By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(November 7, 2016) There’s an easy way to tell that the Mini brand is owned by a German automaker, the insane model names. Take, for example, the 2017 plug-in hybrid Mini Cooper Countryman. Instead of calling it the Countryman hybrid, or even the Countryman PHEV (for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), the folks at Mini decided to call its first hybrid model the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4. As in Mini Cooper S E(lectric) Countryman ALL4. That’s a mouthful to spit out when you’re trying to impress your friends.

The Countryman shares its platform with BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer, a front- and all-wheel drive five-door that is not to be confused with the rear-drive 2 Series coupe. The big Mini and little BMW also share powertrains, including 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter TwinPower turbocharged engines that are based around a 500 cc cylinder design.

The 1.5-liter triple produces 134 hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque and, in the S E Countryman it’s mated to a six-speed Steptronic automatic. This combination drives the front wheels. Out back, there’s an 87 hp/122 lb.-ft. electric motor that drives the rear axle through a two-stage, single-speed transmission. It draws power from a five module, 80-cell lithium-ion battery pack located under the rear seat.

Together they give the hybrid model a total of 221 hp and 284 lb.-ft. of torque, which is enough to accelerate the car from 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds.

Mini says the S E Countryman has an electric-only top speed of 77 mph, and can cruise up to 24 miles on electricity alone. But you can’t do the 24 miles at 77 mph, of course. In fact, if you’re not in Max eDrive mode, the top speed on battery power is limited to 55 mph. Or you can switch to Save Battery mode to either save the battery capacity or raise it to at least 90% in order to guarantee you have enough battery power to cruise in electric-only mode in emissions-free areas.

If you have access to a 240-volt socket, the 7.6 kWh battery pack can be recharged in 3.25 hours.

But let’s say you don’t want a hybrid model, and the thought of a 1.5-liter triple under the hood is, in a word, underwhelming. What then? You can order the 2.0-liter four, which has 189 hp and 207 lb.-ft. of torque, and choose to drive either the front wheels or all four. Well, not exactly. Under most conditions the front wheels of the ALL4 are doing all of the work, with the rears called into play — in 0.25 seconds — when there’s a rotational difference in the front and rear axle speeds.

That is, when the fronts start to exhibit slip and close the central clutch in order to send drive to the rear wheels. It’s the same powertrain found on the Mini Clubman ALL4 (and 2 Series Active Tourer), and adds weight with little compensation in terms of performance or all-weather ability.

On the plus side, Mini says the Countryman’s cargo space is 30% larger, and the front and rear legroom, front and rear shoulder room and front and rear head room are larger than a number of its competitors. Every Countryman comes standard with a panoramic sunroof, fore-aft sliding reclining rear seats, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a rear view camera and rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free, leatherette upholstery and pushbutton start with proximity key entry. And, as expected, there’s a laundry list of options and packages.

The Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 makes its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Prices for it and the rest of the Countryman lineup will be set closer to launch.

The Virtual Driver