A closer look at the new all-electric MINI Countryman

When BMW acquired MINI in 1994, the idea was to inject new life into what had been a very popular brand since the first MINI created by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959. MINI has become somewhat of a cult like the Volkswagen Beetle, and BMW’s acquisition of the iconic brand meant that the vehicle moved into a new era of technology and refinement.

The Countryman is the bigger brother to the diminutive Cooper, and while the original Countryman came to India in 2012, the 2025 version of the car is now electric! Talk about progression. Of course, the vehicle gets a lot of new features and looks which don’t have much of a resemblance to the original. However, what you do get are chiseled cut looks and light profiles that brings the Countryman to the 21^st century. And now, electric propulsion.

The good part is that electric power means that the Countryman retains its Go-Kart type handling with its own turn of speed

If you buy the top of the line car which has Classic + Favoured option packs specified in addition to the base car, then you even get a Go-Kart mode. The base car itself is not too shabby in specification. You get these funkily designed door pads, plenty of spaces inside for knick knacks, wireless charging, USB-C ports and a whole lot more. Nowadays there is a new fashion on moving to one large central display instead of multiple ones, and the MINI Countryman continues this tradition with a large round touchscreen OLED 9.5-inch display. This has all areas covered – right from navigation to essential car data and infotainment. It is all logically laid out and though initially might appear a little overwhelming, it is fairly easy to figure out. The driver’s seat gets memory besides power adjustments and you also get a nice, airy panoramic sunroof.

With a 66.45 kWh battery, you will easily get around 400 kilometres plus of driving range. The single motor mounted up front puts out 204 horses and around 250 Nm of torque, enough to send this little big car from 0-100 km/h in a shade over 8 seconds. Acceleration is quite linear and you do get that pushed back into the seat feeling often, if are not judicious with the accelerator pedal. The suspension is well sorted and performs over bad roads and potholes quite admirably. Interestingly, there is ADAS in the car but it is Level 1 only. If you add optional packs, then you get a High beam assist as well, besides goodies like a 360-degree camera, powered tailgate, a Harman Kardon sound system and of course the aforementioned HUD display.

The MINI eCountryman is a futuristic car. It has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a MINI. Incredibly easy to drive, it is fairly well loaded with features, though the more desirable ones will make you fork out additional moolah. Thankfully, an AC wall charger is provided with the car. You can tank up at home and with an ever expanding network of EV chargers around the country, range anxiety is a thing of the past. The biggest upside? Ethanol-petrol blending and its debates will never bother you!

Priced at INR 55 lakhs onwards