Other Untamed detailing around the cabin includes that same blue colour on the fabric strap that forms the third spoke of the MINI’s chunky steering wheel, hard-wearing rubber floor mats and a neat storage box between the front seats.
The rest is as you’ll find in any Countryman, with a circular OLED touchscreen, wireless charging pad on the centre console and some proper buttons, even if the toggle-style drive selector is a bit on the small side.
You get the same 460 litres of boot space, and folding down the rear seats grows that to 1,450 litres. If you’re planning an even bigger adventure, the MINI will tow up to 2,000kg with a braked trailer.
For those inclined, MINI offers an Untamed branded roof tent made as part of a collaboration with Autohome and a set of fold-up picnic chairs and table by outdoor gear maker Helinox. Thankfully – or not, depending on your viewpoint – we weren’t forced to try it out.
To make matters slightly confusing for buyers in the UK, the petrol model we drove at the car’s US launch does get the raised ride height, and as such is more closely aligned with the electric version we’ll get here. Performance from the turbocharged four-cylinder engine is unchanged, and on the road there’s no notable difference in performance between this and the regular Countryman S.
The more rugged tyres didn’t generate any obvious additional road noise, and body control remains well in check through bends. The Countryman remains fun to drive and still feels a touch sharper and more engaging than some of the more conventional family SUVs on sale. The raised driving position will be a plus to many, of course.
