MINI Countryman Electric confirmed for the U.S. [Update]

Update: ‘Design,’ ‘Interior & Features,’ ‘Specifications,’ and ‘Release Date’ sections updated.

Moving to its third generation, the MINI Countryman has grown into a proper SUV and gained a pure-electric variant. The first-ever MINI Countryman Electric is a sensible choice for young first-time EV buyers and competes with the likes of the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Mercedes EQB.

While MINI has confirmed the all-electric Countryman for the U.S. for MY2025, no additional details have been offered. We should hear from the American subsidiary on the local market plans later this year. Until then, here’s what we know about the Countryman EV for Europe.

Design

The MINI Countryman Electric draws plenty of inspiration from the MINI Aceman. The angular headlamps, the octagonal radiator grille, the oblong mirrors, and the flush door handles – all remind us of the concept. The biggest cue of similarity is the design of the chunky six-spoke alloy wheels which mimics the 20-inch rims of the show car.

Many automakers, including MINI, are embracing reductionism in their design philosophies. The Countryman Electric exemplifies MINI’s fresh design language, known as Charismatic Simplicity, complete with refined touches for a clean exterior and interior. For instance, the headlamps lack a surrounding frame, while flush door handles and aerodynamic wheels align with the new theme. The exterior is chrome-free, in an effort to make this MINI more eco-friendly.

The tautly curved hood, octagonal front grille, skid plates, high ground clearance, 20-inch wheels, skid plates, and the black cladding all around the body in the lower area provide the Countryman Electric with a robust appearance. As it’s an EV, the lower air intake is slimmer and wider, while the compact air inlets on the flanks have a new, boxy look that fits well with the tough new character.

In addition to the squarish rear quarter glass, there are other unique details on the side profile. A vertical decor element floats down from the roof to highlight the C-pillar area. Larger doors and a longer rear quarter glass emphasize the significant increase in the length from the second generation.

The rear-end of the Countryman Electric looks wider and more upright, thanks to the squarer tailgate. The license plate area is designed into the bumper instead of the tailgate. The tail lamps are edgy and significantly slimmer, so they look much taller and go well with the squarer exterior of the redesign.

Alloy wheels made with 100% green power

The alloy wheels of the new-generation MINI EVs embody a new design language. Instead of the sculptural nature of the spoke structure, the focus is on a graphic design characterized by strong color contrasts. This change, along with outward-pointing spokes, creates an illusion of size. The new alloy wheel designs are two-dimensional, in line with the MINI brand’s new Charismatic Simplicity vehicle design language.

The Countryman Electric is BMW Group’s first model to adopt light-alloy cast wheels made from 70% secondary aluminum. Compared to conventional production processes, combining 100% green power for making these wheels and using 70% secondary raw material content in the process can reduce CO2 emissions.

From 2024, BMW Group will cast aluminum wheels made with 100% green power in all MINI (and BMW) models. This is one of the various measures the company has taken to reduce emissions throughout the BMW Group Supplier network by 20% from 2019 levels by the end of the decade.

Colors

A recent MotoringFile report claims the Countryman Electric will be available in seven colors, as listed below:

1. Chilli Red II
2. Nanuq White
3. Midnight Black
4. British Racing Green
5. Frozen Portimao Blue
6. Melting Silver III
7. Legend Grey

Note: Color availability may vary as per the market.

Interior & Features

The interior of the MINI Countryman Electric is clean, minimalistic, and vivid. Rich colors, warm, pleasant materials, and premium trim elements give the cabin a luxury model-like vibe. In a typical SUV fashion, the dashboard is tall and integrates vertical AC vents, and the door handles are also vertically aligned. There’s no separate instrument cluster, though, and even the steering wheel is a conventional one. However, the EV does have a head-up display.

Customers will be able to choose between a two-spoke steering wheel and a three-spoke steering wheel. The third (six o’clock) spoke in the latter is just a textile strap, though. A round, 240 mm (9.4 in.) display in the center does the duty of both the infotainment system and the instrument cluster. Built using OLED technology, the touch-operated thin display is called ‘MINI Interaction Unit.’ Running on the MINI Operating System 9, it operates like a smartphone and is thus easy to use. The driver and passengers can control numerous functions using MINI’s first-ever fully-fledged voice assistant.

