Although the new Cooper 3-Door and 5-Door models with combustion engines are offered exclusively with gasoline power, the Countryman still has a diesel. MINI wishes to remind us it hasn’t completely killed off the oil-burner by sharing new images of the crossover. This Cooper D is built in the Favoured Trim and wears a Midnight Black paint while riding on 18-inch wheels. It’s the standard Asteroid Spoke design in Vibrant Silver but you can opt for larger 19- or 20-inch rims.
As you can imagine, the latest Countryman D uses the same BMW B47 engine that goes into the mechanically related X1 and X2 models fueled by diesel. It’s a mild-hybrid 2.0-liter four-pot with 163 hp (120 kW), matching the punch offered by BMW’s xDrive20d-badged crossovers. With a sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in eight and a half seconds, it’s about three seconds slower than the hot John Cooper Works.
To be fair, you’re not buying a Countryman with a diesel engine if you’re after performance. This configuration of the compact crossover excels in terms of fuel economy. It’s especially true when you’re out on the open road. With no plug-in hybrid model available this generation, diesel might be a good alternative. That said, MINI is now selling a fully electric model, but range anxiety is still an issue in 2024.
MINI quotes a fuel consumption in the combined cycle as low as 4.6 liters / 100 kilometers or 62 miles. That works out to an impressive 51.3 mpg (61.4 mpg UK), provided you can hit those numbers advertised by the BMW-owned brand. It’s highly unlikely a diesel will ever be offered in another MINI, so the Countryman might be your last chance. However, it’s not available in all European countries, so for some people, the ship has already sailed.
The objective to go fully electric around 2030 remains in place. That tells us these new models are the last MINIs with combustion engines. Besides the two hatchbacks (F65, F66) and the crossover (U25), there’s a new convertible (F67) coming this fall with gas engines. The smaller Aceman crossover will remain an electric-only affair while the six-door Clubman is dead.
Source: MINI