The Mini Countryman SE All4 embraces electrification well | Car Review

In the automotive world, the Mini brand is synonymous with the iconic, fun and small, and go-kart-like Cooper. At some point though, the British automaker had to follow market trends and began offering a larger crossover.

This is where the Mini Countryman comes in, offering room for five people, more ground clearance, and more cargo space. Now in its third generation, it has embraced electrification better than ever.

And no, this is not a hybrid. What we have here is the fully-electric Countryman SE All4 which impresses.

Size-wise, the Countryman has grown in every dimension. Its length measures at 4,445mm, width at 1,843mm (2,069mm with side mirrors), and height at 1,635mm, but even with that, you still get the signature Mini styling that we all have grown fond of, albeit with a different touch.

Instead of circles, the Countryman now gets hexagon-shaped headlights which look more apt for its SUV body style. Its lighting signatures, front and rear, can be reconfigured for personalization, giving you the chance to make the vehicle unique to yourself.

Thankfully, Mini has decided not to go all out on rugged SUV looks for this version. There’s a lot of black cladding, but it’s subtle enough. The six-spoke wheels are 20 inches in diameter and add a futuristic touch to the exterior. They’re wrapped in Pirelli PZero tires, by the way.

The interior is probably what will be getting some mixed reactions. It still looks very Mini, with a large 9.5-inch (240mm) Mini Interaction Unit—the circular touchscreen in the center. More on that later.

The dashboard and door panels are wrapped in what Mini calls the Gradient Textile Surface trim. Essentially fabric, it’s quite unique though this might be a concern for someone like me who easily gets allergies from dusty surfaces. It does feel of good quality and looks really good.

The seats are finished in elegant white vegan leather upholstery and are very comfortable regardless of which position you take. Thanks to its EV packaging, space is excellent even with the smaller exterior dimensions.

A head-up display replaces the previous versions’ analog gauge setup, which works pretty well for me. However, all other basic displays, controls, and functions have been moved into the Mini Interaction Unit.

While it looks simple at first glance, it will take some getting used to. I found it difficult to do simple tasks such as adjusting the air conditioning, connecting mobile phones to the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and even changing some settings. A lot of the functions are also locked behind a Mini ID which you’ll have to set up beforehand. If you buy one, it’s best to take some time to sit down, then set and forget.

At least when you complete the rather tedious setup process, you’ll be able to enjoy your music from the Harman Kardon audio system which sounds oh-so-good.

But why dwell on the flaws of technology when the best part about the Countryman is the way it drives?

Its dual-motor powertrain produces a healthy 313 horsepower and 494 Nm of torque which is plenty for a vehicle of this size, even rivaling and beating some large turbodiesel SUVs in terms of output.

Its all-electric is typical, providing all that power and torque in an instant. Piped-in sounds when in the sportier driving modes turn it into a toy, while driving it in the most efficient mode will make it the perfect daily. While it may not be as zippy as the smaller and more iconic Cooper, the Mini DNA is still there despite being taller and larger. It’s basically a Mini Cooper for someone who has matured in life.

Steering is light, too light even for my tastes, but feedback is well provided. Driving in the city is easy with its smaller than most crossovers size. Moving out to the highway will give you a lot of fun.

The ride is much smoother than its smaller sibling as it should be from a crossover, plus the Pirelli PZero tires provide a quiet experience which is important in a vehicle without an internal combustion engine.

The brakes are grabby like many European cars, but with regenerative braking, you’ll easily forget about that. Put it on the strongest braking setting and adaptive mode, then you’ll have a smooth almost one-pedal-like driving experience.

With a 66.5kWh lithium-ion battery, Mini quotes a 462km range for this Countryman and it is believable, using up a little less than half of that in about 250km of driving from a full charge. Energy recovery is excellent with the driving range and charge level rising up by as much as 30km at times. What is range anxiety?

Charging time will vary depending on where you charge. In our case, we took it to a 60kW DC charger which gave us a rather low charging output of just 28kW. That brought the Countryman’s charging level from 26% to 73% in one hour and 23 minutes and cost us a little over Php 1,000. That was enough to give us almost 200km of range (from 107km to 305km).

Priced at Php 3,899,000, the Mini Countryman SE All4 Electric is actually more affordable than its ICE counterpart (Php 4.299M). Like I said earlier, it’s designed for the mature Mini Cooper buyer. And even then, it still provides the fun a Mini is known for, with the added practicality and refinement of a larger crossover, plus the future-proofing and perks of driving a fully electric car.

_{Photos by Sam Surla}