Industry design trends have left the world with a deficit of cute cars. The modern bias has been to give vehicles a menacing aura, ideally nodding to the model boasting some kind of off-road performance. Despite being known for fielding playful automobiles, Mini has decided to update the Countryman using that exact recipe with the new Untamed Edition.
The crossover receives a set of all-new Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires which will be wrapped around 19-inch light-alloy wheels that will be exclusive to the trim. The manufacturer has said that the additional height of the tires, combined with a 15-millimeter suspension lift, results in the Untamed Edition offering 19 millimeters (0.75 inches) of ground clearance over the standard all-wheel-drive Countryman.
This leaves the model with about 8.75 inches of total distance between the vehicle and whatever it’s trying to drive over. That’s about what you’d find on the standard Subaru Crosstrek, which should be sufficient for the kind of off-roading we imagine most drivers will be doing.
It also comes with new side sill designs and unique (front and rear) “underbody protection elements finished in Dark Steel.” However, since BMW Group didn’t feature a bunch of photos of the Minis undercarriage, we’re assuming these fall short of being hard-wearing skid plates designed for rock crawling. That said, some protection is better than no protection at all.
The same goes for the “textured protective films” Mini applied to the Untamed Edition’s wheel arches, side sills, and hood.
Buyers aren’t getting the kind plastic cladding that’s supposed to protect the wheel arches of more serious off-road vehicles. But we imagine they’ll still help mitigate stuffing or rock chips just by existing. Having some on the hood may likewise reduce glare to a limited degree. But it’s pretty clear that a lot of these features are just aesthetic touches designed to make the Countryman look more macho.
This carries over into some of the design choices made within the cabin and numerous decals that denote the special trim level. But Mini has thankfully attempted to make this more than just an appearance package.
The model has the option to be fitted with a trailer hitch that allows the vehicle to tow a maximum of 3,500 pounds. Buyers will also receive roof rails by default, which can accommodate 165 pounds while the Countryman is in motion and 660 pounds when it’s stationary — which becomes relevant when you find out about Mini’s partnership with Autohome.
The duo have cobbled together a rooftop tent that’s been specially designed for the Countryman. Helinox has also brought into this arrangement by way of designing an array of camping furniture that’s supposed to complement the vehicle.
All of these accessories have to be purchased after the fact, with the involved companies banking on the fact that drivers will want to accessorize. Considering this is something Mini already leans heavily into in terms of colors, materials, trims, and special editions — knowing its clientele will often pay extra for said customization — the decision makes a lot of sense.
What’s a little more perplexing is seeing the brand trying to toughen up its image when it was one of the few automakers still selling what could arguably be considered cute cars. The Untamed Edition doesn’t even come in particularly fun paint colors. Instead, Mini has given it the trim-exclusive Hideaway Grey and (matte) Frozen Nomad Blue hues — with Nanuq White and Midnight Black being your only other options. Contrasting roofs appear to remain an option.
Your author’s baseless assumption is that these kinds of vehicles are a response to the sense that we’re living through uncertain times. Everyone seems convinced that there’s a nonzero probability that they might need to suddenly flee into the woods someday. There’s likewise a sense that meaner looking cars can intimidate other drivers, perhaps providing some form of psychological advantage on the road.
How much of that happens to be legitimate is highly debatable, however.
Fortunately for automakers, these are all easily marketable items that can be used to raise the price of modern automobiles. SUVs and crossovers boast higher profit margins than traditional passenger cars and it’s often those boasting rugged features (or at least look the part) that garner the most attention. Aggressive styling has also become so mainstream that we’ve actually seen a few brands moving away from the trend to help distinguish their newest models. But this rarely applies to vehicles marketed as being rugged and capable of tackling rough terrain.
In fact, automakers have shrewdly been doing everything they can to position those kinds of vehicles as high on the trim ladder as possible. This is likewise the case with the 2027 Countryman S Untamed Edition, which starts at $45,250.
That’s $5,000 more than the base trim once you’ve accounted for the destination fee. But customers do receive the Comfort Package Plus and some other features by default. Having accounted for the upgraded sound system and additional technology features, the Untamed Edition is effectively asking for $1,600 to gain access to the lifted suspension, gnarly tires, modest underbody protection and the rather extensive appearance package.
Practically everything else is available via a moderately optioned Countryman S ALL4, which comes with the same 2.0-liter turbo sending 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
We’ve seen automakers issue trims consisting of nothing but aesthetic changes for thousands of dollars before, making the Untamed Edition feel a little more reasonable. Customers are at least getting features that should make it a tad more handy on rough terrain, rather than just buying something that looks the part.
However, the Mini Countryman exists in a space where one can view it as either a relative bargain or extravagantly priced. Compared to other luxury subcompacts, the Countryman is priced quite competitively. Placed alongside mainstream equivalents, that value proposition begins to dissolve — even if some of those competing models are likely to lack things like standard all-wheel drive or equivalent levels of power in their base formats.
Mini said that it will eventually be an Untamed Edition of the electric Mini Countryman SE, too. Details and pricing on that model are yet to be determined. But we imagine it’ll shake out to be roughly the same feature set as the gasoline-powered version. Assume the automaker will add a little under $2,000 to a roughly $50,000 EV equipped with the Iconic trim and Comfort Package Plus.
Meanwhile, the 2027 Mini Countryman S Untamed Edition should be available for several thousand less once production commences in March.
[Images: BMW Group]
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