Mini Cooper S Countryman - Ultra ’Man

This isn’t your usual MINI Countryman – it has been souped up with hot performance parts

The mini you see here is no ordinary Cooper S Countryman. First and foremost, its enthusiastic owner has dropped the ride height of his Pure Red cross over by no less than 50mm, courtesy of Duell AG coil overs. These aren’t only adjustable in height, but also allow 22-point damping adjustment.

Another major item from tuning house Duell AG (a Japanese out that uses the German short-form for “corporation”) is the front bumper. It looks aggressive without coming across as overly “beng”, and it has functional ducts to cool the engine and front brakes. Also, its fit-and-finish is so fantastic that the uninitiated might think it’s an official accessory direct from the UK factory.

Mini Cooper S Countryman front

The rest of the car’s restyling has been kept subtle, with side skirts and a rear bumper from the MINI John Cooper Works catalogue. The owner, Max, claims that the diffuser built into the rear bumper valance actually keeps the back end of the car solidly planted at 200km/h (in theory at least).

A set of OZ Alleggerita 18-inch alloy wheels completes the exterior makeover, with each rim’s 12 thin spokes offering an unhindered view of the red 4-pot AP Racing brake calipers. These grip a set of slotted, floating discs (which are less likely to warp under heavy, repeated usage), with Goodridge stainless steel braided hoses all around.

Pivotal cockpit role: These Pivot supplementary meters are designed to look “natural” on the dashboard

A really nice touch, but largely unseen (being underneath the car), is the NM Engineering titanium control arms for the rear axle. These are lovingly crafted out of Grade 5 titanium alloy (codename 6AL- 4V), which is mostly used in the aerospace, marine and military industries. Every bar is gun-drilled for even more weight savings, while the threaded rod-ends allow individual dialing of suspension camber – crucial for the Sepang weekend warrior.

Under the hood are more niceties from NM Engineering. This Californian tuning company only works on Minis, so they know what they’re doing, and all their parts are manufactured in the US, the UK, Germany or Japan.

Upon popping the bonnet, the first thing that catches your eye is the TitaNM heat shield. Beautifully made, it helps contain the heat from the turbocharger, and also enables the NM carbon fiber air filter and air charge pipe to do a better job of providing cooler (i.e. denser) air to the 1.6-litre engine.

Mini Cooper S Countryman side

NM’s Open-Air-Box system gives an unrestricted 360 degrees of air supply compared to the typical, sealed air box with a “cool” tube feeding air from outside. According to NM’s own research, the temperature inside the engine room matches the ambient temperature once the car is moving faster than 35km/h. At the same time, the Open-Air-Box also sucks a higher volume of air (according to data from the mass air flow sensor).

The MINI’s turbocharged 4-cylinder has also received an ECU re-flash (by NM Engineering again), which has improved the boost and fuelling/timing parameters. Maximizing the effects of the extra output (said to be 237bhp and 330Nm, up from the standard engine’s 184bhp and 240Nm) is a freer-flowing NM downpipe, together with a Forge Motorsport intercooler (but only with the original Countryman grille).

American pie: Delectable components from California’s NM Engineering give this engine extra bite

Another add-on is a Forge blow-off valve (BOV). Made entirely of aluminum, this BOV has a pressure/vacuum-operated piston valve and no diaphragm (so there’s no chance of failure when the turbo boost pressure is increased). Best of all, it emits an addictive “wooosh” when the throttle is closed suddenly.

As this Countryman is driven primarily by the owner’s wife, the interior is untouched save for a set of Pivot gauges mounted on the steering column – neatly, too, thanks to Pivot’s made-for-MINI twingauge holder that “parks” them on either side of the central tachometer. The water temperature and turbo boost gauges get their data from the ECU OBD-II (on-board diagnostics) port, making installation a snap and the readings, pinpoint accurate. Said gauges are illuminated in orange, just like the main dashboard dials.

Mini Cooper S Countryman back

So much for detailing the mod job – it’s time to hit the countryside in the Countryman. The ride is firm but not uncomfortable, the low-end response is quite decent, and there is noticeably stronger pulling power at higher revs than a stock Cooper S. The stopping is powerful, and speed is “bled off” with ease.

A more invigorating exhaust note would have been welcome, however. We asked Max why he kept the standard exhaust system when there are several LTA compliant alternatives. His answer was simple – nothing out there was legal and yet loud enough. That’s one more thing for him to do in the near future.

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