Just joined the forums as part of my research for a potential new vehicle. So far, this forum seems like a great resource!

The Countryman seems like a great fit for my needs and wants so it's on my short list of potential vehicles. The hybrid is very tempting but I have one problem: I live in a condo and have no realistic access to charging in the underground parking garage. Do you need to plug in regularly or can you just rely on the engine to recharge the battery?

 

Here's a blurb from the Mini site:

The MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid runs on gasoline, electric power, or both, giving you a flexible range of power options. Use almost any standard outlet to charge the lithium-ion battery at your convenience, or not at all. Plugging in is entirely optional.

Reads like charging via connection to an outlet is optional.

Here's the link the Mini Countryman Hybrid info:

http://www.miniusa.com/content/miniu...ountryman.html

 

Any chance your underground garage has any outlets??? If so, I'd be plugging in to get a free charge! The charging handle locks into the car when you lock it, so it couldn't be stolen.

I charge mine at work and at home using the supplied 110V charger currently. It bugs me when the battery gets low, just because the gas consumption eats through the smaller tank pretty quick if you have a heavy foot.

I love my SE!

 

Any chance your underground garage has any outlets??? If so, I'd be plugging in to get a free charge! The charging handle locks into the car when you lock it, so it couldn't be stolen.

I charge mine at work (run an 25' extension cord off a standard plug) and at home using the supplied 110V charger currently. It bugs me when the battery gets low, just because the gas consumption eats through the smaller tank pretty quick if you have a heavy foot. It's still plenty quick for me when battery is depleted.

I love my SE!

 

No outlets in my parking garage. I haven't seen any other stalls with chargers installed either but I'll have to ask the HOA if it's something that can be installed. Being in California, I'm a little surprised I haven't seen any in my complex.

 

I'm in CA too and live in an apartment complex. No parking spaces with chargers yet. More and more I see these at businesses. I wonder when the push will appear to get apartment complex owners to add some?

If I had access to a parking space with a charger connection I'd be tempted to get an all electric (battery) powered car for my work commute of 60 miles a day. I'd save the JCW for pleasure usage.

 

Last I heard, SoCal apartment owners are not required to outlet any parking space areas. They have to be somewhat clean and safe, but this was considered an extra. At the cost of installation, such as labor and materials, I wouldn't on it being wired very soon.

 

OP here - thanks for all the replies. The hybrid seemed intriguing so I just wanted to see if there was a reasonable possibility of owning one in a condo complex. Looks like it's not a viable option, yet. Since I'm in California (ie no snow), I'm leaning towards the Countryman S with front wheel drive. I'm falling in love with the white with black roof combo - "stormtrooper" look.

 

Welcome to the forums and welcome to the world of MINI. The charging infrastructure is... developing, but, as of yet, no requirements for charging stations. FWIW, be sure to do a comparison drive so you can "feel" the difference between All wheel drive and FWD. If you stand on an S model all wheel throttle hard, the all wheel drive dynamics virtually eliminate torque steer. But then, some folks love wheel spin and torque steer as a part of their MINI experience. The all wheel drive is definitely more refined, eliminates the torque and the spin, and it does add a bit of weight.

Best of luck on landing a great deal on a great car!! Keep us posted.

 

MORE than you ever wanted to know about doing MINI deals:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-the-deal.html

 

Thanks for the thread link! I have some reading ahead of me! I usually spend about a year researching potential vehicles and I'm at about six months so, unless something changes, I'm not planning on making a decision until this summer.

 

Glad to be of service.

Don't forget, with your timeline, custom ordering a car becomes an option. 6 ~ 12 week lead time. Plus the joy of following your new car from production date to following the ship's progress.

And the model changeover happens early with MINI. A July order would be the next model year, and MINI doesn't always announce all the little changes they make with annual model refreshes, nor do they always put all the changes in at the start of the new production year. August builds, while usually next model year, might not have everything that, say December builds have. MINI world is a "special" place. A good and knowledgeable MA is worth his/her weight in gold.

 

From what I gather the gas engine will keep the battery charged to 90% if you choose that setting.

I too am contemplating a Countryman to replace my F56. I am also wanting to go "greener" in the future so the hybrid looked interesting.

