New Countryman Plug-in Hybrid and Sports arrive
MINI Malaysia electrifies its path ahead with the introduction of the Countryman Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) and, as a surprise unveil, rolls out a tuned-up Cooper S Countryman Sports.
Priced on-the-road with GST without insurance, the PHEV variant costs RM255,888 and the Sports variant gets tagged at RM245,888.
“The second generation of the MINI Countryman was a tremendous success when we introduced the vehicle in April last year and we have already delivered more than 200 units of the vehicle,” said MINI Malaysia head Kidd Yam.
All MINI vehicles come with a four-year unlimited mileage warranty with free scheduled service, including a five-year Roadside Assistance’ programme including a 24-Hour, 365 days a year Accident and Help on the Phone and On the Spot Hotline.
Additionally, the plug-in hybrid variant adds on a six-year or up to 100,000km warranty for the battery.
Both variants are not only the first Countryman compact premium Sport Activity Vehicles (SAV) to grace Malaysian shores, but are also the first model variants to be locally assembled outside of the Netherlands.
To differentiate its electrified presence, the plug-in hybrid variant flaunts an “e” badge on the side scuttles and a yellow
“S” in the model inscription on the rear as well as on the radiator grille and door sill finishers.
Additionally, it comes with an ALL4 exterior body kit that includes 19-inch MINI Yours Masterpiece wheels, as well as a charging port under a flap located just forward of the left-front door.
Inside, the cabin features a MINI Yours Walknappa Leather steering wheel along with hand-finished aluminium-coloured contrast stitching, 6.5-inch Touch Screen Display with navigation and multi-touch functionality.
The PHEV utilises an ALL4 allwheel drive system that takes on a combined output of 221hp and 385Nm with the 1.5-litre (1,499cc) turbocharged BMW (B37) tri-cylinder engine with 134hp and 220Nm of torque powering the front wheels.
The rear wheels receive the electric motor’s 87hp/165Nm and gets its juice from a 7.6kWh lithium-ion battery with a 67kW (short term) and 32kW (continuous) discharge rate that’s placed ahead of the electric motor directly beneath the rear seat.
A six-speed automatic transmission manages power delivery and
allows it to sprint from 0 to 100kph in 6.8 seconds before reaching a top speed of 198kph, Fully charging the battery can take a minimum of five hours when connected to a power socket at home or about three hours and 15 minutes if charged at one of 270 public charging facilities in Malaysia. To reward new owners of the Countryman PHEV, the company has introduce ‘ChargeNow’ which comes bundled with the MINI Public Charging Cables as well as a one-Year free subscription of unlimited charging at all 270 ChargeEV stations. Meanwhile, the Sports variant has been fitted with a John Cooper Works Package which includes an aerodynamic kit consisting of a front apron with built-in air ducts for the front brakes and a rear bumper with diffuser, racing stripes and hexagonal grille on the outside.
Under the hood lies BMW’s 2.0litre turbocharged engine mated to an eight-speed sports automatic transmission with paddle-shifters to handle the up-tuned output of 192hp and 280Nm.
This allows the Sport variant to accelerate from 0 to 100kph in 7.2 seconds before reaching a top speed of 224kph. Fuel economy, on the combined cycle, has been rated at a respectable 6.5 litres per 100km.
Behind the 19-inch MINI John Copper Works Course Spoke wheels with run-flat tyres are the sports suspension system that’s been touted to provide more driving dynamism than before thanks to the stiffer spring and pneumatic shock absorber combination.
The infotainment unit has been up-sized to a larger 8.8-inch touchscreen display with navigation that also features a split screen function - allowing for two map views on the display simultaneously, and can be further operated via the MINI Touch Controller located along the centre tunnel.