Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4: the Mini hybrid has it all

The first Mini plug-in hybrid, the Cooper S E Countryman, plays three roles at once: SUV body, sporty performance and the CERO environmental label. And honestly, it does it very well.

Although they are starting to arrive, there are still not many plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market. And none like the Mini hybrid, the Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4.

The best-selling at the moment is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. And among the most recent launches we find the new Kia Niro Hybrid HEV. The rest of plug-in hybrid SUVs are high-end Premium models, such as the Audi Q7 e-tron, the Volvo XC60 and XC90 T8, the Range Rover Sport PHEV or the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid.

But the Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4 has no direct rivals. And it has none because there are no cars of its size, power and price that, besides being plug-in hybrids -and therefore carrying the DGT’s CERO environmental label, as their electric-mode range exceeds 40 km- can offer performance and sporty sensations and combine all of this in an attractive SUV body.

This is the Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4

Let’s start by reviewing the main features of the Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4. We are looking at the first Mini plug-in hybrid. It uses a hybrid system with a 3-cylinder petrol engine which, together with the electric motor, delivers a combined output of 224 CV (165 kW) and a combined maximum torque of no less than 385 Nm. The 1.5 Turbo petrol produces 136 CV (100 kW), and the electric motor delivers 88 CV (65 kW). The former sends power to the front wheels. The latter is located under the boot floor and is coupled to the rear wheels.

The official average consumption figures of the Mini hybrid are 2.4 l/100 km and an electric-mode range of 41 km. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 in 6.8 seconds. We are therefore looking at a car capable of running very fast… or of using very little fuel, especially for the level of performance it offers. It will depend a lot on how you want to drive it. But don’t be fooled: despite the entry into force of the WLTP standard, plug-in hybrids continue to homologate consumption figures that are impossible to achieve in real-world use. We will come back to this later.

Other important data: its battery has a capacity of 7.6 kWh and is placed under the rear seats, in front of the electric motor. Theoretically, it can be recharged in about 2:30 hours on a Wallbox charger with 3.6 kW output, and in about 3:15 hours if plugged directly into a domestic power socket.

And I say theoretically because during the week I used the Mini hybrid, none of the times I plugged it in at home took less than 4 hours to complete the charge, something you can check from outside thanks to the colour changes in the light ring surrounding the charging socket.

Intelligent all-wheel drive and 3 driving modes

In the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 there is no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles. But since each motor is connected to the wheels of one axle, and they can operate independently or together depending on how you drive, the Mini hybrid has four-wheel drive.

It is not all-wheel drive intended for using the car off the asphalt. In fact, neither the ground clearance (just 165 cm), the suspension travel, its firmness, the TT dimensions nor the standard tyres are designed for that. The all-wheel drive works very well, but you should not consider taking this Mini off the road to drive beyond anything other than well-maintained tracks and paths.

The ALL4 system does play a big role in the agile behaviour of the Mini Cooper S E Countryman on the road. The unit that manages the DSC (stability control) constantly analyses the driving style and the grip at each wheel, and distributes the power as appropriate. Of course, it is also a great help when driving on snowy roads, for example.

But remember what we always say: if you are going to drive on snow, a 4×2 with suitable tyres is better (All Season or winter tyres) than a 4×4 on summer tyres. The greatest safety will come from a 4×4 fitted with winter-certified tyres.

Using the “eDrive” system button on the centre console, the driver of the Mini plug-in hybrid can select three programmes, in addition to the 100% electric mode. They are as follows:

• AUTO eDrive: is the default mode. Here, the Mini automatically manages the operation of the two motors, prioritising electric propulsion up to a speed of 80 km/h, with the petrol engine adding its power when that speed is exceeded, when accelerating hard, or if the battery charge drops below 7%.
• MAX eDrive: in this mode the system is forced to work in electric mode to make the most of the energy stored in the battery. It allows driving in EV mode at speeds of up to 125 km/h, and the combustion engine only activates if that speed is exceeded or if maximum acceleration is demanded.
• SAVE BATTERY: keeps the battery charge always above 90%, for which, if necessary, it uses the combustion engine, which besides moving the car has to drive the starter alternator to channel energy into the battery. Naturally, that battery saving is paid for with higher petrol consumption. It is a mode you will hardly use… unless it became mandatory to have battery charge in order to enter the city zones restricted to zero-emission cars, something which today seems impossible to control.

Regardless of the programme selected in eDrive, the Mini hybrid has the MINI Driving Modes selector, a dial surrounding the gear lever. The different programmes adapt the characteristics of the steering, the throttle response or the gearbox operation depending on whether a sportier or more efficient mode is selected.

On the road with the Mini hybrid

Several things caught our attention during the test of the Mini Cooper S E Countryman. The first is that it is a very agile car on winding roads. That is what you would expect from a car with the Cooper name, but not so much from a car in SUV format like this one… and weighing nearly 200 kg more than a non-hybrid Cooper Countryman ALL4.

This agility is helped by the firmness of the damping, the precision of the steering and the operation of the all-wheel drive, plus the immediacy of response and performance provided by the hybrid system, with a push when driven decisively that is typical of cars with much more powerful and larger-displacement engines.

It is by no means a difficult car to drive, despite its lively reactions. And when travelling on the motorway, it maintains a level of comfort you would not expect if you had first tested it on a mountain road.

