Company Car & Van April 2018

ON TEST: MINI COUNTRYMAN PHEV
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MINI fun with max hybrid power
Andrew Walker
As our family car for three years from 2013 to
2016 was a diesel MINI Countryman, I was
excited to get my hands on the latest
addition to the range, the MINI Countryman
SE ALL4 PHEV, as it’s the first plug-in-hybrid
version of the best-seller.
MINI is targeting customers who have
flocked to the likes of the Mitsubishi
Outlander PHEV and is a much smaller, more
user-friendly alternative. MINI says 90 per
cent of its buyers drive only 30-40 miles per
day, and if that’s true it makes a compelling
argument for owning this latest model.
The Countryman PHEV looks, well, just like
the other models in the range, which makes
it both wider and longer than its predecessor.
It sits on the UKL2 platform architecture
found underneath the latest MINI Clubman
and the BMW X1. Stepping back to look at
the new version, at first it’s quite hard to see
what’s different but on closer inspection both
the front and rear are significantly changed,
with a larger, more pronounced front-grille
and bloated headlights as well as a
noticeably squared-off rear end. It all makes
the new version slightly less attractive than
the old one.
Inside, things get better with a completely
redesigned dashboard. MINI has kept the
retro circular display and chrome toggle
switches, which sit in the centre of the dash,
while the speedo, rev counter and fuel gauge
now sit in front of the driver. The speedboatstyle
handbrake has also been replaced by
an automatic one.
The materials inside the cab feel more
premium than the outgoing model, with a
mixture of soft touch plastics on the dash
and fabric trim on the doors that matched my
seats, finished in a fetching mid-grey. Interior
black trim piano black on the dashboard, an
extra £155, adds to the upmarket feeling.
The Cooper-spec Countryman gets SatNav,
DAB radio, cruise control, parking sensors,
Bluetooth and autonomous city braking.
There’s a massive options list, with my test
model fitted with the Media Pack, which adds
MINI Nav, MINI connected, and enhanced
Bluetooth with wireless charging.
The standard infotainment system is a 6.5”
colour display with SatNav including
European mapping For £950, you can
upgrade to MINI’s new 8.8” XL infotainment
system that now features touchscreen
capability for the first time. My test car had
this fitted and I found it great to use and
simple to understand.
Interior space is definitely improved with
the Countryman now 4.3m long, 1.82m wide
and 1.56m tall, which is 20cm longer and
3cm wider than the previous car, although
the height hasn’t increased. MINI has
extended the wheelbase of the Countryman
by 75mm, which benefits rear legroom. Two
will fit nicely in the rear, but passenger three
will struggle for legroom thanks to the large
transmission tunnel running through the
middle of the car. Bootspace is less than in
the standard Countryman, at 405 litres, which
is still 55 litres up on the old car. It also
extends to 1,345 litres with the seats folded,
while the three rear seats can be split
40/20/40 for increased versatility. This is
further enhanced by a useful split-folding
boot base, two elastic fabric holding ties,
one on each side, a small storage bin on the
left and a 12v input on the right. Inside the
cabin there’s two cup holders behind the
gear lever and in the front and rear doors,
CC&V VERDICT
Not cheap but that’s not the
point. All of the MINI fun in the
larger Countryman format, with
the bonus of it as a plug-inhybrid
with super low
emissions and brilliant fuel
economy. What’s not to like?
CC&V Rating:
four more deep pockets.
In fleet, where diesel was once king, the
growth of PHEV sales has steadily increased
and MINI is hoping to cash in on this. With
the new Countryman diesel handling
brilliantly I wanted to find out how different
the PHEV version might be, so that if you
choose one it’s not just for tax and fuel
purposes but as a car that drives well, too.
I’m pleased to say that the PHEV
Countryman handles just as well as the
diesel model, as I discovered driving on the
motorway and on a selection of main and
country roads. That’s the good news; I’ll get
the bad news out of the way now.
The PHEV only offers a 25-mile EV range,
so when you put your foot down – and you’ll
want to, trust me – the range goes down
quite quickly. The PHEV’s 87bhp electric
motor actually gives the Countryman a bit of
oomph, 0-62mph in just 6.8 seconds, which
at the same time is pleasingly quiet. The
six-speed auto box is also great and makes
for relaxing driving. Couple this with MINI’s
standard taut steering and four-wheels-onthe-corner
design and this version of the
Countryman really is good fun to be in. The
enjoyment is further enhanced by the
exemplary MINI build quality, especially
inside the cabin where everything would not
look out of place in an upmarket Scandinoir.
If you opt for the PHEV, will you save any
money? Emissions of just 49g/km means it
falls into the lowest BIK company car tax
bracket off just 9% and coming in at under
£40,000, it escapes the £310 road tax
surcharge for cars costing over £40,000.
Having said that, our basic model will set you
back £32,195 OTR compared to the basic
Cooper D Countryman, the most popular
fleet choice at present, which retails at
£23,850.
The entry level Countryman diesel is
currently available to lease non maintained
from £239 per month ( 6+35 ), while the
PHEV is only £16 more at £255 per month
(6+35 ). With a claimed fuel economy of
134.5 mpg and emissions of just 49g/km,
there won’t be a shortage of interest.
34 | April 2018 | Company Car & Van www.companycarandvan.co.uk