*Post updated with pictures from the NY Auto Show

If you can tell what has just changed on the 2015 MINI Countryman just by looking at the press shots, then you must surely be an avid fan of the British brand. Some four years after MINI presented its first ever model with four doors (not counting the tailgate), optional four-wheel drive and a length in excess of four meters (we’re surprised they didn’t call it the…FourMan), the Countryman has been oh, so mildly updated.

Exterior tweaks amount to a revised structure of the hexagonal radiator grille with each version of the Countryman featuring some slight differences such as a pair of matte silver ribs on the Cooper, LED fog, parking and driving lights that are standard on the Cooper S and JCW and optional on the Cooper, and new lighter 17-inch alloy wheels.

Mini also added new metallic shades including the pictured Jungle Green, plus Midnight Grey and Starlight Blue, while the previously optional accent trims on the bumpers and side sills is now standard on ALL4 all-wheel drive models sans the JCW.

A new optional feature for 2015 is the Piano Black Exterior package shown on the press car here and which adds a high-gloss black finish on certain surfaces like the light surrounds, mirrors and roof rails.

Inside, MINI says it added sound-deadening material to optimize “acoustic comfort”, while all trims now come with the same anthracite-colored dials for the engine speed and road speed display as the JCW, with other changes including chrome applications for the ventilation controls.

MINI didn’t mention any mechanical changes for the North America-specification Countryman, but the firm’s European release said that all 4-cylinder petrol and 4-cylinder diesel engines now comply to the upcoming EU6 emission standard and have reduced fuel consumption figures, with the Cooper S also gaining 7hp for a total of 187hp (190PS).

Sales of the 2015 Countryman will begin in the U.S. this summer, following the car’s world premiere at the 2014 New York Auto Show.

By John Halas

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