This new-gen maxi-MINI arrives in either pure-EV or hot ICE guise for RM 260,000 and RM 380,000 respectively.
MINI Malaysia is certainly in for a busy time in 2024, as introduced alongside their new-shape purely petrol MINI Cooper S during the Malaysia Autoshow 2024 was also the new-generation Countryman. This latest iteration of maxi-MINI is to land locally in both pure electric and pure ICE flavours, with the SE ALL4 and John Cooper Works (JCW) ALL4 trims representing the respective aforementioned powertrain choices.
Now discussing generalities first and delving into a bit of dimensional analysis, it is worth highlighting that this biggest within the MINI range has indeed grown slightly more in its new iteration relative to its predecessor. The Countryman is currently an additional 6 cm taller and a whopping 13 cm longer than its prior iteration, with most of that length added to the overhang of its now rather straight-edged rump.
A departure from the curvaceous rump seen on its predecessor, this new bluff butt on the new Countryman is to be highlighted by a set of rectangular customisable LED taillights that can be customised with three different lighting signatures. This same personalisation can apparently be performed on its LED headlights too, with MINI further touting a specially orchestrated welcome and goodbye animation for each of the modes.
Turning towards the specifics now of each trim, the all-electric Countryman SE ALL4 lands locally in what MINI dubs the Favoured Trim, while the petrol-powered JCW ALL4 naturally features the JCW Trim. The Favoured Trim sees for the e-crossover to net roof and mirror caps in Piano black or Vibrant Silver, window slot cover and door cladding elements in high-gloss black and optical skid plate at the front and rear.
The hot JCW Trim on the other hand sees for the petrol-powered crossover to be characterised by roof and mirror caps in red, a high-gloss black frame surrounding the front grille and logo along with red and black bonnet stripes, high-gloss shaft cover, door cladding elements, as well as the JCW Performance Brakes. While its all-electric counterpart is rolling on 20-inch Windmill Spoke wheels in 2-tone too, the sporty ICE-equipped Countryman instead sports 20-inch JCW Flag Spoke wheels with sport tyres and JCW Performance brakes ahead of its adaptive dampers.
Said sports tyres here on the JCW ALL4 are to be responsible of putting down to the road the 300 hp and 400 Nm of torque, developed by the B48 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder under its hood. As shared with the smaller Cooper S sibling and paired with the same a 7-speed Steptronic dual-clutch transmission, MINI quotes for this sporty flavour of Countryman to achieve a 5.4-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed that is capped at 250 km/h.
Interestingly enough however, those wanting to play the power top trumps should actually instead be looking at the all-electric SE. Such is as its twin-electric motors actually pumps out 13 more horsepower (313 hp) and 94 Nm more torque (494 Nm) than its sporty ICE sibling, with it being near-as-damn-it-as-quick to the century mark at a quoted 5.6 second time too.
With 22 kW AC and 130 kW DC fast charging capabilities as well, MINI is also currently quoting a decently fast 10-80% top-up on the 66.5 kW battery using the latter supply. As for how far it manages to go on one full charge meanwhile, the Countryman SE is currently rated by the WLTP to have a range of 432 km.
As part of the Favoured Trim, the SE ALL4’s interior is furnished with knitted fabric with elegant houndstooth pattern in (the ironically named) Dark Petrol, coloured accent fabric strip and JCW sport seats made of Vescin Beading in Vintage Brown or Dark Petrol. With the JCW Trim meanwhile, the JCW ALL4 features a JCW steering wheel, JCW-specific pattern in Red, Anthracite coloured accent fabric strip and JCW sports seats made of perforated Vescin in JCW Black with Red and Grey accents.
In terms of creature comforts, both Countryman models net the interior and exterior mirror package, interior rear-view mirror with automatic anti-dazzle function, as well as electrically adjustable front seats with memory and massage functions for the driver seat, headliner anthracite and Harman Kardon 12-speaker surround sound system. Taking centre stage on the dashboard of both these crossovers is also a single circular OLED infotainment touchscreen running MINI’s new Android-based Operating System 9, to complement the standard heads up display that takes the place of a digital instrument cluster.
Practicality-wise, the SE ALL4 has a capacity of 460 litres, which can be expanded to 1,350 litres; while the JCW Countryman ALL4 accommodates 505 litres, expandable to 1,530 litres. The rear seats are also incidentally adjustable only on the petrol-powered crossover, likely due to the battery placement on its all-electric counterpart.
Both guises of Countryman are to come with the smartphone-based MINI Digital Key Plus, MINI Driving Sounds, MINI Experience Modes and a 360-degree camera system with Remote 3D View. Driving Assistant and Parking Assistant Plus are standard too on both these premium crossovers, but Driving Assistant Plus and Parking Assistant Professional are an optional extra.
Thanks to the ongoing EV tax incentives, the all-electric Countryman is to currently cost an estimated RM 260,000, while its petrol-powered counterpart will be wearing a price tag in the region of RM 380,000. Both these new-gen MINI crossovers are currently targeted to officially land in local dealerships sometime in the third quarter of this year.