After looking at my situation (own a home w/ a three car garage and room for a charger), living in Florida, our normal driving distances, incentives, and the cost between the Hybrid and the regular Countryman, I could not make the Hybrid work for me that made any real sense.

While having the room for a charger, the one thing holding me back from going total electric is our storm season. Irma, we lost power for 11 days. No power, no car (granted the Mini has both, so I could still run on gasoline), but face the gas lines and unavailability of gas after a storm. If I could go Solar w/ my home, different story. I am contemplating doing just that as our roof needs replaced.

Diff in price between the Hydrid Countryman and the regular considerably more (even w/ the $4000 credit).

12 miles on a charge is really pretty poor. A few errands could be a 6 mile round trip on electric only, but how much am I really saving w/ the non-hybrid that can get virtually the same MPG's. I would have to own the car for many years before I'd break even on the price difference. All things being equal, the batteries would likely need replacing before I hit the break even point. I would consider it w/ a 50-60 mile range (and had solar to charge in the event of power loss).

Before you make up your mind, I'd weigh all the pro's and cons before pulling the trigger on the E Countryman. If you could recharge at home, and your daily commute was 6 miles or less one way, then it would make sense.......Although, there are other options in the hybrid market that would make more sense.

I am considering the regular Countryman S as my next vehicle for the above reasons.

I love the MINI line, but do some reading on the reviews on the Countryman Hybrid. The initial cost and electric performance just doesn't make sense financially unless your circumstances allow for home charging and your daily commute is extremely short.

 

Thanks for your information and input! Yeah, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the Hybrid just won't work for the reasons you mentions but also because I have no reasonable way to charge it where I live. Unfortunately, that eliminates any electric or plug-in hybrid from my list, although the Countryman Hybrid was really the only one on my short list. I'm definitely going for the Cooper S but not sure about All4 vs. FWD versions. I currently drive a 2011 BMW 135i and am wondering if the lower power and performance of the Cooper S vs. my 135i will be too big a drop off for me. I guess I need to schedule a test drive to find out!

 

I have the 2015 Cooper S w/ the JCW tune and it is a blast to drive. I also have a 2017 M240i. BMW is way faster, but the Mini is a blast to drive and I'd rate them equally on the fun factor (in fact, maybe give the F56 one point more). Fun to dive a slow car fast than the other way around. The Mini can really be "flung" around more so than the BMW. You'll likely notice this also when you test drive one compared to the 135i. F56 is truly a "go-kart". Hoping the Countryman doesn't sacrifice too much of that feel if I go that route.

If you choose the the F56 S, might I suggest you look at adding a Dinan Stage 1 tune to it for about $900. You'll really notice a difference from stock and @ 1/3 the price of the JCW factory tune. I will be adding a Dinan to my next Mini for sure. Piggybacks on the factory warranty so you'll have full coverage.

Honestly, I would buy another F56 if it wasn't for my back problems. Getting into and out both the F56 and even my BMW is troublesome (Mini is actually a bit easier). Hoping the Countryman has some taller seating so I won't have drop into the seats like I do now.

FWD or all4 is up to you. I find the FWD to be quite nice and very control-able w/o any huge torque steer. If I was going to be in snow, maybe would go all4, but having a FWD in Mid-west winter snow for a number of years, I found it to be quite capable. Again, your money, your choice.

Again, we all have different priorities and needs, so mine are likely different than yours. Just sharing my perspective having navigated similar waters.

Best of luck in your choice.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I actually mistyped and meant I'm leaning strongly towards the MINI Countryman S not Cooper S.

I've briefly read about Dinan but doesn't it void your MINI manufacturer warranty? If not, it's something that I'd look into for sure!

 

Dinan has a warranty (on their Stage 1 tune) that piggybacks on the MINI warranty for 4 years. So, if you have an issue that can be traced to the Dinan, Dinan will pay for whatever repairs that are necessary even if Mini will not.

The Dinan tunes are not extreme and are well tested before marketing. If you go to the Gen 3 F56 section of this forum, you'll find plenty of info on the various tunes being installed on the Mini. To that point, now that Dinan is back to supporting Mini (as they have BMW for years - Mini and BMW use the same motors), many of the membership are going to the Dinan.