Mini Countryman Edition to feature more a little more off-roading ability

Despite the brand's victories in the Dakar Rally, the Mini Countryman has been mostly focussed on city driving and gravel roads. The upcoming Edition model will seemingly up the SUV's ability envelope to include easy off-road tracks and camping excursions.

This week Mini revealed official "spy" photos of the Countryman Edition during testing in the Rocky Mountains, ahead of its official unveiling in October.

Mini says the variant is a "special edition", but we don't know how limited its production run will be.

Although the prototype vehicle seen here is covered from head to toe in a camouflage wrap, the exterior design, apart from a cutout around the tow bar attachment point, seems to be straight lift from the Countryman S.

Zooming in we can see the Edition benefits from new, knobbly 225/55 General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres wrapped around 18-inch alloy wheels.

The Edition prototype is fitted with a roof rack with a pop-up tent mounted to it. Given the seemingly limited changes elsewhere, it's likely the tent will be a big part of the car's sales proposition.

We can't see it in these photos, but it's possible the Edition has some extra or toughened up underbody protection. It could also feature a slightly taller ride height.

It's likely the Edition is based on the S as it includes all-wheel drive. If we're right, the Edition will have a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder mild hybrid system driving all four wheels via seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

In Europe and Australia this setup develops a total 160kW and 360Nm, but in the States the engine has been tuned to deliver 177kW with an unchanged amount of torque.

We'll find out more about the Countryman Edition when it's unveiled in October. The launch timing suggests it would've been Mini's main attraction at the Paris motor show, but that won't be the case now as BMW, Mini's parent company, has pulled out of the show to save money.

MORE: Explore the Mini Countryman showroom