PLUGGED IN
Mini takes charge of road with trendy new model that makes rivals green with envy
“That car has serious power,” said the guy from the motor company.
Except the car I had the keys to was a Mini PHEV (that’s a plug-in hybrid) and he was from a rival company. Interesting.
Putting a hybrid engine in a Mini is even more interesting.
There are 1001 purists out there who will be screaming “No, no, no”, ranging from a generation who delighted in handbrake turns in the original Mini, to today’s Mini drivers who throw their cars with abandon about country lanes.
Rest assured all you Mini lovers, the PHEV is not going to let you down.
The go-kart feeling you have come to know and love is alive and vibrantly kicking in the new Mini Cooper Countryman SE ALL 4 PHEV.
I admit, it was with some trepidation that I got in and pressed the toggle switch to get me going.
No engine noise, no Mini notice that it was time to get going – instead, just a quiet whoosh as we set off.
Then I pressed my foot to the floor – and…
You see, the Mini PHEV is instantly fast, because the power from the electric motor needs no time to warm up, and you are off.
It has a range of 25 miles in EV mode and once you reach 50mph, the internal combustion engine kicks in. Roundabouts, winding lanes, flashed past as the electric motor and the petrol 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine worked together to give the kind of performance that Mini drivers love.
Together they offer you 224hp, with the combustion engine driving the front wheels and the electric motor powering the rear.
Need a bit of Eco driving in town? The PHEV won’t let you down there either.
And the beauty of all this is that you are still driving a Mini – and a four-wheel drive one at that.
The PHEV looks no different in Countryman mode than the everyday version that throngs our roads already.
Drivers get the same high ride height and the different modes still give sport, mid and green flicking the colour ambience in the cab as you change between them.
The Mini PHEV can be charged at a domestic socket or at a wallbox or public charging station while you shop.
Inside, there are lovely finishes as befits a Mini with different textures of cloth and comfortable heated front sports seats.
Because it is a hybrid, it is an automatic and the gear changes are slick and smooth.
The only difference anyone will see to the Mini sitting in their driveway is the charging point on the left passenger side.
It has a green E on it and looks just like the badge at the other side, excepts it opens to allow you to charge the car either overnight or at a fast-charge station.
This means of course that you end up with fantastic mileage and performance figures.