I was recently lucky enough to have an extended test drive of the MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid, a car I’ve been keen to experience since I got word that the electric MINI’s were coming.

With an electric range of 24.8 miles (NEDC) this car could be the answer to fairly short distance commuters who are not quite ready to go All-Electric but want something a bit more eco-friendly and a little more trendy than some of the other PHEVs on offer.

On first impressions of the exterior I really liked it, it was sleek and just a little aggressive, it’s reasonably sized yet still manages to keep some of the iconic MINI features.

Inside I found it roomy and comfortable, the 3 driving modes made it easy to switch from fully electric (Max eDrive), Petrol use only (Save Battery) and Auto eDrive – the option where the car decides what fuel source to use based on your driving style.

There are some useful features to help you ‘keep an eye’ on your consumption and your fuel usage. The first being the trim surrounding the display, when using electric it glows yellow and gives you an indication of your remaining electric range. You can also toggle through different options on the display to show you the percentage of battery remaining and remaining range. The E-Instruments gauge is to the left of your tachometer and this shows you the status of your fuel usage (i.e. when you are using petrol and when using electric).

On usage, it breezed through my short 12 mile commute to work on fully electric – I knew it would. I used the car around town on the Saturday taking it to the DIY store where the roomy boot space came in useful, again only using electric for my short journeys.  On the Sunday I travelled a bit further, taking the MINI to Woburn Centre Parks. With a car full of family I decided to try the ‘Auto eDrive’ driving mode. It changed effortlessly between petrol and electric fuel whilst maintaining a quiet ambience within the cab.

The Navigation software was a little complicated to read, but I think this is just the style of the software, much like the BMW Navigation system. I’m sure I would have got used to it after a bit more use.

My experience on charging will be a little different to others as I don’t have a charge point at home, it was doable but I did need to charge publicly quite often which wasn’t ideal. Not having a home charge point doesn’t cause me any issue with my fully electric car because I don’t need to charge up as often but this approach doesn’t lend itself well to a plug-in Hybrid, as you do need to charge it everyday to make real use of the electric motor.

Overall I really liked this car. It was good to drive, I love the look and I can certainly see this being a top player in the PHEV market.

If the spec, look and feel of the MINI Countryman PHEV is anything to go by then I eagerly await the all-electric MINI.

See our dedicated page for MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid prices.

Part 1 is here: MINI Countryman Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) – First Impressions

In terms of driving I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, I have been driving electric for 4 years so am rather spoiled and hate the thought of having to go back to a piston engine.

However, fair play to MINI, the transition from electric to combustion is barely noticeable when travelling at speed such as on the motorway. The noise and vibration are kept to a minimum.

The driver’s displays and controls are nicely done – similar to those in the i3, except that the satnav/media screen is a touchscreen. You can choose to operate it with the usual MINI/BMW joystick control or just by pressing on the screen. The state of charge is indicated by a big illuminated ring around the screen area.

Charging was straightforward – it has a Type 2 socket (same as the ZOE and i3) so I was able to plug it in while parked on my drive. The charge socket is on the front nearside wing (the petrol cap is on the rear offside wing). As it starts to charge a ring around the socket flashes amber, once it’s fully charged this goes to a constant blue.

The MINI PHEV has a switch to set the drive mode – this allows you to keep it electric, keep it petrol (to save the battery for later) or let the car decide the most economic balance (much like a hybrid). I was keen to test the electric range so coming in to work this morning I put the MINI into the all electric mode.

I was pleasantly surprised to find, by keeping my speed to no more than about 60mph, that I was able to do the whole journey on electric. That’s a distance of about 23 miles so better than I had expected. Of course, you would likely not get so far if you have a heavy foot and drive fast, or in cold weather. A real-world range of 17-20 miles is probably a better expectation.

Nonetheless if you have a commute of up to about 20 miles I’m sure you could adjust your driving style appropriately so that you never need to use any petrol. Certainly I managed to drive from Northampton to Milton Keynes on 50p of electricity rather than £5 of petrol. And with charging at work your commute range could be doubled.

Naturally as a premier car the MINI Countryman PHEV has some nice features. I liked the independent climate controls for driver and passenger. My children liked the so-called ‘puddle light‘ that comes on at night by the driver’s door – and looks rather reminiscent of Batman’s famous Batsignal!

Overall I was impressed with the MINI Countryman PHEV. While it’s electric range may be poor compared to an all electric car it is still far ahead of a conventional combustion car or a hybrid. It could work really well for someone with a commute of up to 20 miles who could do most of their driving on electricity, but then revert to petrol for holidays and other long trips.

Prices are here, and a form to get a quote: Prices for the Mini Countryman Plug-In Electric Hybrid

If instead you’d like us to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership of a MINI PHEV compared to a fossil car or another electric car then go here: Total Cost of Ownership

For some quick videos see: MINI Countryman Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) electric car videos

Our thanks go to Wollaston BMW for the loan of the car.

We currently have a plugin MINI Countryman on loan (technically it’s an “F60 MINI Cooper S E ALL4 PHEV Countryman AUTO” but that’s too much of a mouthful) and I was lucky enough to get the first go with it last night. What’s special about this MINI is that it has a conventional petrol engine driving the front wheels and an electric motor and battery driving the rear wheels.

This means it can drive entirely on electricity for up to about 20 miles and then go over to petrol for longer journeys (300 miles or so). Also, it can act as a hybrid like a Prius to get good economy. Finally, the drive layout means it can be used in four wheel drive mode – very useful in rain and snow.

I drove it home, had use of it for the evening, and drove it back to the office today.

The first thing that struck me when I was it was the size – this is not a small car! Having grown up with the original Mini (my Dad had a series of them) I was surprised just how big the new MINI Countryman is.

It is intended, of course, for families with children so its size shouldn’t be a surprise. The upside is that it has a lot of interior space and feels very roomy.

In fact, I took a number of passengers in the back and they all remarked on how much space there was, and in particular its high ceiling.

It also has a pretty big boot.

Part 2 is here: MINI Countryman Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) – Part 2: Driving and Charging