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2019 Mini E Countryman Review | Not a great plug-in hybrid, but still great

At first glance, the 2019 Mini E Countryman plug-in hybrid is wildly unimpressive. It can only go a meager 12 miles on electricity alone, and when out of plugged-in electrons its turbocharged three-cylinder engine manages an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in combined driving. Pretty good for a compact SUV, but crap for a hybrid. Its price tag is eye-watering. Although it starts at $37,750, including $850 destination, my test Countryman hit the register at $45,750 and still didn't have power seats, leather, satellite radio, adaptive cruise control, and other items that should be included on a vehicle at this price range in this segment (compact SUVs like the Mercedes GLA or Volvo XC40). Admittedly, if you skip our test car's $2,000 John Cooper Works Appearance package (not a bad idea), you can add some of those extra niceties instead, but the price would still be steep. An E Countryman, or 2019 Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 as it's officially and ridiculously known, is roughly about $4,000 more than a comparable gas-only Cooper S Countryman ALL4. There are some functional disadvantages as well. The plug-in hybrid lacks the regular Countryman's sliding back seat that adds cargo space without folding the seat backs and therefore wiping out passenger space (see video below). It also has only about 30 percent of the under-floor storage available in the cargo area, the result of the batteries needing to go somewhere. Now, Senior Editor Alex Kierstein reports that he found the E Countryman to still be perfectly space efficient. There was sufficient room for his wife to sit up front with a rear-facing baby seat behind her and a big stroller in the trunk. Still, he would've had even more room in the regular Countryman. The bottom suitcase in the right photo would not fit in the E Countryman since it lacks this regular version's removable floor panel. Really, all the above issues make the plug-in hybrid version of the Countryman a little hard to recommend ... at first. At second, third and fourth glances, it actually starts to make a lot more sense. Sure it only went between 10 and 12 miles on electricity after I recharged it, but hey, that's still 10 to 12 miles further than any other Mini can muster. You can even utilize the "Save Mode" that allows you save that electric range for times when you know it'll be most beneficial (say, the urban-driving conclusion to the morning commute).

Mini's Superleggera concept could see production; here's what it might look like

We fell in love with the Mini Superleggera Vision Concept from the moment we laid eyes on it. The little convertible blends retro and modern together better than any Mini in years. There is even more good news about the roadster as well because the company is considering actually building it. We even have some renders of what the production version could look like.
Mini boss Peter Schwarzenbauer tells Automotive News at the 2014 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, that the Superleggera might have a life beyond its debut. "We wanted to test how Mini enthusiasts worldwide were reacting to such a different type of Mini. So far, it has re
ceived overwhelming appreciation," he said to AN. But here's the bad news. All of the unique elements of the droptop wouldn't be cheap to build. Pricing would likely be around 35,000 euros if BMW gives it the green light, according to Schwarzenbauer. It's too early to know whether the road car would use the electric motor from the concept or something more conventional.

2023 Mini Convertible Seaside Edition touts 30 years of Mini soft tops

There have been specialty vehicle shops creating convertible Minis since the 1960s. Heinz had Crayford Convertibles make 57 Mini droptops as part of a competition in 1966. But Mini didn't produce a factory-backed convertible until 1993, when parent company Rover sent cars to one of its German dealers that had already been producing its own soft tops for two years. BMW wouldn't buy Rover until 1994. That hasn't stopped the Munich firm from celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first official Mini 'drophead' with this, the 2023 Mini Convertible Seaside Edition. If you like your special editions to scream about their special-edition-ness, this one's for you — it's awash in graphics. Outside, the front bumper gets the special multihued blue graphic featuring a stylized number 30 created for this model. That graphic appears again on the side vent along with the word "Seaside" in orange. A twin coach line runs from that vent to the rear. The word Seaside appears again next to the passenger's side brake light, and yet again on the door sills with the twin pinstripe. The center caps? They say Mini. But they get the 30 graphic, and a newly available 18-inch wheel design meant to be "reminiscent of pulsating waves in the water." Even the key gets the special edition treatment as half of the fob is a deep blue, reworked into a thalassic-themed bit of sculpture that has the word Seaside hidden behind it. Inside the Carbon Black leather interior, Seaside shows up in orange on the sport steering wheel. The 30 graphic's been embossed into the instrument panel, accompanying the words "30 years of convertible" on the passenger's side. And a badge with the graphic adorns the floor mats,   The 2023 Mini Convertible Seaside Edition will be available from February of next year on the Cooper and Cooper S, and can be optioned in Nanuq White or Caribbean Aqua.