Electrified: Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4
MINI With the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4, Mini is launching its first production model with a partially electrified drive system. As a plug-in hybrid, it drives up to 42 km electrically and has all-wheel drive. Mini Countryman with gasoline and electric motorMini is not really a newcomer in the field of electrified drive, as the British company had already launched the Mini [...]
Mini Countryman with gasoline and electric motorMini is no real newcomer to the field of electrified drive systems, as the British company began exploring the possibilities early on in 2008 with the Mini E Concept. But it is only now that the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4, the first production vehicle with partial electrification, is rolling out. Thanks to the new platform, which the new Countryman shares with the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, there is room in the Countryman for an internal combustion engine at the front and an electric motor with battery (capacity 7.6 kWh) at the rear. Together, they also provide on-demand all-wheel drive, which engages the appropriate motor at lightning speed in the event of a loss of traction.
The 65 kW electric motor enables the car to reach speeds of up to 125 km/h in purely electric mode. Together with the turbocharged 136-hp 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, the Mini has a system output of just under 200 hp, which helps it accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds. This makes the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 just 3 tenths slower than the John Cooper Works Countryman sports variant. Mini specifies a top speed of 198 km/h, standard consumption of 2.1 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 49 g/km.
The drive technology of the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 is influenced by means of three driving modes: Auto-eDrive, Max-eDrive and Safe. In Max-eDrive, the car drives electrically and the combustion engine is only activated when the electric top speed of 125 km/h is exceeded or during a kickdown. Normally, however, Auto-eDrive is active, in which case the combustion engine is switched on from as low as 80 km/h, or to charge the battery when its capacity has fallen below 7 percent.
Under "Safe", the Mini drives with a combustion engine. However, it does not simply keep the remaining battery capacity at the current level, but charges it to 90 % of capacity en route. This results in additional consumption by the combustion engine. Actually, this is a charging mode, a true safe mode, where charging does not take place, is missing. On the road, the 43,500 franc Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 pleases with unnoticeable and jerk-free transitions between the combustion engine and the electric motor. Only in Safe mode is an increased noise development of the combustion engine noticeable.
The Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 is arriving on the market these days, and Mini expects around one in ten Countrymans to be sold as plug-ins.
