New 2023 Mini Countryman PHEV to be firm's most powerful car
The next-generation Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid, due next year, will be the BMW -owned brand’s most powerful series-production model yet. The Countryman will share its FAAR front-driven architecture with the all-new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and be produced alongside that model and the upcoming X1 crossover in Leipzig, Germany. It is set to use the same range of petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains, the most potent of which will be a four-wheel-drive PHEV set-up with a combined output that shades even that of the current Mini JCW GP hot hatchback. The powertrain will pair a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a 174bhp electric motor for a combined output of 322bhp, making the model substantially quicker than today’s 217bhp Countryman Cooper S E All4. A 14.2kWh (usable) battery will supply it with around 55 miles of EV range, a near-100% increase. It can be fully charged in 2.5 hours from a 7.4kWh charger. It...