The new Mini Countryman crossover is completely overhauled, with significantly larger dimensions and a fully electric powertrain, the company has revealed at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.
At 4,433 mm long, 1,843 mm wide, and 1,656 mm tall, the Mini Countryman is now 60 mm taller and 130 mm longer. That's a substantial increase in size, with wider wheel arches helping to maintain the car's proportions.
While featuring familiar Mini visual cues, this is a new design direction for the Countryman. It's more square than before, with sharper lines and creases on the fenders, doors, hood, lights, and grille. Even the wheels look sharper than prior Mini Countryman models. The company calls it "expressive minimalism with character," and it significantly improves the Countryman's drag coefficient.
Inside, the Mini Countryman ditches a screen behind the wheel in favour of a head-up display. Everything else is on the 240-mm-diameter centre screen that uses Mini Operating System 9 and has natural speech voice commands.
Textile finishes on the dash replace hard plastics and are meant to make the car feel more inviting. Mini says it used a knitting process developed specifically for Countryman to create the look, with a fabric that uses recycled polyester material.
The new Countryman can be configured to prioritize passenger or cargo room. The rear seats can slide fore or aft up to 13 cm, providing either more legroom or up to 460 L of cargo space. Fold the seats and it holds 1,450 L, and both rear seats have six positions of recline for comfort and headroom.
There will be two drive systems offered, though we don't yet know if both will come to Canada. The first is a 204-hp Mini Countryman E, and the second is a dual-motor 313-hp Mini Countryman SE ALL4 AWD model. Both get a 66.5-kWh battery that Mini expects to provide 462 km of range for E and 433 km for SE. (These estimates are based on the European WLTP and are higher than what's expected from NRCan or the EPA.) Expect an even more powerful John Cooper Works version to follow. The Minis can charge at up to 22 kW on Level 2 plugs and 130 kW at Level 3.
The Countryman models will get different drive modes including a Green Mode for maximum efficiency and a Go-Kart mode meant to make the car feel more sporting. Trail mode, designed for off-pavement driving, is unique to the Countryman model.
Mini is adding new driver assistance features including one meant to help you make lane changes to get your desired exit, and one that offers hands-off driving on "motorway-like routes" at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The last new feature is a Trailer Assistant that helps the driver park while towing a trailer by indicating the correct steering direction.
There's no official word on when the electric Mini Countryman might arrive in Canada, but we expect it sometime next year.
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