Completely redesigned from the ground up, the 2017 MINI Countryman has been awarded with a ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The car received good crashworthiness ratings across the board, in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests, and in the challenging small overlap front.
Moreover, its optional advanced-rated front crash prevention system, which was tested at 12mph (19km/h) and 25mph (40km/h), mitigated a collision, reducing the impact speed by 7mph (11km/h) in both cases.
Nevertheless, the 2017 MINI Countryman did not achieve the ‘Top Safety Pick+’ rating, as its headlights were considered ‘marginal and poor’.
Missing the top rating did not discourage the brand’s Americas Vice President, Thomas Felbermair, who said: “We have strong demand for the Countryman, since it went on sale back in March, and we are thrilled to be able to add the IIHS Top Safety Pick award to the growing list of reasons why people head to their local dealer and take a test drive.”
Prices for the car start from $26,100 in the USA, and each version is equipped with an infotainment system that uses a 6.5-inch display, rear view camera, Bluetooth, leatherette upholstery, Panorama Sunroof, keyless entry, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and others.
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