NY Auto Show: finally, a carmaker I can relate to

The bacon, not the airbags. Though those are pretty handy, too.

I wish I could say the same for the Mini Countryman, announced at the Geneva show and making its debut in September, and the fact that it seems like a slightly taller, slightly dumpier version of the Clubman, which was already a slightly taller, dumpier version of the Cooper. Say what you will about brand dilution and BMW’s stewardship of the brand, but it’s a reflection of their awfully Germanic trait of creating obscure new niches in order to dominate by sheer exuberance. If they had wanted a soft-roader, they could have given us a new Mini Moke.

But I can’t really badmouth Mini. Any company that offers free smoothies is alright in my book. (Though the Countryman is still ugly.)

— Blake Rong