That it goes fast is clear from its performance figures. Getting under 7 seconds in the standing-start acceleration is enough to classify a car as quick, without discussion. And the Mini hybrid is, although its top speed is limited to 198 km/h, which is very low for the total announced power when compared with other Mini Countryman models. This is due to the management of the hybrid system, which disconnects the electric motor’s “assistance” above a certain speed to protect the energy stored in the battery and keep it for when it really matters: driving at low or medium speeds, and assistance in “boost” modes when the throttle is briefly pressed fully.

The real-world range and consumption depend greatly on how the car is used. Exceeding 40 km in electric mode is practically impossible, because it is also impossible to fall below the 14 kWh/100 km electricity consumption it homologates. In reality, the difficult part is getting below 20 kWh/100 km, which leaves the electric range, driving very “finely”, at around 25 or 30 km. Outside temperature also has a big influence here, as does how you use the climate control.

When driving in hybrid mode, the difference in throttle response between the driving programme that favours economy and the sport mode is more than obvious. Setting off with a charged battery, and if you aim to use little fuel, you can keep the average petrol consumption between 7.5 and 8 l/100 km in mixed use, with some city driving, a stretch of about 200 km on the motorway and an excursion onto winding roads, here activating the “sport” mode. The range is not very large even if you add up the kilometres you can cover in electric mode, because the installation of the motor and batteries takes nearly 10 litres from the fuel tank, which is left at just 36 litres.

The Mini Cooper S E Countryman inside

The Mini Cooper S E Countryman has some differences in style and function compared with the rest of the range. Naturally, all of them relate to its condition as a plug-in hybrid. To house the batteries, it has been necessary to reposition the rear seats slightly higher, so headroom in these seats is lost compared with the non-hybrid versions. But there is still plenty of space, even for adults of some height.

What is missed is the ability to adjust the legroom longitudinally by sliding the bench, which here is fixed. As for the boot, it drops from 450 to 405 litres to make room for the electric motor. That is not much capacity among SUVs of its size, bearing in mind that space also has to be found for the charging cable bag.

The driving position requires a certain adaptation period, mainly due to concessions to design: there are many controls of different types — push buttons, keys, rotary dials — spread across different levels, some of them small and not easy to operate. But you soon get used to it and feel comfortable. The user experience changes considerably depending on the screen chosen, which is the centrepiece of the dashboard. I recommend making the effort to get the largest one, at 8.8 inches.

The instrumentation of the Mini hybrid includes an eye-catching system to help the driver get the most out of the propulsion system. Besides a power gauge, it has an arc divided into illuminated segments that indicate the availability of electric power, depending on the battery charge. The gauge shows whether the system is operating in regenerative braking mode charging the battery, whether the electric motor is assisting the combustion engine under hard acceleration, and helps you modulate the throttle when, while moving in electric mode, you do not want the petrol engine to kick in.

Considerations on the price of the Mini plug-in hybrid

Mini sells the Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 at a list price from 39,200 euros with no discount of any kind, according to the Mini configurator. This price includes a very complete specification. But if you want to personalise your Mini, you have to pay extra.

For example, the Driving Assistant pack costs 600 euros. It includes a high beam assistant, a traffic sign recognition system and the City braking function with pedestrian warning. If you want active cruise control, you have to take this pack and pay 420 euros more.

Parking assistance costs 800 euros, the thunder grey or blue body colours cost 650 euros more than the standard grey, 18-inch alloy wheels cost 800 euros (19-inch ones are 1,500 euros). And you can add sporty bonnet stripes (125 euros), or the Mini Yours Interior pack which adds decorative elements to the cabin for 300 euros. The automatic tailgate costs 400 euros, and the high-fidelity audio system signed by Harman Kardon, 850 euros.

As standard, the multimedia system screen is 6.5 inches. To have the 8.8-inch one you have to upgrade to the optional Mini Connected Navigation Plus system, which costs 2,000 euros. It includes wireless charging for mobile phones, navigation, Mini Connected and real-time traffic information.

You can also opt for the personalisation packs called Salt, Pepper, Chili and John Cooper Works. The price ranges from the 325 euros of the first to more than 4,000 for the last. They combine elements of all kinds: special mats, chrome trim, leather upholstery, wheels in different designs, a variable boot floor, storage compartments… It is worth thinking carefully and doing the sums.

Hybrid versus diesel and petrol

One aspect that is rather curious about the Mini hybrid is that, even with the extra that plug-in hybrid technology entails, its list price is 550 euros lower than the Mini Cooper SD Countryman with All4 traction and automatic gearbox, with a 190 CV diesel engine. That is the quirk of the registration tax, under which diesel is taxed at 4.75%, while the Mini hybrid is exempt.

It is hard to recommend the diesel in this case, unless you have nowhere to plug the car in to take advantage of its electric range, or you are not going to enter the city and the car is used for frequent long-distance trips.

Another obligatory comparison: the Cooper S E Countryman All4 costs “only” 4,000 euros more than the 192 CV Cooper S Countryman, which does not have plug-in hybrid technology (and has no label, neither CERO nor ECO) and does not offer all-wheel drive either.

Image gallery Mini Cooper S E Countryman

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverMINI Countryman21 versions · from 35,550 €