The MINI brand has not stirred much water in electromobility yet. Although the MINI Cooper SE, which we had the opportunity to test four years ago, was an interesting model, it was a vehicle intended mainly for city and suburban driving and rather for individuals or childless couples. This time, however, MINI comes with an electric car, which will easily fulfill the role of the main family car, both in terms of space and range. The new electric MINI Countryman SE All4 offers a completely different experience than any previous MINI model. It comes with a new interior concept, which although refers to traditions, but in a completely new dress.
The new design has eliminated the classic display behind the steering wheel, as all relevant information is projected onto the circular display and the head-up display. In this case, it is designed with an extendable reflective glass that is relatively dark, which is favorably reflected in the good visibility of data even on a sunny day. In addition, since it is relatively low, you do not needlessly look at the hood slot behind it, so it rather replaces the instrument panel. This concept is definitely better than some models where everything is only shown on the center display. The interior is simplified to its essence and gives a much calmer impression. On the center console, the manufacturer left only a small panel with three switches, one as the drive mode selector in the middle is like a rotary key for turning on the car and the Experiences environment switch, which changes the entire display environment and also affects the driving modes. There are five more speed dial buttons below. However, the center of the entire interior is the already mentioned huge circular OLED display, which is probably the most beautiful in terms of design and graphics options that you will find in cars today. The graphics of all switchable environments are perfectly adapted to the circular shape of the display and have quite a lot of display options. The air conditioning vents are in the shape of large vertical slits and slightly curved, which complements the shape of the display. Well, of course, it’s not just about show.
Infotainment works with the MINI OS9 operating system, which is functionally based on the OS used in the latest generation of BMW, of course, with its own graphics superstructure. The vehicle thus offers rich technological equipment, such as augmented reality for navigation, level 2 autonomous driving, massage seats and also a 360° camera system or an automatic parking system. MINI spared nothing to make the new generation Countryman a much more modern and technologically advanced vehicle. The good news is that it all really works. The new MINI OS9 interface is very intuitive, with a logical arrangement of controls. A standout feature is the new augmented reality option in the MINI navigation system. Augmented reality view overlays navigation graphics onto live video at the top of the circular display, rendering the route of turns directly in real-time. At the bottom is an overhead view that is perfectly synchronized with the video, giving you a complete picture of where you are and clearly showing when and where to turn. It worked flawlessly and in the urban environment it is a real helper. The optional level 2 autonomous driving function also uses several ultrasonic sensors, located on the horizontal outlet, which work together with a set of 12 sensors. Their goal is to detect the MINI’s surroundings and create a much clearer picture of obstacles in various weather conditions. Thanks to this system, MINI has dramatically improved its adaptive cruise control, which is now more resistant to weather conditions and less prone to errors. It also allows the new augmented reality navigation to be accurate even in difficult environments. If Driving Assistant Professional is switched on, it allows the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel at speeds of up to 60 km/h, as long as they keep their eyes on the road (the system evaluates this) and are ready to intervene at any time. Once you reach 61 km/h, the system switches modes and goes into a simpler autonomous setting that requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel. But the system works identically, monitoring traffic, bends in the road and even changing lanes based on the driver’s turn signal. Of course, this assumes that the driver has his hands on the wheel. In addition to other functions, the mentioned Experiences modes change the entire graphics scheme of the infotainment. The basic graphic is blue-gray and the system always returns to it after turning off the vehicle. It is primarily due to the used OLED display, which could suffer from the constant display of excessively contrasting schemes. There are color schemes in contrasting black and white, green, beige, purple and more. The display is thematically divided into the upper part, roughly a quarter, which displays basic data such as speed, recognized brand, engaged gear, range and column indicators of power and battery. In the lower three-quarters, either the main menu is displayed with one of the items in the middle part, or this entire part can be used for the selected display – be it navigation, assistance systems, on-board computer, weather, or multimedia and the like. When displaying the navigation, the map occupies this entire area. If you use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, their rectangular window is displayed in the middle of the display. Tapping on a speed value displays a large circular speed indicator full-screen with bar indicators for power and battery status, including charge percentages in this display. At the bottom of the display, a strip with five speed dial icons is permanently displayed. Circular tachometers look very effective, especially if you switch to the historical display, which evokes the device on old cars from the beginning of the last century. It can be seen that the developers seized the opportunity and were able to use the display’s capabilities to the full. Of course, you can also install a number of other applications here, including console games, which you can, for example, play with a friend on the display while waiting for charging. You use your smartphones as controllers, which you pair with the vehicle using a QR code. A personal assistant in the form of a dog is also integrated into the system. Unfortunately, at the time of the test, we were unable to activate it in either Slovak or English. It will probably need to be fine-tuned. Thanks to the new OS, it is assumed that the manufacturer will gradually improve the system and possibly add other interesting functions. The potential for this is quite large, so users have a lot to look forward to.
The central OLED display has an endless number of display settings with very sophisticated graphics
The battery capacity in the electric MINI Countryman is 66.5 kWh, while the usable capacity is 64.7 kWh. The system with a voltage of 400 V allows charging speed via AC up to 11 kW, in our case optional 22 kW and via DC up to 130 kW. Under ideal conditions, the electric Countryman SE can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in just 27 minutes. During testing, we charged with a maximum power of 128 kW, which corresponds to the declared power. Despite the fact that it is a four-wheeler, the favorable consumption was surprising, which during the test stabilized at 17.7 kWh/100 km in combined operation, which, by the way, is also the value indicated by the WLTP. The car drives very well. The new Countryman SE is built on a larger platform, which made it possible to increase its dimensions in every direction. This change is particularly visible in the interior, where the driver and passenger have almost three centimeters more shoulder room. Similarly, the rear passengers gained an extra 2.5 cm thanks to the wider track and better use of space. MINI has tuned the SE’s chassis and steering to be ideal for everyday use, offering comfort and performance. With acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds, you will also enjoy plenty of dynamics. The rear seats are also very flexible and can be moved up to 13 cm, which provides more legroom or additional volume in the trunk.
The level of drivetrain sophistication and technological sophistication far exceeds what we’ve seen in the brand’s products so far. Although not the fastest or lightest vehicle, it offers a great combination of fun to drive and practicality, making it the ideal MINI for everyday use.
TESTY:
- Test consumption (kWh/100 km): 15.9 – 17.7 – 18.5
- Test range (km): 410-350
- AC charging power on 22 kW 3f charger (kW): 22
- Max. DC charging power UFC charger 350 kW (kW): 128
- Charging time 10-80% (min): 29
Technical data:
Mini Countryman SE All4: battery 66.5 kWh, usable capacity 64.7 kWh, AWD drive, power 230 kW, torque 494 Nm, DC charging 130 kW, AC charging 3f/22 kW (optional), maximum speed 180 km/ h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h 5.6 seconds, range according to WLTP 433 km, consumption according to the manufacturer 17.7 kWh/100 km
PROS, CONS:
+ Technological equipment, spaciousness, driving characteristics, consumption, top infotainment display
– Nothing important
- Model price from (with VAT): 45 900 EUR
- Tested vehicle (with VAT): 62 761 EUR
Source: www.nextech.sk
