Mini’s largest car ever, the new Countryman SUV, will touch down in Australia early next year.
The brand has confirmed the petrol Countryman will hit local showrooms in the first quarter of 2024 in base Countryman C, and more powerful Countryman S guises.
The electric Countryman and the most powerful petrol Countryman JCW will follow in the third quarter of 2024.
Pricing and final specifications haven’t been locked in.
In Germany, Mini is offering a mild-hybrid 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder in base cars, which incorporates an electric motor providing 14kW of additional power.
Total system outputs for the mild-hybrid powertrain are 125kW of power and 280Nm of torque. Mini quotes a top speed of 212km/h for the 1.5-litre turbocharged mild hybrid engine.
The Countryman JCW will use the same engine as the BMW X1 M35i: a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine generating 221kW (5750-6500rpm) and 400Nm (2000-4500rpm) in European specification.
-
Countryman JCW -
The JCW will also adopt the dual-clutch automatic transmission from the BMW X1 M35i. Mini quotes a top speed of 250km/h for the Countryman JCW.
The new JCW’s outputs are down 4kW and 50Nm on the outgoing model, while it’s 0.3 seconds slower to 100km/h with a 5.4-second sprint time.
In markets like the United States and Australia, the X1 M35i receives a slightly adjusted tune of this engine with 233kW of power and an unchanged 400Nm of torque. It’s unclear if the Countryman will follow suit.
The Countryman E has a single electric motor producing 150kW of power and 250Nm of torque. It’s claimed to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.6 seconds.
The Countryman SE, on the other hand, has a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup with system outputs of 230kW and 494Nm. It’s claimed to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds.
Both of these variants have a 64.7kWh battery pack, with the Countryman E and SE having WLTP claimed ranges of 462km and 433km, respectively.
