Mini Asia and British United Automobiles Inc. (BUAI) jointly announced the availability of the new Mini Countryman, the biggest and most versatile member of the Mini model family. Only one variant of the Country is being sold for now, and that’s the performance-oriented S variant.
First making its global debut in May of 2020, the 2022 Mini Countryman gets a revised grille with gloss black accents, new LED headlights, a new front bumper, and new LED taillights that feature the British flag’s Union Jack design. In typical Mini fashion, the exterior changes are modest, though the British automaker added White Silver Metallic and Sage Green Metallic to the Countryman’s diverse color palette. And then being the S variant, it rides on new 19-inch wheels, while the chrome finishes have been swapped out for gloss black ones.
The updates continue to the interior as there are improved trim finishes and better tech integration. The driver is now greeted to a new 5-inch partly-digital instrument cluster and a new 8.8-inch Mini Connected Media with Mini Connected Navigation Plus infotainment system. Just like before, this is related to BMW’s iDrive operating system, which means it is operated both through touch or through the rotary knob controller. Wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, and electrically-adjustable front seats are also new for this year.
Under the hood of the 2022 Mini Countryman S is a BMW-sourced 2.0-liter inline-4 turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 192 hp and 280 Nm of torque. This is sent to all four wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. With this powertrain, the Countryman S scoots from 0-100 kph in just 7.5 seconds.
As for safety, new for this year is a Park Assist, which is a semi-autonomous parking feature that steers the car into a tricky parking spot. This comes on top of existing safety features such as electronic stability control, hill start assist, front and rear parking sensors, reverse camera, a whole suite of airbags, just to name a few.
The 2022 Mini Countryman S is now on sale at all Mini dealers for P3,750,000.