Mini owners aren’t exactly off-road nuts, not even when their cars come fitted with Mini’s ALL4 all-wheel-drive. That, however, might change with a little input from Dakar Rally specialist X-raid.

The team behind Mini’s resounding victories at Dakar is now using its rally and motorsport expertise to beef up your Countryman. You know, in case grocery-getting becomes boring.

How about some Dakar flavor for your weekend adventures?

That’s what X-raid promises to deliver should you trust them with your Countryman. And why shouldn’t you? X-raid’s racing pedigree speaks for itself through builds such as the Mini ALL4 Racing and the John Cooper Works Buggy.

It all starts with a good ol’ raised ground clearance. X-raid can take your Countryman 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) higher off the ground by installing a body lift kit, off-road rims, and rally-style Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires that feature higher flanks to offer better protection when travelling over rocky surfaces.

Mini says that “the fording depth and the ramp angle are significantly optimized” without actually offering any sort of figures to support the claim.

On the visual side, X-raid can add a pair of LED lights for better vision in the dark on rough terrain as well as a lightweight aluminum roof rack. Finishing touches come dressed as Piano Black bits and bobs spiced up with orange X-raid elements.

There’s no word on pricing - you’ll have to get in touch with X-raid for that - but we’re told that you can opt for the whole package or just individual elements for your Countryman.

Final word

We figure that X-raid can apply its treatment to any Countryman variant, but the one shown in the pictures is the Cooper S Countryman. It packs a 2-liter, gasoline-fed, four-cylinder turbo mill good for 189 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 207 pound-feet of twist at 1350 rpm. That’s enough for a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds. If you opt for the ALL4 AWD, then the sprint time drops to seven seconds flat and you also gain more off-roading prowess that goes hand in hand with X-raid’s philosophy.

2020 Mini Countryman X-raid specifications