Get CONTROLS -> Seats, mirrors and steering wheel Guide for Mini Countryman SUV Third Generation (2023-2026)

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

adjust the seat on the driver's side when

the vehicle is stationary.

Vehicle features and options

This chapter describes model-specific

equipment, systems, and functions that are

currently available, or may become available

in the future, even if they are not present in

the vehicle.

Warning

With a backrest inclined too far to the

rear, the protective effect of the seat belt

can no longer be ensured. There is a risk

of sliding under the seat belt in an acci-

dent. There is a risk of injury or danger to

life. Adjust the seat prior to starting the

trip. Adjust the backrest so that it is in the

most upright position as possible and do

not adjust again while driving.

Additional information:

Vehicle equipment, refer to page 8.

Sitting safely

An ideal seat position that meets the needs

of the occupants can make a vital contribu-

tion to relaxed, fatigue-free driving.

Warning

In the event of an accident, having the cor-

rect seat position and using the protection

systems correctly both play an important

role. Follow the information in the following

chapters.

There is a danger of jamming when mov-

ing the seats. There is a risk of injury or

risk of damage to property. Make sure that

the travel path of the seat is clear prior to

any adjustment.

Additional information:

–

Seats, refer to page 97.

Manually adjustable seats

Principle

Manually adjustable seats are operated us-

ing the levers on the seat.

Seat belts, refer to page 102.

Head restraints, refer to page 105.

Airbags, refer to page 167.

Front seats

Safety information

Warning

Seat setting while driving can lead to un-

expected movements of the seat. Vehicle

control could be lost. There is a risk of

accident, injury, or property damage. Only

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

Adjusting the height

Overview

The levers for setting the seats are located

on the front seats.

To adjust the height: On the side of the

seat, push the seat height lever up or down

as many times as necessary for the seat to

reach the desired height.

Setting the longitudinal direction

Warning

Adjusting backrest tilt

If a seat is not locked, it may move

unexpectedly while driving. Vehicle con-

trol could be lost. There is a risk of ac-

cident, injury, or property damage. After

adjusting, move the seat forward or back

slightly, making sure the seat engages

properly.

To adjust the backrest tilt, pull the backrest

tilt lever on the side of the seat and tighten

or loosen the backrest as required.

Electrically adjustable seats

Principle

Electrically adjustable seats are operated

using the switches on the seat.

To adjust the longitudinal direction, pull up

the longitudinal direction lever at the front

of the seat and push the seat in the desired

direction.

The current seat position can be stored us-

ing the memory function.

Additional information:

Memory function, refer to page 110.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

CONTROLS

Overview

Adjusting seat tilt

The switches for setting the seats are lo-

cated on the front seats.

To adjust the seat tilt, flip the seat tilt

switch up or down.

Setting the longitudinal direction

Adjusting backrest tilt

To adjust the seat in the longitudinal direc-

tion, press the longitudinal direction switch

forward or backward.

To adjust the backrest tilt, flip the backrest

tilt switch forward or backward.

Adjusting the seat position

automatically

Adjusting the height

Principle

The seat setting for the driver's seat is

saved to the active MINI ID or driver pro-

file. If the MINI ID or driver profile is reac-

tivated later, the saved position is applied

automatically.

Activate/deactivate the function

To activate/deactivate the automatic seat

adjuster, proceed as follows:

To adjust the seat height, press the seat

height switch up or down.

1. Go through the menu as follows: Apps

menu / "Vehicle" / "Seat comfort" /

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

"Driver" / "Automatically use seat

position".

Turning the seat massage on/off

To turn the seat massage on/off, proceed as

follows:

2. Select the desired setting.

Lumbar support

Principle

The curvature of the seat backrest can be

adjusted in a way that it supports the lum-

bar region of the spine. The lower back and

the spine are supported for upright sitting

position.

1. Go through the menu as follows: Apps

menu / "Vehicle" / "Seat comfort".

2. Select the desired seat.

3. "Seat massage"

4. Select the desired setting, as necessary.

The seat massage is stopped when the lum-

bar support is operated.

Calibrating the front seats

Principle

A Check Control message is displayed on

the Interaction Unit when the electric seat

adjuster is not working properly.

Adjusting the lumbar support

To adjust the lumbar support, proceed as

follows:

–

To increase or decrease the

bulge, press the lumbar support

button forward or backward.

To restore the accuracy of the electric seat

setting, the front seats must be calibrated.

–

To move the bulge up or down, press the

lumbar support button up or down.

Safety information

Functional limitation

Warning

The lumbar support cannot be adjusted at

very high temperatures.

