With a refined look, smart interior upgrades, and a peppy 3-cylinder engine, it’s MINI’s idea of adventure on four wheels, dressed up in a compact, ready-for-anything frame.

The Countryman C has gained a few centimetres since its predecessor; 13 cm longer, 8 cm taller.

MINI’s signature octagonal grille is there, but it’s been redesigned to stand out even more, framed by distinctive LED lights that bring out its bold, upright character.

Add short overhangs and those signature MINI lines, and you have a car that’s sporty and modern yet still distinctly MINI.

Standard on the Countryman C are sleek Piano Black roof rails that add a hint of ruggedness. And with 202 mm of ground clearance, the Countryman C is equipped to handle Singapore’s occasional rough patches or even a countryside jaunt if you’re up for it. 

The 18-inch Asteroid Spoke wheels are a nice finishing touch, giving it an assertive stance that feels right at home.

MINI’s designed the Countryman C’s interior to feel as spacious as it is comfortable. With enough room for five adults, the interior is practical with patterned multi-tone textile seats that add a bit of flair to the cockpit.

Fold the backrest down 40:20:40, and you’ll get from 450 litres to 1,460 litres of trunk space.

At the centre of the dashboard sits the new, round OLED display. It controls everything from infotainment to driving assistance, all at your fingertips.

MINI’s added their Experience Modes, which let you change up the cockpit’s look and feel with different visuals, lighting, and sounds. And, of course, there’s the MINI toggle bar, a signature touch that lets you handle all essential driving functions.

Under the hood, the Countryman C is powered by a 1.5-litre MINI TwinPower Turbo engine. Now, 119hp may sound modest, but with 230Nm of torque at your disposal, this SUV delivers the punch you expect from a MINI.

Acceleration is brisk (0 to 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds) and it’ll top out at 194km/h. The TwinPower Turbo technology keeps things efficient, while the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission ensures smooth shifts and responsive handling.

Fuel consumption is set an average of 6.8litres/100 km, which is impressive for an SUV of this size.

Daren Ching, Head of MINI Asia, summed it up well: “After welcoming the John Cooper Works and Electric versions earlier this year, we’re thrilled to introduce the Countryman C as a new, Category A COE option for Singapore’s rugged adventurers. Compact, agile, and packed with personality, the Countryman C is built for exploring the big wide world.” 

With a retail price of S$242,888, the Countryman C is a premium choice in the compact SUV category, but it offers a lot of value in return. Between its eye-catching design, spacious interior, and efficient engine, it’s the kind of SUV that lets you enjoy the best of both worlds: urban convenience with a touch of rugged spirit.

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Street go-karting is now going electric, thanks to a relentless push by MINI toward electrification of its entire model range. Two models, the Cooper and Countryman, were on display at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Munich.

Let’s start first with the Cooper, which is no longer an engine specification. Moving forwards, ‘Cooper’ will refer to all MINI three-door and five-door models as well as the Convertible in E and SE variants with the latter featuring higher output and range.

The electric motor in the Cooper E puts out 184 hp and 290Nm of torque and accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds while featuring a WLTP range of 305km. The Cooper SE ups the ante with 218hp and 330Nm of torque to dispatch the century sprint in just 6.7 seconds and with 402km range. Stylistically, this is still distinctively a MINI.

The interior is minimalist while elegant, in a nod to classic MINI, with a slim dashboard and multifunction steering wheel for that go-kart feeling. Now with a centrally-mounted OLED display called the MINI Interaction Unit, this display is crisp and bright to read while being rather generously-sized at 240mm diameter. A newly-designed toggle bar with five switches includes all driving functions and sits just below the circular display.

Since there’s no need for a traditional gear lever, additional storage space is now liberated between the front seats. There’s also a wireless charge pad for one’s mobile phone.

A specially-developed knitting process is used to create the two-colour textile that adorns the dashboard. Optionally available are up to seven MINI Experience Modes cause special light projections to extend the colours of the OLED display across the dashboard – a nifty touch indeed!

The next model on display is the new MINI Countryman, now 6cm taller and 13cm longer than its predecessor and offering even more space and comfort within. Four roof colours are available while wider wheel arches solidify the rugged nature of the Countryman.

Two variants, E and SE ALL4, are available with the former featuring 204hp and 250Nm of torque from its single electric motor to sprint from standstill to 100km/h in 8.6 seconds. The latter has two electric motors, one on each axle, and put down a combined 313hp and 494Nm of torque to dust off the same sprint in 5.6 seconds. The Countryman E has a WLTP range of 462km and the Countryman SE ALL4 433km.

Thanks to its more generous proportions, the Countryman is the largest and most spacious MINI model on the inside.

Just like the MINI Cooper, we find the centrally-mounted circular OLED display here with MINI Operating System 9, two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, five driver toggle switches and woven textile surfaces with eight different MINI Experience Modes with light projections.

Four trims will be available, namely Essential, Classic, Favoured and JCW. We can’t wait until these new electric MINI models hit Singapore’s shores.

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What happens when one hankers after a Mini but needs more interior space? Well, one buys a Maxi Countryman!

With five doors, the Countryman has successfully served as Mini’s largest vehicle on sale and is great if one needs to carry around four passengers or drop the rear seatbacks for more cargo capacity. The Countryman, the do-almost-anything Mini, is now about to go all-electric in its next generation.

Being electric, it will be easier and more straightforward to implement the optional all-wheel drive for those who need it in snowy climates and for soft-roading. When it goes into production in Leipzig, Germany in November 2023, there will initially be two variants. The Countryman E will feature 191hp and front-wheel drive, while the Countryman SE ALL4 will be all-wheel drive and put down 313hp to the road courtesy of an electric motor on each axle. Battery capacity is said to be 64.7kWh, meaning an estimated range of around 450km.

This new electric Countryman will also grow in dimensions. With its length gaining 13cm and height of almost 6cm, the interior space should be larger for more passenger comfort and cargo carrying capacity.

To keep with the environmentally-conscious theme of being all-electric, this new Countryman will eschew all decorative elements inside and out, meaning fewer materials are needed in its construction. Its cast-alloy rims will be made from up to 70 per cent recycled aluminium, and the surfaces of the dashboard, steering wheel, headliner, carpet and floor mats will be made from recycled PET bottles and carpet remnants.

Even the production plant at Leipzig is not spared the ‘green’ treatment, with four wind turbines generating up to 20GWh of electricity from wind energy annually. Up to 700 high-voltage batteries reclaimed from BMW i3 vehicles are used to store said generated electricity. This goes toward a more holistic approach to building sustainable vehicles.

That’s all well and good, but what does the new Countryman look like? We can’t wait for the camo wrap to come off later this year.

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