Mini Countryman to arrive with two drive variants
BMW has officially published key data on the new generation of the Mini Countryman, which will also come with a purely electric drive. For the first time, an electric car of the Mini brand will also have an all-wheel drive.
The latter is not surprising, as the new Countryman shares the platform and drive technology with the BMW X1 and iX1 in the electric version. As reported, the iX1 will initially only debut with all-wheel drive, but later a weaker drive with only one electric motor will also be possible.
Like the iX1, the Countryman SE ALL4 is supposed to produce up to 230 kW with the temporary boost. BMW does not state the output of the electric drive without the boost in the Countryman announcement, but it is likely to be 200 kW, as in the iX1. The weaker drive version, which Mini will sell as the Countryman E, is not yet offered in the BMW sister model: This variant uses only an electric motor that is supposed to produce 140 kW. Whether this motor drives the front or rear axle is not mentioned.
Both Countryman offshoots use the 64.7 kWh battery familiar from the iX1. While the WLTP range for the iX1, which is currently only available as an all-wheel drive vehicle, is between 413 and 438 kilometres, BMW states an “estimated range of approx. 450 kilometres” for the electric Countryman. Whether this is the all-wheel-drive version or the 140 kW model is not mentioned, however.
There is some information about the body: the length of the new Countryman grows by 13 centimetres to 4.43 metres, the height by almost six centimetres to 1.61 metres. Thanks to the additional length, there should be “even more space and comfort for the occupants”, although the parking space for the new model must also be somewhat larger than before. According to BMW, the higher body is primarily intended to increase headroom.
Production of the new Mini Countryman at the BMW plant in Leipzig is scheduled to start in November 2023 – the iX1 will be built in Regensburg, as reported. BMW also emphasised in the press release that the production of the Mini Countryman will also be as environmentally friendly as possible. Since the light alloy cast wheels contain up to 70 per cent secondary aluminium (recycled material) and are manufactured with green electricity, the CO2 emissions of production are to be reduced. In the interior, numerous surfaces are made of recycled material: the surfaces of the dashboards, the steering wheel, the vehicle headliner and floor and the floor mats are made of recycled polyester obtained from PET bottles and carpet remnants.
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