Mini Countryman prototypes wearing full camouflage do not usually come with a pop-up tent on the roof. The one heading to the Rebelle Rally does, and it is about to spend 1,500 miles proving whether that gear is more than a costume.
Mini USA is entering the off-road navigation rally for the first time, fielding a new adventure-oriented variant built on the current Countryman that it plans to reveal globally just before the event. Driver Felicia Killman and navigator Erika Ferrer will pilot it across Nevada and California during the 2026 running.
Mini has confirmed the vehicle exists, that it is based on the Countryman, and that it represents a more rugged, adventure-focused model variant rather than a simple appearance package. Official materials still stop short of calling it a full production model for the United States, and they do not outline its powertrain or firm US sales timing ahead of the reveal.
Three BMW Group engineers, James Wallace, Dennis Heaphy, and Eran Garma, led the build around off-road durability rather than outright speed. "For every bracket, every mount, every panel, we gave thought to what happens when it is in such rigorous conditions forty miles from pavement," Wallace said. He added that testing and adjusting were the only way to solve it.
0-liter four-cylinder rated at 241 horsepower, with the JCW variant reaching 312 horsepower. Whether either engine carries over to this adventure build or something else entirely remains unconfirmed until the reveal.
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