Calling a BMW engine "twin-turbo" because of the TwinPower Turbo official designation is an automotive sin. We might forgive it when committed by an enthusiast, but never in an official video from the manufacturer.
MINI has always been a company that values form more than function. But the new Countryman seems to have an equal quantity of the two. Yet in this commercial promoting the plug-in hybrid model, the 1.5-liter engine being used is described as a "twin-turbo 3-cylinder".
As far as everybody knows, the Countryman PHEV has the same 1.5-liter unit found under the hood of the regular Cooper model. TwinPower Turbo refers to the combination fo direct injection, variable valve timing and twin-scroll turbocharging. There are other BMW engines that do indeed have two turbochargers, but none are available in a MINI.
There are other things that bug us, like the description of the video: "Satisfy your everyday commute and weekend wanderlust in one electrifying vehicle – The new MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid. Enhance the off-road acceleration of the MINI Cooper S, or drive CO2 neutral through the city in a car that combines electric driving with a traditional MINI go-kart feeling."
How dare they invoke go-akrt handling for a crossover that's much larger than its predecessor and probably weighs 1.7 tons in this battery-burdened configuration.
What's more, this is hardly the car MINI buyers want. If you read the comments of the YouTube video, everybody says a pure EV with Tesla-like range would have been far better.
As far as we know, MINI is working on one of those as well. The lifestyle choice of buying a crossover that can run around town in pure electric mode is an interesting one, and its 224 hp maximum output is an interesting one. But if you look at things from a different perspective, the PHEV is the most expensive and heaviest version of the Countryman that's equipped with the least powerful gasoline engine. So when you're not in power mode, you might be struggling, something people complain about with the BMW X5 xDrive30e as well.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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