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The MINI Countryman SE All4 is the sort of electric SUV that turns heads before you’ve even pressed the start button. Blazing paintwork, contrasting accents and those Union Jack-inspired rear lights give it a distinct identity in a very crowded class. Step inside and the character continues, with textile surfaces across the doors, dashboard and centre console, plus neat touches of gold trim that make the cabin feel more like a designer lounge than a conventional family car.
On the move, the Countryman SE backs up its looks with genuinely entertaining road manners. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up delivers punchy response, and in its most focused driving mode, the car feels eager to change direction, with well-judged damping that keeps it composed over broken tarmac. There’s enough composure to lean on through a series of bends, and you can sense the rear axle helping to rotate the car if you’re brisk with your inputs. Around town, it calms down nicely, soaking up most bumps without fidgeting and remaining easy to place in tight gaps.
The problems start when you look beyond its playful nature and ask it to behave as your only car. With a usable battery in the mid-60kWh range, the quoted driving distance of just over 200 miles looks modest next to newer rivals. Use the performance regularly, and that figure tumbles, leaving you planning journeys more carefully than you might like. Fast-charging is no real remedy, either; with peak DC rates capped well below the class best, you spend longer hooked up to a rapid charger than you would in many competing electric SUVs.
MINI also stumbles when it comes to tech and perceived value. The circular central display is a great talking point, and its graphics are crisp, but the system can be slow to respond, especially when you start cycling through the themed layouts tied to each driving mode. What sounds like a charming retro flourish quickly becomes a faff when you are simply trying to get to your preferred settings. The Countryman SE remains spacious, safe and genuinely enjoyable to drive, but with its modest range, leisurely charging and hefty specification, it feels more like a stylish second car than the all-round electric family SUV it so clearly wants to be.
