Reykjavik. Anyone who wanted to know where elves,
fairies, gnomes or trolls lived could once ask Erla Stefansdottir. She
was Iceland’s elf commissioner and often advised the building
authority so that new roads would not cross magical places. In this
respect, when travelling by car from the capital Reykjavik along the
few paved and unpaved roads to the most westerly places in Europe, one
need not fear waking sleeping supernatural beings. Especially not in
the MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 (fuel consumption combined: 6.5 –
6.2/100 km according to EU, CO2 149 – 142 g/km).
If you want to experience Iceland, you can’t avoid using part of the
Ring Road 1 from the capital Reykjavik. Even here, the MINI Cooper S
Countryman ALL4 with its smooth-running two-litre four-cylinder engine
shows just how good it is to travel with 131 kW/178 hp. The MINI
Cooper S Countryman ALL4 – supported by the eightspeed Steptronic
gearbox – accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds. However, it
cannot live up to its possible top speed of 222 km/h because more than
90 km/h is not permitted anywhere. On gravel roads – and there are
many of them, as in Iceland only about 4300 kilometres of road are
asphalted – the maximum speed is 80 km/h, and even that can be too fast.
Heading west, the “1” first takes island explorers to
Bogarnes, the economic centre of West Iceland with a fabulous
panoramic view. The town’s hot water comes from Iceland’s largest hot
water spring, Deildartunguhver, with 180 litres per second. From here,
it is worth taking a detour along highway 54 to the
167-square-kilometre Snaefellsjökull National Park, dominated by a
1446-metre-high volcanic cone. Thousands of seabirds populate the
Londrangar rock towers. Also worth seeing is Dritvik Bay with the
ruins of the only fishing station and the black lava gravel beach of Djupalonssandur.
Even though many paths along the coasts can only be explored by feet,
the ALL4 all-wheel drive system provides Icelanders with the best
traction wherever cars are allowed to drive. After all, loose ground
and water crossings are commonplace on almost every tour in
Iceland.The system is based on an electromechanically operating centre
differential that distributes the drive power continuously between the
front and rear axles – depending on requirements. Up to 100 percent
can be directed to the rear; the normal driving condition ensures a
50:50 distribution. The 16.5 centimetres of ground clearance of the
MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 has a calming effect on Iceland, because
even asphalt roads surprise with deep potholes due to frost, among
other things, which the MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 can easily cope
– thanks to plenty of space under the floor and a sophisticated chassis
Continue to the small fishing town of Stykkisholmur, once a trading
centre of the German Hanseatic League, now proud of its striking
modern church and many old homes. Turn left from the 54 onto the 60
heading north, leading travellers to the particularly wild and
pristine Westfjords landscape, where the land masses between the
fjords look like fingers stretching towards Greenland. The 60 and 62
lead to the westernmost point of Europe, Bjargtangar lighthouse, on
the 14-kilometre-long Lätrabjarg cliff. Among other things, thousands
of puffins live on rocks with a maximum height of 440 metres – a real
change from the sight of the many sheep and Icelandic horses that
otherwise populate the island.
Maybe this is the right place to spend the night – why not in a roof
tent carried along by the Italian manufacturer Autohome? The black box
weighs 58 kilos and measures 210 by 130 centimetres. With the carrier,
the MINI is just 2.05 metres high. Setting up the tent is easy: unlock
the box at the front and back, gas pressure springs open the flap. The
tent is boarded via an aluminium folding ladder. Mesh pockets hold the
little things people need every night, and an LED light provides a
clear view. The next morning, the box is closed again with straps, and
that’s it.
Freshly fortified, we continue to our next destination, Bildudalur –
and because we are in the land of elves and trolls, you must visit the
creepy Skrimslasetrid Museum for Sea Monsters and Monsters in
Strandgata 7 to enjoy interactive and multimedia entertainment. Things
get louder further north at Dynjandi, where you’ll find the
“Thundering”, “Roaring” or “Raging”:
Iceland’s probably most beautiful waterfall is around 100 metres high
and shines with six steps. The protected natural monument is 30 metres
wide at the top and 60 metres wide at the bottom and extremely impressive.
Almost like the MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4, which at an overall
length of 4.3 metres and a wheelbase of 2.67 metres, it offers plenty
of space for five people. A few more live in Isafjördur further north
– with 2700 inhabitants, the town marks the Westfjord metropolis with
captain’s houses, fishermen’s monument and an archway made of
whalebone. This is the right place for souvenir shopping, which can be
safely stored in the boot with a minimum capacity of 450 litres. If
only two people are travelling, the souvenirs can be much larger – in
this case the MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 can hold up to 1390
litres. Enough space to take a little salt with you: In Reykjanes,
it’s worth visiting the “Salzverk” – salt is extracted from
the earth in a climatefriendly way with the help of 100-degree
hot water.
Fuel consumption, CO2 emission figures and power consumption were
measured using the methods required according to Regulation VO (EC)
2007/715 as amended. They refer to vehicles on the automotive market
in Germany. For ranges, the NEDC figures take into account
differences in the selected wheel and tyre size, while the WLTP
figures take into account the effects of any optional equipment.
All figures are already calculated on the basis of the new WLTP
test cycle. NEDC values listed have been calculated back to the NEDC
measurement procedure where applicable. WLTP values are used as a
basis for the definition of taxes and other vehicle-related levies
that are (also) based on CO2 emissions and, where applicable, for
the purposes of vehicle-specific subsidies. Further information on
the WLTP and NEDC measurement procedures is also available at www.bmw.de/wltp.
For further details of the official fuel consumption figures and
official specific CO2 emissions of new cars, please refer to the
“Manual on the fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and power consumption
of new cars”, available at sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil
Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760
Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at https://www.dat.de/co2/.
In case of queries, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Julian Kisch, Press Spokesperson Product Communication
MINI
Tel.: +49-89-382-38072
E-mail: julian.kisch@mini.com
Andreas Lampka, Head of Communication MINI
Tel.:
+49-89-382-23662
E-mail: andreas.lampka@mini.com
Jennifer Treiber-Ruckenbrod, Head of Communication MINI and BMW
Motorrad
Tel.: +49-89-382-35108
E-mail: jennifer.ruckenbrod@bmwgroup.com
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the
BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles
and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility
services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production
and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global
sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles
and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax
in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting
to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 120,726 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the
future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and
efficient resource management central to its strategic direction,
from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase
of all products.
www.bmwgroup.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup