Mini Beachcomber Concept: Up Close
Soon to be Mini’s first crossover SUV, the Beachcomber Concept stays true to the brand’s familiar designs. I’ll go ahead and call it the unofficial successor to a great many bygone open-air cute-utes: the original soft-top Toyota RAV4, the Geo Tracker and more. The front combines one part rugged with three parts affable, and chief interior designer Oliver Sieghart told me there’s a good chance the open-air design translates to some sort of panoramic roof option.
Expect a number of other changes — doors, for example — when the real thing hits showrooms this fall. Sieghart said the Beachcomber’s central clip-in rails, which can incorporate modular accessories like cupholders and sunglasses containers, are “very close” to what we’ll see in actual production. I’m not sold. The system is perhaps innovative, but it runs down the center of the car, which is certain to create an annoyance for backseat friends who all want to slide out curbside.
Consummate utility was never a Mini strength, but if the production crossover’s seats fold down it could offer a decent amount. With the rear seats up, there isn’t a ton of room in the way-back. The crossover’s four-wheel-drive system is loosely based on BMW’s xDrive, Sieghart said, which suggests the production model should be able to tame whatever light stuff its owners will put it through. This won’t be a Jeep Wrangler — but then again, Mini might be giving a lot of reluctant Wrangler shoppers the choice they wanted all along. Urbanites in cold-weather climates might buy these in droves…once the doors are attached.