There is a danger of jamming when mov-

ing the seats. There is a risk of injury or

risk of damage to property. Make sure that

the travel path of the seat is clear prior to

any adjustment.

Seat massage

Principle

Using the seat massage helps relax the mus-

cles and improve circulation in the lumbar

region, which, in turn, helps prevent fati-

gue.

Calibrating the front seat

1. To calibrate the front seat, press the lon-

gitudinal direction switch on the seat

forward for approx. 2 seconds until the

seat stops.

Seat massage menu

To go directly to the Seat Massage

menu on the Interaction Unit, press

the seat massage button on the seat.

2. Repeat step 1 until the seat stops then

moves slightly forward.

3. Press the switch forward for approx. 2

seconds again until the seat stops.

4. Repeat step 3 until the seat stops then

moves slightly backward.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

As soon as the message on the Interaction

CONTROLS

Longitudinal direction

Unit disappears, the calibration is complete.

If the message remains active, repeat the

calibration.

Warning

If a seat is not locked, it may move

unexpectedly while driving. Vehicle con-

trol could be lost. There is a risk of ac-

cident, injury, or property damage. After

adjusting, move the seat forward or back

slightly, making sure the seat engages

properly.

If the message is still shown after repeated

calibration, have the vehicle checked by an

authorized service center or another quali-

fied service center or repair shop.

Rear seats

Principle

The backrest tilt and, depending on vehicle

equipment, longitudinal direction can be ad-

justed as needed for the second seat row.

Safety information

Warning

To adjust the longitudinal direction of the

second row seats, pull the longitudinal di-

rection lever at the front of the seat and

push the seat in the desired direction.

There is a danger of jamming when mov-

ing the seats. There is a risk of injury or

risk of damage to property. Make sure that

the travel path of the seat is clear prior to

any adjustment.

Backrest tilt

1. Pull the loop on the side of the seat to

unlock the backrest.

Warning

Seats in the second row of seats are not

locked when they are folded down and

they can move. There is a risk of injury

and risk of damage to property. Only fold

the seats in the second row down while

loading. When driving without a load, fold

back and lock the seats in the second row

before driving away.

2. Apply or lift weight on the backrest as

needed.

After setting the backrest tilt, make sure

that the backrest engages correctly.

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

Safety information

Comfort exit

Warning

Principle

Use of a seat belt to buckle more than one

person will potentially defeat the ability of

the seat belt to serve its protective func-

tion. There is a risk of injury or danger to

life. Do not strap in more than one person

per single seat belt. Infants and children

are not allowed on an occupant's lap, and

must be transported and secured in desig-

nated child restraint systems.

The comfort exit setting makes it easier to

get in/out of the vehicle by automatically

adjusting the seat position and moving the

seat back.

Activating/deactivating comfort

exit

1. Go through the menu as follows: Apps

menu / "Vehicle" / "Seat comfort" /

"Comfort exit".

2. Select the desired setting.

Warning

The protective effect of safety gear, in-

cluding seat belts, can be limited or lost

when seat belts are fastened incorrectly.

An incorrectly fastened seat belt can cause

additional injuries, for instance in the

event of an accident, braking or evasive

maneuvers. There is a risk of injury or

danger to life. Make sure that all occu-

pants are wearing seat belts correctly.

Seat belts

Principle

The vehicle is fitted with five seat belts

to ensure occupant safety. However, they

can only offer protection when adjusted cor-

rectly.

Always make sure that seat belts are being

worn by the occupants before driving off.

The airbags supplement the seat belts as an

additional safety device. The airbags do not

replace seat belts.

Warning

With a rear seat backrest that is not

locked, the protective effect of the middle

seat belt is not guaranteed. There is a risk

of injury or danger to life. If you are using

the middle seat belt, lock the wider rear

seat backrest.

All seat belt anchorage points are designed

to achieve the best possible protective ef-

fect for the seat belts when used properly

and with the correct seat settings.

The two outer seat belt buckles of the rear

seats are intended for the persons sitting on

the left and right.

Warning

The protective effect of safety gear, in-

cluding seat belts, may not be fully opera-

tional or fail in the following situations:

The center seat belt buckle of the rear seats

is intended for the person sitting in the

middle.

Additional information:

Notes on sitting safely, refer to page 97.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

The seat belts or seat belt buckles are

CONTROLS

–

Buckling the seat belt

damaged, soiled, or changed in any

other way.

1. To fasten the seat belt, guide the seat

belt slowly over the shoulder and hip.

Seat belt tensioners or seat belt wind-

ers were modified.

