Mini Countryman JCW at 2012 Geneva motor show

This is the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, set to be unveiled at the 2012 Geneva motor show. It’s the most powerful Mini so far, with 215bhp, and the first JCW product to boast four-wheel drive. Timed to coincide with much vaunted success in the World Rally Championship… Oh.

Subaru XV gets another price cut – down by £2300 across the XV range

The Subaru XV (pictured) gets a price cut of £2,300 across the range Over a year ago, Subaru launched the new XV in the UK with a starting point of £21,995, Which was decent value for an able Crossover/SUV. But by May of 2013, Subaru had decided there was room to play with the XV’s price – or at least on the 1.6 litre petrol version – and they announced a £1300 price drop for the entry-level petrol XV. But now, just six weeks later, Subaru has decided that the weakening Yen has given them more room to manoeuvre on price and have announced they’re cutting prices across the whole XV range by £2300 (which actually means £1,000 off the new price for the 1.6 litre petrol).

MINI Countryman Cooper & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD

The MINI Countryman Cooper (pictured) & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD We always find it astonishing that car makers ‘ration’ the availability of four wheel drive platforms in their cars, usually citing a ‘lack of demand’. But that lack of demand is usually predicated on the lack of supply, and increasing the supply of 4WD cars would see more sold, especially after a series of harsh winters where many motorists struggled to keep their cars in a straight line. So the decision by BMW to extend the availability of their ALL4 4WD setup to a wider range of MINIs is welcome, with the petrol Countryman Cooper and Paceman Cooper now getting the ALL4 option too.