Five technological mistakes of the 2018 MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid
The BMW Group offers the largest choice of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the market. Plenty of room to feature some of the most impressive ones, such as the BMW i8 roadster, but also some of the worst, such as the 2018 MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4.
1. Insufficient range
At about 20 kilometres, this plug-in Countryman’s all-electric range will not get you very far before needing help from the gas engine. Especially since these 20 clicks vary quite a bit from one charge to the next. During our testing, driving range went from 8 to 14 to 17 km, each time after a full charge, without any apparent reason, with the same driving style each time.
- Also: 2018 MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4: Electrified, not Electrifying
- Also: Electric MINI to be Revealed on July 9
Obviously, many things can affect the overall range. Driving on the highway, and even the stop-and-go or urban traffic seemed to affect the battery usage the most.
2. No control
At the bottom of the centre console lies the ignition switch. Right beside it is the eDrive control, which allows the driver to choose between three driving modes. One saves the stored electrical energy for later, another one lets the on-board electronics manage the gas and electric mix. The third one, Max eDrive, should stick to the batteries for as long as they will go before starting the combustion engine.
Well, that’s not quite the case. The car is very capricious when it comes to opting for that driving mode. The fully electric mode is easily disabled, probably for weather-related reasons, but it’s frustrating each time, especially when we know we won’t be driving that far from home, using a small portion of the stored energy. Most plug-in hybrid cars will let the driver make that decision, just not this one.
3. Are you skidding?
When the ideal conditions are met and you can finally activate that all-electric mode, there’s still one important detail to consider: it won’t run on electric if you deactivate the traction control system. That’s another important caveat for a small four-wheel drive SUV that’s supposed to be comfortable on all roads, even when there’s mud, or snow, or both.
This traction control system will slow down the wheels at the slightest slip, even when you’re simply trying to get out of a slippery parking spot. There is no choice then but to deactivate it, and its EV mode with it.
4. Useless interface
Still, if all of this were properly explained through the car’s multimedia interface… But that eDrive interface is not very easy to find either, and ends up being a small side window with a simple rendering of the vehicle, showing which part of its powertrain is working, and if the battery is charging. And that’s it.
It’s a little thin, when you consider that this version of the Countryman costs at least $44,000, and that its main attraction is a very unpredictable and very limited electric powertrain…
5. Those annoying apps
MINI’s multimedia interface is one of the most interesting on the market. It won’t show on the S E Countryman’s dashboard, though. This vehicle has a hi-tech powertrain, but doesn’t even feature intermittent windshield wipers... At least, you can launch certain apps straight from the on-dash touchscreen.
These apps will work only if you pair a smartphone via Bluetooth. Once this is done, Spotify or Audible will automatically launch, which is great if you use these apps. Slightly less so if you don’t, since the system will launch one or the other (randomly, as it appeared during our testing), regardless of what audio source you were using previously.
Usually, technology is aimed at making life simpler. It’s just not the case of the 2018 MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4, which likes to make simple things more difficult. In at least five different ways.