2. Insert the buckle tongue into the seat

belt buckle. The seat belt buckle must

engage audibly.

Seat belts can be imperceptibly damaged

in the event of an accident. There is a risk

of injury or danger to life. Keep clean and

do not modify: seat belts, seat belt buckles,

seat belt tensioners, seat belt winders, and

seat belt anchors. After an accident, have

the seat belts checked by an authorized

service center or another qualified service

center or repair shop.

Correct use of seat belts

To use the seat belts correctly, note the fol-

lowing:

To ease accessibility to the seat belt buckle,

an adjustable slider is available on the belt

to help position the buckle when not in use.

–

Wear the seat belt tight to your body

over your lap and shoulders, without

twisting it.

Unbuckling the seat belt

1. To open the seat belt, hold the seat belt

firmly.

Wear the seat belt deep on your hips

over your lap. The seat belt must not

press on your stomach.

2. Press the red button on the seat belt

buckle.

Do not rub the seat belt against sharp

edges, or guide it or jam it in across

hard or fragile objects.

3. Guide the seat belt back into the seat

belt winder.

–

Avoid thick clothing.

Middle seat belt in the rear

Buckling the seat belt

Re-tighten the seat belt frequently up-

ward around your upper body area.

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

–

When the seat belt on the driver's side

or on the passenger's side is not fas-

tened.

1. To fasten the middle seat belt in the

rear, pull the belt tongues out of the

mount in the roof.

–

When the seat belt is unfastened while

driving.

2. Insert the lower buckle tongue into the

belt lock, arrow 1.

When objects are lying on a seat.

3. Insert the upper buckle tongue into the

seat belt buckle, arrow 2.

Interaction Unit view

The seat belt buckles must engage audi-

bly.

The indicator light on the Interaction Unit

illuminates when drive-ready state is turned

on and when the Seat Belt Warning is on.

Unbuckling the seat belt

1. To open the middle seat belt in the rear,

hold the seat belt firmly.

A Check Control message is displayed

where applicable. Check whether the seat

belt has been fastened correctly.

2. Press the red button on the seat belt

buckle.

Icon

Meaning

Seat belt on the driver's seat

is not buckled.

3. Open the belt lock, arrow 2, with the

buckle tongue, arrow 1.

Seat belt on the passenger

seat or another seat in the

vehicle is not buckled.

Seat belt is buckled on the

corresponding seat.

Seat belt is not buckled on

the corresponding seat.

4. Guide the seat belt to the mount in the

roof.

Rear Occupant Alert

Principle

At the end of the drive, the Rear Occupant

Alert informs the driver that occupants may

be present on the rear seats.

Seat belt reminder

Principle

The Seat Belt Warning warns the driver if

the seat belts are not fastened.

General information

The seat belt reminder becomes active in

the following situations:

If a door with access to the rear seat row is

operated within 30 minutes before starting

a drive, a notice appears on the control dis-

play and a signal tone sounds at the end of

the drive.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

If the drive is continued within 30 minutes,

CONTROLS

the notice is displayed again after the drive

is complete.

Warning

Body parts can be jammed when moving

the head restraint. There is a risk of injury.

Make sure that the area of movement is

clear when moving the head restraint.

Activating/deactivating the Rear

Occupant Alert

To activate or deactivate the Rear Occupant

Alert, proceed as follows:

Warning

1. Go through the menu as follows: Apps

menu / "Vehicle" / "Rear Occupant

Alert".

Objects on the head restraint reduce the

protective effect in the head and neck

area. There is a risk of injury.

2. Select the desired setting.

–

Do not use seat or head restraint cov-

ers.

–

Do not hang objects, for instance

clothes hangers, directly on the head

restraint.

Front head restraints

Safety information

Warning

–

Only use accessories that have been

determined to be safe for attachment

to a head restraint.

Removal or incorrect adjustment of head

restraints can cause injuries in the head

and neck area. There is a risk of injury.

Do not use any accessories, for in-

stance pillows, while driving.

–

Before driving, install the removed

head restraints on the occupied seats.

Adjusting the height

–

Adjust the head restraint so its center

supports the back of the head at as

close to eye level as possible.

–

Adjust the distance so that the head

restraint is as close as possible to the

back of the head. Adjust the distance

via the backrest tilt as needed.

For manually adjustable head re-

straints: After adjusting, make sure

that the head restraint is correctly

engaged.

–

To raise the height of the head restraint,

push the head restraint upward.

To lower the height of the head re-

straint, press the release button on the

backrest, arrow 1, then push the head

restraint downward.

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

John Cooper Works sport seat:

Adjusting the height

The height of the head restraints cannot be

set.