The gear selector is located in a newly configured toggle bar below the MINI Interaction Unit. This panel houses the parking brake, start/stop key, experience mode toggle, and volume control as well. There’s a generous storage area below the toggle bar, and this space includes a place to stow and wirelessly charge smartphones. The cupholders are bigger than those of the second-gen Countryman.

Sustainable materials

The MINI Countryman Electric sees a fair amount of usage of eco-friendly measures. The textile dashboard surfaces, the inside of the doors, and the vehicle floor and floor mats contain recycled polyester, while the seats have been draped in Vescin artificial leather. There’s no chrome anywhere in the cabin, just like on the outside.

Specifications

Dimensions

Moving to its third generation, the MINI Countryman has significantly grown in every dimension. It measures 4,433 mm (174.5 in.) in length, 1,843 mm (72.6 in.) in width, and 1,656 mm (65.2 in.) in height. At least by European classification, it’s a proper compact SUV. The redesigned model’s wheelbase is 2,692 mm (106.0 in.).

The third-gen Countryman, including the first-ever Countryman Electric, is more spacious than the outgoing car. While making more room for passengers and luggage, the elongated wheelbase has made room for a decently-sized battery pack under the cabin floor.

Aspect	2023 MINI Countryman	2024 MINI Countryman Electric	Difference
Length	4,310 mm (169.7 in.)	4,433 mm (174.5 in.)	123 mm (4.8 in.)
Width	1,822 mm (71.7 in.)	1,843 mm (72.6 in.)	21 mm (0.8 in.)
Height	1,557 mm (61.3 in.)	1,656 mm (65.2 in.)	99 mm (3.9 in.)
Wheelbase	2,670 mm (105.1 in.)	2,692 mm (106.0 in.)	22 mm (0.9 in.)

Compared to the second-gen Countryman, there’s nearly 3 cm more width in the shoulder and elbow in the front, so the driver and front passenger can sit much more comfortably. Rear passengers also get more comfort, thanks to 2.5 cm of additional shoulder width. There’s 460 liters (16.2 cu. ft.) of cargo space in the EV, and folding down the rear seats increases it to 1,450 liters (51.2 cu. ft.).

The significant growth in the Countryman’s dimensions has substantially improved its practicality and also made it look more like an SUV than a crossover. The icing on the cake is the freed-up space in the line-up, as now there’s enough space for the MINI Aceman to slot in below.

Performance & range

The third-gen MINI Countryman is based on the new multi-energy FAAR platform, an updated version of the second-gen model’s UKL platform. This isn’t a skateboard designed only for electric vehicles, as you would find under the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the Volvo EX30.

2WD & 4WD

The MINI Countryman Electric will be sold in ‘E’ 2WD and ‘SE ALL4’ AWD configurations. The Countryman Electric E has a 201 hp/184 lb.-ft. single-motor powertrain, while the Countryman SE ALL4 uses a 308 hp/364 lb.-ft. dual-motor powertrain. The former takes 8.6 seconds for a 0-62 mph sprint and has a top speed of 106 mph, while the latter takes 5.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph and can keep going till 112 mph.

The E and SE ALL4 configurations share a 66.4 kWh battery pack that can be charged at up to 22 kW with alternating current or 130 kW with direct current. AC charging times aren’t out yet, but we do know that a 10-80% DC fast-charging session takes just under 30 minutes. On a full charge, the Countryman Electric should deliver a WLTP range of 287 miles in the E configuration and 269 miles in the SE ALL 4 configuration.

A John Cooper Works variant with a more powerful dual-motor powertrain is also a part of the line-up, but technical details haven’t been revealed.

For the U.S.

BMW Group hasn’t confirmed specifications of the U.S.-spec MINI Countryman Electric yet. We reckon that the Countryman Electric may get an EPA-est. rating of around 230 miles in the E configuration and 215 miles in the SE ALL 4 configuration.

