Mini is preparing an adventure version of the Countryman crossover, premiere in October.
The British brand Mini, owned by the BMW Group, wants to find new customers among outdoor enthusiasts beyond good road infrastructure. A new version of the Mini Countryman with increased ground clearance, additional protection, and more energy-intensive suspension is undergoing testing in the American Rocky Mountains.
The current third-generation Mini Countryman debuted in 2023, and today it has three petrol versions, one diesel version, and two electric versions. The electric versions underwent a minor technical update earlier this year.
We don’t know how the “third” Countryman is selling, since the BMW Group does not disclose sales statistics by model in its reports, but overall the Mini brand is currently on the rise: in the first half of 2026, its global sales, according to the company itself, grew by 11.7% to 149,538 vehicles. Europe is the main sales market for Mini: here, according to ACEA, in the first half of the year, 96,047 new cars of this brand were registered (+20.4% compared to the same period last year). The positive dynamics were driven by the expansion of the model lineup and a surge in demand for electric vehicles due to the sharp increase in petrol and diesel fuel prices.
At the same time, Mini CEO Jean-Philippe Parain believes that the British brand can develop even further and attract buyers in niches where Mini is currently absent. In recent years, demand for adventure vehicles has objectively been growing, especially in the US, and Mini has previously ignored this segment, which tuners took advantage of by offering their own “off-road” versions of the Countryman crossover. Now this shortcoming has been corrected — the premiere of the new, adventure version of the Mini Countryman will take place in October, and it is currently undergoing final testing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
The adventure version of the Mini Countryman does not yet have its own name, and the pre-production cars in testing are wrapped in camouflage. Among the features of the new version, one can notice increased ground clearance, all-terrain General Grabber AT tires with an aggressive tread, and a huge foldable roof tent. In the suspension, more energy-intensive shock absorbers can be expected, and the underbody has likely received stone protection. The exhaust muffler under the rear clearly indicates that the pre-production adventure Countryman is equipped with an internal combustion engine, but this same version may also be offered with a dual-motor electric powertrain.