Rear head restraints

Safety information

Warning

Adjusting the distance

The backrest tilt is used to set the distance

between the head restraint and the back of

the seat occupant's head.

Removal or incorrect adjustment of head

restraints can cause injuries in the head

and neck area. There is a risk of injury.

–

Before driving, install the removed

head restraints on the occupied seats.

Adjust the distance so that the head re-

straint is as close as possible to the back

of the head.

–

Adjust the head restraint so its center

supports the back of the head at as

close to eye level as possible.

Removing/attaching head

restraints

Only remove the head restraint if no one

will be sitting in the seat in question.

–

Adjust the distance so that the head

restraint is as close as possible to the

back of the head. Adjust the distance

via the backrest tilt as needed.

For manually adjustable head re-

straints: After adjusting, make sure

that the head restraint is correctly

engaged.

Warning

Body parts can be jammed when moving

the head restraint. There is a risk of injury.

Make sure that the area of movement is

clear when moving the head restraint.

1. Raise the head restraint to the resist-

ance point.

2. Press the release button on the backrest,

arrow 1, then pull the head restraint

completely out.

Warning

Proceed in the reverse order to install the

head restraint.

Objects on the head restraint reduce the

protective effect in the head and neck

area. There is a risk of injury.

John Cooper Works sport seat:

Removing head restraints

–

Do not use seat or head restraint cov-

ers.

–

Do not hang objects, for instance

clothes hangers, directly on the head

restraint.

The head restraints cannot be removed.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

Only use accessories that have been

determined to be safe for attachment

to a head restraint.

CONTROLS

–

Do not use any accessories, for in-

stance pillows, while driving.

Folding down the center head

restraint

–

To raise the head restraint, push the

head restraint upward.

Principle

To improve the view to the rear, the center

head restraint can be folded to the rear.

Only push the head restraint down if no one

will be sitting in the center seat.

To lower the head restraint, press the

release button on the backrest, arrow 1,

then push the head restraint downward.

Removing/attaching head

restraints

Folding the head restraint

Only remove the head restraint if no one

will be sitting in the seat in question.

1. Fold down the corresponding rear seat

backrest.

To fold down the rear seat backrest, fol-

low the steps for enlarging the cargo

area.

2. Raise the head restraint to the resist-

ance point.

Press button, arrow 1, and fold the head

restraint back.

3. Press both release buttons on the back-

rest, arrow 1, simultaneously then pull

the head restraint completely out.

To return the head restraint to its initial

position, fold the head restraint forward as

far as it will go until it engages.

Adjusting the height

To improve the view of the rear, the rear

head restraints can be lowered completely.

Set seat to the lowest position only if no one

will be sitting in the seat.

Additional information:

Enlarging the cargo area, refer to page 304.

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

Proceed in the reverse order to install the

head restraint.

Overview

Exterior mirrors

Principle

The front passenger's side exterior mirror is

more curved than the driver's side mirror.

Exterior mirror settings are saved to the

active MINI ID or driver profile. If the

MINI ID or driver profile is reactivated

later, the saved position is brought up auto-

matically.

Icon

Meaning

Fold the exterior mirror in and

out.

Depending on vehicle equipment, the driv-

er's side exterior mirror also dims automat-

ically. Photocells in the interior mirror are

used to control this.

Adjust the exterior mirrors.

Select left exterior mirror, Auto-

matic Curb Monitor.

Depending on vehicle equipment, both ex-

terior mirrors are heated automatically as

necessary and when drive-ready state is on.

Select right exterior mirror.

General information

The current exterior mirror adjustment can

be stored using the memory function.

Selecting the exterior mirror

–

To select the left exterior mirror,

press the corresponding button

on the driver’s door. The LED il-

Safety information

luminates.

Warning

–

To select the right exterior mir-

ror, press the corresponding but-

ton on the driver’s door. The LED

Objects in the mirror are closer than they

appear. The distance to the road users be-

hind could be incorrectly estimated, for

instance while changing lanes. There is a

risk of accident, injury, or property dam-

age. Estimate the distance to the traffic

behind by looking over your shoulder.

illuminates.

Adjusting the exterior mirrors

On the driver's door, press the but-

ton for adjusting the exterior mir-

rors.

The selected exterior mirror moves along

with the button movement.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

CONTROLS

and other low-lying obstacles when parking,

for instance.

Malfunction

In case of an electrical malfunction, adjust

the exterior mirror by pressing on the edges

of the mirror glass.

Activating the Automatic Curb

Monitor

Folding in/folding out the exterior

mirrors

1.

