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2017 Mini Countryman S E driven - a plug-in hybrid SUV to take on Mitsubishi’s Outlander

The Countryman S E is the first hybrid Mini - www.guenterschmied.com
The Countryman S E is the first hybrid Mini - www.guenterschmied.com

Whether or not you believe in diesel’s imminent demise, it’s hard to ignore the 20 per cent drop in registrations of new cars sipping from the black pump in May 2017 compared with the previous year. At the same time, sales of alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) improved once again, and if their share of the overall new car market at 4.4 per cent is still small, it is at least heading in the right direction.

The plug-in hybrid Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4 is one of a raft of new cars with the potential to cash in on this trend, providing what looks on paper to be a best of both worlds approach that gives the driving characteristics and green credentials of an electric car with the reassuring range and easy fill ups of a conventional petrol engine.

With Mini being part of BMW, it’s no surprise to find its first electrified production car (the Mini E of 2009 was part of a pilot scheme ahead of the launch of BMW’s own i3 electric car) borrows its technology from the German firm.

So, under the Countryman’s bulky bodywork resides the same hybrid system as BMW’s 225XE Active Tourer, meaning a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine under the bonnet, plus an 87bhp electric motor powered by a 7.6kWh lithium-ion battery tucked beneath the rear seats and boot floor.

The former drives the front wheels, and the latter the rear, giving the Countryman four-wheel drive capability without the need for a propshaft, although Mini’s biggest car is still far from an off-roader.

Mini Countryman S E rear 
The Countryman S E plug-in hybrid can travel on pure electric power for up to 26 miles

The official stats say the hybrid Countryman can travel up to 26 miles on electric power alone, helping to boost the fuel economy of the 1.5-litre petrol engine from the 44mpg it records in a Countryman Cooper S All4 automatic to a scarcely believable 134.5mpg.

For that though you’ll need to do the majority of your driving on electric power alone, meaning frequent recharges of two hours from a public charger or three hours from a three-pin socket.

Fail to do so and you’ll be looking at economy closer to 50-60mpg in normal hybrid use. It’s also slightly stingy that Mini charges an extra £165 for a cable that fits a public charger, on top of which you’ll need to pay a £100 annual membership fee to use the chargers. If you want a home wall box for fast charging - which you will - that’s extra too.

There are a couple of other drawbacks inherent in a plug-in hybrid to be aware of, such as the space and weight associated with the battery pack and electric motor, which add 130kg to the Countryman’s mass (this is now a 1,730kg Mini...) and rob 45 litres of boot space, representing 10 per cent of total volume. You also lose the ability to slide the rear seats, although space for passengers remains good.

Mini Countryman S E dashboard 
The dashboard of the hybrid Countryman is only marginally changed compared with conventional models

Other than that, and the odd button and dial to tweak and monitor the hybrid system’s mode of operation, this feels much like any other Countryman inside, which is to say well built and packed with typically Marmite Mini design details such as the oversized central instrument pod and multiple surface changes.

To the uninitiated it feels very similar to drive, too, which speaks volumes about how well integrated the petrol and electric motors are. By default, you pull away on electric power, and depending which of the eDrive modes you’ve selected you can go up to 45mph or 78mph before the petrol engine kicks in, not that you can feel it happening.

Throttle response is good for the majority of the time, but driven quickly the six-speed automatic gearbox can take a while to wake up, curiously blunting the instant response that should be a characteristic of an electric car.

That aside, the hybrid Countryman is respectably brisk, as evidenced by a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds, not to mention a combined output of petrol and electric sources of 221bhp. On 17-inch wheels it also provides acceptable (if not exceptional) levels of comfort on UK roads, and a not unreasonable amount of tyre noise.

Yes, there’s still an underlying firmness to the way the car rides, but that’s part of what you’re buying into when choosing a Mini.

Mini Countryman S E rear seats 
Four adults can fit in a Countryman without a problem

This suspension setup also helps the Countryman to remain impressively free of body lean when cornering, and while not as sprightly as other Minis it’s good by SUV standards, with accurate steering and an ability to hold your chosen line through a corner seemingly regardless of speed. Compared with the other obvious plug-in hybrid SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, it’s significantly more responsive to drive.

Whether that means you should buy a Countryman S E All4 is another matter. With prices starting at £29,085 after the Government’s £2,500 plug-in car grant, it is far from cheap, and the Government’s recent VED overhaul has wiped out any significant road tax savings for private motorists after the first year.

Company car drivers will though note the 49g/km CO2 output and resultant benefit-in-kind advantages compared with a diesel Countryman, which could result in monthly savings running into three figures.

Perhaps more than that though, Mini will court buyers who are simply intrigued by a car that combines the easy driving manners and potential fuel savings of a plug-in hybrid with the raised driving position of an SUV. In which case, they will find this to be one of the better options on the market.

THE FACTS

Mini Countryman S E All4

TESTED 1,499cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine and electric motor driving all four-wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox

PRICE ON SALE from £29,085 after plug-in car grant/now

POWER/TORQUE Combined system output 221bhp/284lb ft

TOP SPEED 123mph

ACCELERATION 0-62mph in 6.8sec

FUEL ECONOMY 134.5mpg (EU Combined)

CO2 EMISSIONS 49g/km

VED £0 first year, then £130 per year

VERDICT On the face of it, plug-in hybrids represent a sensible stepping stone into electric motoring, but they do not come without compromise. If you’re prepared to accept these, the Mini Countryman S E All4 is certainly one of the better of the breed.

TELEGRAPH RATING Four out of five stars

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