Practicality and Boot Space
Hiding a battery pack under the rear seats may mean they won’t slide back and forward like the petrol Countryman, but that’s pretty much the only passenger-space issue the PHEV brings to the table. There’s plenty of leg and head room in the back, so kids won’t need to be told off for growing inconveniently quickly. The car was designed with electrification in mind from the start, after all.
The boot is a decent 405-litres, 45 fewer than non PHEV MINI Countrymans, but still enough for all the usual stuff families need to deal with on the day to day. A 40:20:40 split rear seat means you can fit bulkier items in the back alongside passengers if needs be. With all the seats lowered there’s an impressive 1,275-litres of space to play with.
Technology
Like streaming your own music? Well, the standard audio system now comes with Bluetooth streaming as standard, at last. If you upgrade your tech you’ll get an 8.8-inch infotainment screen as well – you can either use the peripheral interface or a touch function to get around its menus. It’s slick, and easy to use, with all the functions you’d expect from a modern car at your finger tips.
The instrument cluster gets a fresh face for the new MINI Countryman Cooper SE Plug-In Hybrid as well. The Black Panel instrument displays cleanly, with information like fuel level, charge state, speed, and how much power the car is either consuming or recuperating.
LED lighting all around is now standard on the MINI Countryman Cooper SE Plug-In Hybrid as well, improving efficiency and visibility.
Safety
The previous MINI Countryman Cooper SE Plug-In Hybrid scored a five star EuroNCAP crash test score, earning a 90% rating for adult occupants, and 80% for child occupant protection. In the unlikely event of a crash, then, you and yours will be well looked after.
Standard safety tech, both active and passive, is generous. Autonomous emergency braking, which will brake the car for you if it thinks you’re going to have an accident, is standard. As is a bonnet that raises if it detects a pedestrian impact, putting more space between the pedestrian’s head and the hard motor under the hood.