MINI’s largest and latest model, the Countryman, is now available as a plug-in hybrid variant. The MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 packs a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that’s paired to a synchronous electric motor, and will go on sale by June this year.
The hybrid system generates 224 hp and would sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds. Power is sent to all four wheels, but the task is evenly split between the engine and electric motor: the former powers the front wheels through a six-speed conventional automatic, while the latter juices the rear wheels via a two-stage single-speed transmission.
MINI claims an all-electric range of 40km, with charge time taking anywhere between 2 to 3 hours. Like all plug-in hybrids, the Cooper S E Countryman can be charged through a home domestic socket or a wallbox. There’s no cranking when setting off – only the electric motor comes to life. In auto mode, the engine is only activated above 80 km/h, but when MAX eDRIVE is toggled, the threshold raises to 125 km/h.
Exclusive design bits of the Countryman PHEV include “E” emblems on the radiator grille, side scuttles and door sills, 17-inch Light Spoke alloy wheels, hybrid-specific displays on the instrument cluster and 6.5-inch screen and of course the eDRIVE toggle switch.
MINI is giving a six-year or 100,000km warranty for the high voltage lithium-ion battery. Now for the bigger question… will this come to Malaysia? There’s a good chance it will, considering that the previous Countryman was also locally assembled. Do watch this space for future updates!
IMAGE GALLERY
MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 PHEV
MINI Cooper S Countryman
