It looks like the MINI Cooper Countryman
facelift will be making its world debut soon, four years after the
second-generation F60 model first broke cover. According to our sources, the
updated crossover will be unveiled as early as the first half of this year, and
this set of spy photographs leave nothing to the imagination.
As with the latest crop of MINIs, the F60
Countryman facelift will get the unique Union Jack LED tail lights, and the
lamp covers themselves seem to feature indentations, which would be a first.
The rear bumper is also new – it’s more chiselled, the rear fogs are taller,
and the diffusers feature a sportier mesh pattern.
Up front, the headlights will get a slight
visual overhaul as well. Each side will still get a single projector lens, but
the housing is now squared, giving a more prominent look from afar. Expect the
front bumper to be redesigned as well, and along with it some new wheel
designs. Step inside and you’ll be greeted with a largely familiar cabin, but a
closer look at the instrument cluster reveals a brand new, fully-digital panel
that’s identical in shape and size as that on the Cooper SE.
The leather-wrapped multifunction steering
wheel looks to be the same from before, as are the centre infotainment display
and multimedia controls. Like the recent update, the Countryman also shares the
same oblong-shaped electronic gear shifter for the seven-speed DCT, but certain
markets are set to get the carryover six-speed manual option as well.
For powertrain, things should remain as
is. The entry-level Cooper Countryman will be powered by BMW’s B38 1.5 litre
three-cylinder petrol engine, making 136 hp and 220 Nm, while the Cooper S gets
the B48 2.0 litre four-potter with 192 PS and 280 Nm of torque. The
range-topping JCW, on the other hand, gets the most potent B48 unit, tuned to
make 306 PS and 450 Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four corners (ALL4
all-wheel drive) via an eight-speed torque converter automatic, enough to send
the hot crossover from 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically
limited to 250 km/h.
The final petrol offering is the 1.5 litre
plug-in hybrid variant, that is the Cooper S E Countryman. This electrified
power plant delivers a combined system output of 224 PS and 385 Nm of torque,
and would sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds. However, the PHEV’s top
speed is 198 km/h. There are diesel models in other markets as well, but all
variants should come with the trademark flip-out Picnic Bench.