Aspect\Specification	MINI Countryman Electric E	MINI Countryman Electric SE ALL4
Drivetrain Layout	FWD	AWD
No. of Motors	One	Two
Power	150 kW (201 hp)	230 kW (308 hp)
Torque	250 Nm (184 lb.-ft.)	494 Nm (364 lb.-ft.)
0-62 mph Acceleration Time	8.6 seconds	5.6 seconds
Top Speed	170 km/h (106 mph)	180 km/h (112 mph)
Max. AC Charging Power	22 kW	22 kW
Lowest AC Charging Time	TBD	TBD
Max. DC Charging Power	130 kW	130 kW
Lowest DC Charging Time (10-80% SoC)	<30 minutes	<30 minutes
Targeted WLTP Range	462 km (287 mi)	433 km (269 mi)
Expected EPA-est. Range	~230 mi	~215 mi
Towing Capacity	TBD	1,200 kg (2,646 lbs.)

First ride impressions

While MINI hasn’t yet allowed media to drive the Countryman Electric for reviews, they have let a few auto journalists to ride as passengers during road tests. The first ride impressions in the Countryman Electric are promising.

The MINI Countryman Electric feels pretty quick in the 308 hp SE ALL4 configuration with the most performance-focused ‘Go Kart’ drive mode engaged. The EV is quite stable even during some enthusiastic cornering, which should be because of its low center of gravity. The dual-motor AWD setup provides it good grip. The Countryman may have grown substantially, but, at least in the first-ever Electric variant, it seems to have preserved its character.

MINI Countryman Electric production

Production of the third-generation MINI Countryman, including the first-ever MINI Countryman Electric, will happen in Leipzig (Saxony), Germany, starting later in 2023. This will be the first time a MINI model will be made in BMW Group’s home country. Thanks to German production, customers upgrading from the second-gen Countryman may find the third-gen model of a higher quality.

The Countryman is the second highest-selling MINI model worldwide, with 76,700 units sold in 2022. Its contribution to the brand’s sales volume could be more significant with the added space and the introduction of an electric powertrain in the third generation. In the U.S., the Countryman is the best-selling MINI. In 2022, BMW Group delivered 9,489 units of the crossover in the country.

Release Date

Global

According to the investor presentation BMW Group released on March 15, 2023, the MINI Countryman Electric should go on sale in the first markets in Q1 2024 (January-March 2024).

U.S.

MINI USA has confirmed that the Countryman EV will be launched for MY2025. It has created a sign-up page for interested customers. MINI head Stefanie Wurst had earlier said that the third-gen Countryman “will definitely help” the company in the U.S.

MINI is going all-electric

Of the three BMW Group brands, MINI will go fully electric first. The German conglomerate has revealed that all MINI models from the early 2030s will run only on electricity. The company plans to cease the development of combustion-engine models in 2025. Even the last combustion engine MINI will have an electrified variant.

MINI will be the first BMW Group brand to go fully electric. MINI is perfect for the city – and for e-mobility. We will be releasing the last model with a combustion-engine variant in 2025. By the early 2030s, MINI will be exclusively fully electric.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW Group, at the annual conference in March 2021.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman – BoM, BMW Group, reiterated the company’s commitment to converting MINI into an EV-only brand during the company’s annual conference on March 15, 2023:

MINI will be really taking off in the next few years. By the early 2030s, the brand will be electric only. This is what the pioneering new Mini family is all about. A total of three new electric models will be coming onto the market next year.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of BoM, BMW Group (Annual Conference 2023 on March 15, 2023)

TopElectricSUV says

The MINI Countryman Electric, derived from the brand’s largest model, is a stylish and spacious premium compact electric SUV. When it arrives in the U.S. next year, the electric SUV will become the brand’s most functional vehicle, offering more comfort and a lower running cost than its gasoline-powered counterpart.

MINI Countryman Electric FAQs

Featured Image Source: BMW Group