Having just ordered one I can tell you that you can choose 4WD by selecting the mid e drive, sport mode & manual, turn the traction control off & this gives you 4WD for as long as the battery has charge.
We used to have a car called the maxi , here in uk. I can understand why BMW might not want to revive it however, as they were somewhat ghastly. Google austin maxi and see what you think. My dad had one and i actually quite enjoyed driving it , to be fair.
Can't decide between the 2018 mini countryman PHEV and the 2017 Audi A3 e-tron. Which one Alex? Which one? I'm currently driving a 2013 Chevy Volt and love it. Would buy the newer version of it, but I'm planning on a rooftop tent and the Chevy volt is a no go. Not enough roof to spread the roof rack cross bars apart
One question that I haven’t seen answered is what happens on a long highway trip when the battery is depleted. Does the car run as a “normal” hybrid with regen braking, electrical motor running for passing etc. or does the electrical drive simply shut down in which case you would be driving a 4000 lb car with only 134 horsepower.
I would think the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron would be a more direct comparison to this vehicle than the Kia Nero PHEV. Both are premium level PHEV hatchbacks oriented towards performance. I don't think Alex has compared the A3 e-tron to many other vehicles since his A3 review originally came out three years ago.
I think they built this model _just_ for European city exhaust regulations (and, yes, maybe also for CA carpool lane buyers) where the driver benefits from an EV-only mode for in-city transit. At 4000lbs., it is clear they just slapped a battery and hybrid drivetrain into a car that was already overweight and with little real engineering.
You should review the Kona Ultimate! It’s the fastest, and also most engaging subcompact crossover that isn’t labeled as luxury to drive. Plus, it’s cute.
There's nothing "country" about such low ground clearance which crosses the S E Countryman off my list. I'm counting the hours until the all new Subaru Forester debuts at the New York Auto Show press day tomorrow. Will you be there, Alex? I hope you can get your hands on the SF soon as well as the new Crosstrek.
Totally agree with you.. no reason to have all wheel drive on a vehicle with the ground clearance of a dragster. I really like the idea of the vehicle but in the mid west where winters are totally unpredictable as far as snow fall .. your ' All wheel Drive ' will mean nothing if your practically pushing the snow like a plow. I give it ' sold next day ' after a winter snowfall in Iowa.
This “Mini” is ridiculously heavy! It will be interesting to see how long that 2.0 Turbo lasts. No lumbar support? That’s a big deal. Cabin storage is a joke. Alex, I generally respect your views, however it seemed you were going out of your way to find a lot of good in this very average car. Had this been any other car I believe your review would have been much more critical. Lastly, Mini as a brand 1) has horrendous reliability 2) Mini’s crash tests haven’t been stellar.
I totally agree. But remember Mini is originally British where the roads are so small, Ford Raptors are illegal! lol But as I said in a seperate comment, this Mini is everything Mini isn't suppoed to be. It's heavy, larger, handles badly (compared to a normal mini), and Mini's where originally meant to be tiny city cars for European roads.
Even after watching this video, I'm still pretty skeptical about the handling of a subcompact that weighs literally 1,000 pounds more than a Honda Civic, which is now bigger than the Accord used to be.
Hate everything about this thing. Heavy and huge. Exactly what a Mini shouldn't be. It also marks the first Mini trim not available with a manual transmission. Another first sadly
