. That’s fine. Every automotive brand has its ride-or-die fans, and I have no problem with that. But my job isn’t to blindly praise a brand because people love it. I try to be honest and transparent.
My job is to drive the cars, experience them, point out what I like, point out what I don’t, and tell you what I think.
Did I mention how cool Tesla’s FSD mode is?
— N
