MINI Shows Off the New Electric Countryman SE to the Press

DimON · April 5, 2023

A handful of European based press got a chance to see and ride in the new 2025 electric MINI Countryman last month at an event in Munich. While there are no driving review until later this year, this is our best look at what this new, larger Countryman and even how the electric Countryman SE performs.

Autocar and Autoexpress were two of the publications that attended and have some of the best initial takes from the experience. At a high-level both came away impressed by the crossover – even in prototype form:

Our first experience of the new all-electric MINI Countryman is hugely positive. From the passenger seats (in the front and back), it has solved many of the problems of the old car around practicality and ride comfort, while the all-electric powertrain seems perfectly matched to MINI’s go-kart feel. It could turn out to be a real SUV superstar.
Autoexpress

One theme you’ll read throughout is size and space. We’ve gone into detail how the 2025 MINI Countryman. Both were immediately struck by the increase in size inside and in the cargo area. While the wheelbase is identical to the F60, the overhangs have grown – especially in the rear. That has allowed for MINI to stretch out the interior a bit while providing more luggage space.

	R60 Countryman (’10-’16)	F60 Countryman (’17-’23)	U25 Countryman (’24-’32)
Length	4097 mm / 161.3 in	4298 mm / 169.2 in	4429 mm / 174.37 in
Height	1562 mm / 61.5 in	1557 mm / 61.3 in	1613 mm / 63.5 in
Wheelbase	2596 mm / 102.2 in	2670 mm / 105.1 in	2670 mm / 105.11 in

Also inside is where you’ll find MINI’s new circular OLED based circular nine-inch touchscreen. With this system MINI is finally moving away from BMW’s iDrive system in terms of user experience. It is also allowing MINI to ditch many of the physical controls that owners are used to such as heated seats. Having experience the new iDrive which has reduced many of the same physical controls, we can only hope MINI has done it better. Luckily there are a handful of shortcut buttons that will open menus on the screen for easy access.

However one thing was clear to both journalists – this new operating system is a complete departure from what MINI has had for years.

Elsewhere Autocar noted that the dashboard was made of “colourful woven fibres” rather than molded, textured rubber that we seen in most if not all modern cars. That harkens back to the Aceman concept we saw last year.

How Does The New Electric Countryman Drive and What’s the Range?

While journalists still haven’t driven it, the ride alongs did provide some ability to judge the driving experience. Also interesting is that MINI noted an estimated range of 280 miles rather than the 240 we had heard earlier. Assuming that’s an estimated WLTP number we’d expect a US EPA number of around 218 miles.

Other than that, both publications came away impressed in the driving experience from the passenger.

Unlike that car, the Countryman runs passive dampers and fixed-ratio steering, and even from the passenger seat, there’s something about its ride and roll rates that makes it feel more alive than the iX1.
Autocar

The fact that the Countryman will only have passive dampers is a bit of a shock given that the previous generation has had them for years. However the driving experience doesn’t seem to suffer at all.

From the passenger seat, we can tell Krüger (lead Countryman driving dynamics engineer) is not only enjoying the acceleration, but also the surefootedness of the new Countryman through corners. It’s longer and taller, but it grips well, seems to change direction keenly, and steadfastly refuses to lean through turns.
Although the surfaces on our Austrian test route are smoother than we have in the UK, we urge Krüger to find some bumpier sections. This reveals that this Countryman is far more comfortable than previous models, with the rough edges having been smoothed off. It’s quiet, too, as you’d expect, while the whole feeling is of a car that’s grown up without losing its sense of fun.
Autocar

It’s incredibly interesting, even from the passenger seat. Countryman driving dynamics engineer Simon Krüger went on to explain that the team think of it “like a tablecloth that we pull itin different directions to make sure we end up where we want it to be.” And this quote was particular promising; “You need to feel the road – we don’t want to banish that – but the perfect compromise is somewhere in between.”

We’ll be driving the 2025 MINI Countryman in both ICE and electric flavors later this year. Until then MotoringFile be delivering exclusive details on the car, performance, options and timing. And in the meantime head over to our U25 Countryman section for all the exclusive details we’ve revealed thus far.

Official Press Release: Fully electric: The next generation MINI Countryman.

As a stylish all-rounder and spacious everyday companion, the MINI Countryman continues the MINI brand’s product offensive of all-electric models.

With five doors and a variable-use interior, the largest model in the new MINI family of vehicles is leading the brand into an era of locally emission-free electromobility. With its optional all-wheel drive, the powerfully powered adventurer also ensures safe and unbridled driving pleasure off the beaten track.

The first generation of the MINI Countryman was already an instant success for MINI, and from 2010 it expanded the model family to include a compact SUV vehicle with all-wheel drive, five doors and – for the first time in a MINI model – over four meters in length. In the first generation, the trunk of the versatile adventurer can be flexibly expanded from 370 litres to up to 1,170 litres thanks to the sliding and folding rear seat.

From 2017, the second-generation MINI Countryman featured the MINI Cooper SE Countryman ALL4 as the first plug-in hybrid MINI model to offer an additional 65 kW/88 hp electric motor on the rear axle.

The new generation of the largest MINI model is fully electric and locally emission-free. The MINI Countryman E delivers 140 kW/191 hp, whereas the MINI Countryman SE ALL4 is the brand’s first all-wheel-drive fully- electric vehicle. Two highly integrated drive units on the front and rear axles together generate an output of 230 kW/313 hp, including a temporary boost. The battery capacity is 64.7 kWh. With an estimated range of around 450 kilometres, the MINI Countryman feels just as comfortable in city centres as on longer distances across the countryside. With the all-electric MINI Countryman, MINI is further expanding the proportion of electrified models. Every fifth MINI is already electric today.

With its length increased by 13 centimetres to 4,429 mm, the spacious adventurer offers even more space and comfort for its occupants. The height grew by almost six centimetres to now 1,613 mm, offering even more headroom.

The new MINI Countryman combines locally emission-free electromobility with the greatest possible environmental compatibility in production as well. This includes dispensing with all decorative elements in the exterior and interior and manufacturing the cast light-alloy wheels from up to 70 percent secondary aluminium. In combination with the use of green electricity in production, CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced compared with conventional manufacturing processes.

The surfaces of the dashboards, steering wheel, vehicle headliner and floor, and floor mats are made of recycled polyester obtained from PET bottles and carpet remnants. This high-quality, colourful and comfortable alternative to traditional materials reduces CO2 emissions along the value chain by up to 85 percent and emphasizes the focus on minimizing the ecological footprint of the next MINI model generation.

The long-term sustainable strategy for energy generation and consumption of the BMW Group’s “green plant” at the Leipzig site includes four wind turbines with a height of 190 meters on the factory premises. This could generate more than 20 GWh of electricity from wind energy per year.

In the Battery Farm up to 700 second-life high-voltage batteries from BMW i3 vehicles are used to store energy, such as that generated by the wind turbines. By storing the energy on the premises, local energy management can be optimised and the electrical grid kept stable.

The BMW Group is expanding on-site e-component production capacity by eight production lines by 2024 and investing more than 800 million euros. The decarbonization of production by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen is the focus of what is already one of the most modern and sustainable automotive production facilities in the world.