Europe vs the US – The New MINI Countryman and its Horsepower Differences Will Surprise You
If you’ve been following our coverage on the new (U25) MINI Countryman internal combustion models you’ll notice an unusual discrepancy. The US spec versions of the Countryman S and Countryman JCW have noticeable more power than the European versions. Historically it’s been the opposite with US regulations affecting the output of European cars in order to meet emissions regulations. However things are changing in a big way.
Now that European regulations are becoming more aggressive, we’re seeing a pretty major shift in what market has more power. Let’s start by looking at the recently release MINI Countryman S with ALL4. In Europe and the UK that car comes equipped with a mild hybrid version of the B48 to lower C02 and fall into compliance with the stringent emissions. MINI USA decided to not take the mild hybrid version of the B48 for several reasons. For one it’s not needed as the B48 easily meets emissions standards. Second MINI USA preferred to reduce the weight and complexity of the car for better overall performance. The upside is the Countryman S in the US will make 241 hp and 295 lbs ft.
It’s a similar story on the Countryman JCW however with no mild hybrid to confuse things. There European and UK versions of the Countryman JCW have their B48 tuned to 300 hp due to the same emissions compliance issues. The US market was able to stretch things a bit to 312 hp – a new high power figure for the MINI brand.
Europe vs The US – MINI Countryman S and JCW Technical Specifications
| Countryman Model | Countryman C (Europe) | Countryman S (Europe) | JCW (Europe) | Countryman S (USA) | JCW (USA) |
| Power | 170 hp | 204 hp | 300 hp | 241 hp | 312 hp |
| Torque | TBD | 266 ft lbs | 295 ft lbs | 295 ft lbs | 295 ft lbs |
| Transmission | 7 speed DCT | 7 speed DCT | 7 speed DCT | 7 speed DCT | 7 speed DCT |
| Drivetrain | front wheel drive | all-wheel | all-wheel | all-wheel | all-wheel |
| Powertrain type | petrol/mild hybrid | petrol/mild hybrid | petrol | petrol | petrol |
| Cylinders | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Displacement | 1499 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 |
| Engine Power | 156 hp / 4700 – 6500 | 201 hp | 300 hp | TBD | 313 hp |
| Engine Torque | 177 hp / 4700 – 6500 | 266 ft lbs | 295 ft lbs | TBD | 295 lb |
| Electric Power | 19 hp (temporary) | 19 hp (temporary) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Electric Torque | TBD | TBD | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 0-60 mph | 8.3 | TBD | 5.2 | TBD | 5.1 |
| Maximum speed | 132 mph | TBD | 132 mph | 132 mph | 155 mph |
| Curb weight (LBS) | 3,571 lbs | TBD | TBD | TBD | 3,825 lbs |
This change will likely affect all petrol powered MINI including the forthcoming F66 MINI Cooper which will debut this February and go on sale in March.
Check back for more details and technical specifications as we uncover them.
If you really care about horse power, you will tune the engine anyway and get the same power since the engines are the same in S and JCW. You will not feel the additional weight in such a big car. The only difference will be acceleration from stopped 0, but let’s be honest – you will use launch control a couple of times and forget about it, especially because of the triggering it in BMWs and MINIs.