To activate the Automatic Curb

Monitor, press the exterior mirror but-

ton on the driver’s door. The LED illumi-

nates.

NOTICE

Depending on the vehicle width, the vehi-

cle can be damaged in car washes. There is

a risk of damage to property. Before wash-

ing, fold in the mirrors by hand or with the

button.

2. Engage selector lever position R.

When the trailer power socket is occupied

or trailer towing is activated, the Automatic

Curb Monitor is deactivated.

Deactivating the Automatic Curb

Monitor

To fold the exterior mirrors in/out,

press the button for folding the ex-

terior mirrors in/out on the driver's

door.

To deactivate the Automatic Curb

Monitor, press the exterior mirror

button on the front passenger door.

The LED illuminates and the LED of the

driver’s side outside mirror goes out.

Folding is possible up to a speed of approx.

15 mph/20 km/h.

Folding the exterior mirrors in and out is

helpful in the following situations:

–

In car washes.

Interior mirror, manually dim-

mable

On narrow roads.

Exterior mirrors that were folded in are

folded out automatically at a speed of ap-

prox. 25 mph/40 km/h.

Automatic dimming

The exterior mirror on the driver's side is

automatically dimmed. Photocells in the in-

terior mirror are used to control this.

Automatic Curb Monitor

Principle

Depending on vehicle equipment, the mir-

ror glass on the front passenger's side is

tilted downward when reverse gear is en-

gaged. This improves your view of the curb

To reduce blinding glare from the interior

mirror, tilt the lever forward on the man-

ually dimming interior mirror.

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

Manual steering wheel adjustment

The position of the steering wheel can be

changed by manually adjusting the height

and longitudinal direction.

Interior mirror, automatic

dimming feature

Principle

The interior mirror is dimmed automati-

cally.

Photocells in the mirror glass and on the

rear of the mirror are used to control glare.

Overview

1. On the steering column, press the re-

lease lever all the way down.

2. Grip the steering wheel with both hands

and move the steering wheel to the pre-

ferred height and angle to suit your seat

position.

3. Fold the lever back up.

Functional requirements

To ensure that the auto dimming interior

mirror works properly, note the following:

Memory function

–

Keep the photocells clean.

Principle

The following settings can be stored and,

if necessary, retrieved using the memory

function:

Do not cover the area between the inte-

rior mirror and the windshield.

–

Seat position.

Steering wheel

Safety information

Warning

Exterior mirror adjustment.

Depending on the equipment: height of

the Head-up display.

General information

Steering wheel adjustments while driving

can lead to unexpected steering wheel

movements. Vehicle control could be lost.

There is a risk of accident, injury, or prop-

erty damage. Adjust the steering wheel

while the vehicle is stationary only.

Two memory locations with different set-

tings can be set for each driver profile.

The settings for the lumbar support will not

be stored.

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Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

CONTROLS

Safety information

Storing settings

To save settings to memory using the but-

tons, proceed as follows:

Warning

Using the memory function while driving

can lead to unexpected seat or steering

wheel movements. Vehicle control could

be lost. There is a risk of accident, in-

jury, or property damage. Only retrieve the

memory function when the vehicle is sta-

tionary.

1. Set the desired position.

2.

Press the SET button on the seat.

The LED illuminates.

3. Press memory button 1 or 2 while the

LED is illuminated. A successful save is

indicated by a signal tone.

To save settings to memory using the Inter-

action Unit, proceed as follows:

Warning

There is a danger of jamming when mov-

ing the seats. There is a risk of injury or

risk of damage to property. Make sure that

the travel path of the seat is clear prior to

any adjustment.

1. Go through the menu as follows: Apps

menu / "Vehicle" / "Seat comfort".

2. Select the desired seat.

3. "Save seat position"

Calling up settings

To access settings saved to memory using

the buttons, proceed as follows:

Overview

Press the desired memory button 1 or 2.

The stored position is called up.

The procedure stops when a seat setting

switch or one of the memory buttons is

pressed again.

The adjustment of the seat position on the

driver's side is interrupted after a short time

while driving.

The memory buttons are located on the

front seats.

To access settings from memory using the

Interaction Unit, proceed as follows:

1. Go through the menu as follows: Apps

menu / "Vehicle" / "Seat comfort".

2. Select the desired seat.

3. Select the desired seat position.

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CONTROLS

Seats, mirrors and steering wheel

Seat climate control

Various climate control functions are availa-

ble for the seats.

Additional information:

Climate control, refer to page 276.

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CONTROLS -> Seats, mirrors and steering wheel for Your Mini Countryman SUV Third Generation (2023-2026)

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