MINI Countryman facelift now here: Cooper S, RM244k

The New MINI Countryman Cooper S (3)

Still fresh from its New York show debut in April, the facelifted MINI Countryman has quietly set its wheels onto Malaysian soil, with minor blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tweaks designed to freshen the four-year-old maxi MINI.

First, the price – available in just the higher-performance Cooper S variant for now (the regular Cooper was conspicuously missing from BMW Malaysia’s press release), the new Countryman retails at RM243,888 on-the-road without insurance and with the MINI Service Inclusive package. That’s a whole RM15k less than the previous Cooper S.

Now, on to what’s new – exterior changes are limited to a new grille with a revised structure, a chrome horizontal grille and a small “S” badge not unlike the M badges now fitted on the kidney grilles on BMW’s performance M cars. LED fog lights and LED daytime running lights are now standard fitment, while xenon headlights and the 18-inch anthracite Turbo Fan alloy wheels carry on from before.

The New MINI Countryman Cooper S (4)

Inside, the new Countryman gets a MINI Visual Boost infotainment system with a 6.5 inch LCD screen and MINI Connected functionality. There are also darker dials for the central speedometer and the rev counter, as well as improved interior insulation for better acoustic comfort. The Gravity Carbon Black leather upholstery, Piano Black trim and Chrome Line pack are all carried over from the old Cooper S.

Under the bonnet, the Cooper S’ Prince 1.6 litre direct-injected turbo four is also carried over, but it has been tweaked to produce 190 PS – 6 PS more than before – while torque remains at 240 Nm (260 Nm on overboost). The six-speed automatic gearbox is retained, but unlike the previous model, the new local-spec car ditches the ALL4 permanent four-wheel drive system, which explains the price difference.

The New MINI Countryman Cooper S (6)

The lighter weight this move contributes, combined with measures made to optimise aerodynamics and efficiency, mean that the 0-100 km/h sprint is now half a second quicker than before at 7.8 seconds, while the top speed has been raised by 7 km/h to 212 km/h. Combined fuel consumption has also dropped by 0.6 litres per 100 km, now sitting at 7.5 litres per 100 km.

Finally, the colours – Jungle Green (shown here) and Midnight Grey join the rest of the existing hues, while Starlight Blue from the Paceman range is available on the Countryman for the first time. The new MINI Countryman will be available at all MINI dealerships from this weekend (November 15 and 16) onwards. Interested? You can read our review of the pre-facelifted model from Hamburg, Germany.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • cendol (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    Definitely rather buy 320i than this kelisa lookalike

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 6
  • wow…COOl…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
  • sudonano (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    For me, I just hope the suspension is now retuned for a better ride, the original Countryman suspension was hard, just overly hard for what it was, could have been a bit softer without affecting drivability.

    Sadly, the same Gravity Leather Black is being reused again, one of the issues with it is it feels a bit cheap and rather hard, not comfortable over time. The more pressing issue is the price. 250k, is a lot of money for this. The BMW 118i which is just that much nicer is cheaper, heck you can go all out for the BMW 125i M Sport, which by far is amazing. RWD, M sport suspension, way nicer interior… And it is built by the real Germans, in Germany. Not some funny Inokom IKEA flatpack thingamajig.

    And mind you, this is coming from an ex-owner of a Cooper S Countryman. I love MINI, and am looking at the 5 door MINI Hatch, but I can tell you, this is not the best product from their lineup. I won’t even call it premium.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 3
    • cendol (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      sudonano, are you by any chance involved in automotive industry too?
      You seem knowledgeable in automotive segment.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
      • sudonano (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 6:41 pm

        Nah I’m not. I am in engineering, which is why I love how cars work.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 2
    • you can afford a countryman? wow i envy you. I can only afford an axia

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    dropping the 4wd system isn’t entirely a bad thing. but would be good if it was still an option.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
    • sudonano (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 6:49 pm

      ALL4 had one big issue. Weight.

      At no point did I feel the Cooper S Countryman ALL4 I had needed 4WD, but it did reduce the fuel economy. On the other hand, I still feel things like the X1 should have xDrive as standard.

      Also, I would have preferred if BMW actually got rid of the current PSA Prince 1.6 THP used in this Countryman, I think the newer BMW based engine used in the new MINI Hatch would have been a much better unit. The PSA Prince, I’m not sure, but the tuning is very French, you can feel the turbo kicking in, good fun at the limit no doubt (I loved the on rails feel, in the time I had it, can take over all those curves and slip roads and speed, no drama which the engine revving) but…. in city traffic, you can easily find the part where the turbo is not spooled up. BMW’s in house turbos don’t usually do that.

      Though I must say, one thing good about the Countryman, the xenon lights, are really fantastic. At night, perfect! 10/10 for the headlights. The interior mood lighting is a cool touch too….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • policeman on Nov 06, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Interior macam Proton Gen2. Bulat bulat, everywhere bulat. Speedometer looks like a giant anus.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
  • Frenchman on Nov 06, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    I still would prefer 208 GTi for god’s sake..coz it also powered by the same 1.6 Prince engine.

    I juz need a normal spec but powerful car, not as premium as MINI.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • seancorr (Member) on Nov 06, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    Wow at that price…as mentioned above the 125i sounds like a better deal if you do not need the raised height in this Countryman.

    Mini will always remain as a novelty item here in Bolehland…most people who can afford 250k for a car will most likely pick another model.

    Kudos to BMW Malaysia for lowering the price of Minis by a bit this time around though.

    On a side note….where’s the Mini One with the 1.2l turbo engine?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • 4G63T DSM on Nov 07, 2014 at 11:00 am

      They technically didn’t lower price. They decontented it by remove the ALL4

      250K seems like a tall order to ask for something like this. 118, 125, 316, 320, X1, A200, even the A250, Golf GTI……and it goes on. but if one is dead set on a Big Mini, then I suppose its the only option.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • heard that mini’s reliability is not really good. anybody could verify that?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • Same as bmw, people say reliability not really good but we can see many Minis on the road.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • MINI fan on Nov 07, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    Is this model assembled in Malaysia or imported?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Simon on Nov 21, 2014 at 11:16 am

    The 2WD Countryman S is only offered to bring the price point down under 250K for the psychological factor for the local market. If you read any trusted reviews you will find the 2WD/FWD S suffers from significant torque steer and bump steer which the ALL4 smoothly removes and is safer for all lousy road conditions in Malaysia.

    When queried why at various dealers, the salespeople only could offer that we in Malaysia have no concern about safety! The truth hurts for those who DO! No more ALL4!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Wayne on Jan 16, 2015 at 3:23 pm

    contact me to arrange MINI Cooper car test drvie.
    my contact number is 0132102976

    our showroom at:
    Sime Darby Auto Bavaria Sdn Bhd
    362, Jalan Tun Razak,
    50400 Kuala Lumpur.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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