[Realevil_uk]

Hi,

Test drove a PHEV late 2017. I believe it had 18” run flats (black look alloys) and was put off a little by how firm the “Sport part leather” seats were and how firm the ride was in general. Also the steering was really heavy - great for chucking around corners, less so on the school run...

I enjoyed most other aspects of the car (although I think the dash/interior styling maybe isn’t quite as premium as I expected for a car pushing £40k new). But it had the X factor and and I am still keen.

I wonder if anyone else experienced same thing? I understand some recommend replacing all 4 tires with non run flats but how much does that cost? Is there any set of options to consider to make the ride/steering more... laid back? It looks like active dampeners aren’t an option on the PHEV and every used model mentions sports X, Y, Z for seats etc?

Thanks!




I

 

[Keeff]

We have 2017 cooper petrol and haven’t driven the phev but on are 17 s none run flat it is a firm ride . It rides the bumps ok for a suv and is good in corners . I was told by the dealer the ride is very hard on 18 s then add run flats and it must be bad . We have three driver modes eco mid and sport and find the steering very heavy in sport but can live with it in mid . Have a look on eBay as you can find sets of the 17s with tyres I think you need wheels for the f60 as the r60 won’t fit . I haven’t asked yet at the dealers but I think they would be able to adjust the steering on the computer as it is software controlled. It would make it a lot more relaxing to drive like my VW and much better for the school run as you said.
I am sure someone with a phev will be along soon with more info

 

[ro_explorer]

I have JWC sports seats on my PHEV (alcantara with some leather on the sides) that are the firmer of them all to say so (but also the most ergonomic shape from the series ... they fit my body like a glove). Also, as winter wheels I have some 17" bridgestone (mini original rims and tires) and as summer I have the 18" JWS rims with non-run-flat tires.

The ride is quite firm with both sets (it's a sporty car after all) but the 17" wheels feel quieter, a little softer and less precise than the 18" summer wheels.
No matter what wheels I have, my friends driving vw passat or audi A6 or even BMW 225xe are saying that the car feels more sensitive to the road imperfections but not in a bad way.

Let's put it this way: you cannot have a "go-kart feeling" and a soft suspension at the same time ...

I love my PHEV (I wish it would be a full electric but ... well, I'll take the hybrid for now ).

 

[Tim in Scotland]

I have the optional 18” black alloys and the 225/50R18 99W tyres on mine - these are not run-flats and the ride is great. I have come from many years of driving big SUV’s with renowned supersmooth air suspension and I was amazed just how well my PHEV rides in comparison to those luxobarge feather beds - the PHEV’s ride is as pliant and quiet as my last Range Rover Sport L494 HSE Dynamic which rode on 22” wheels shod with low profile All Season tyres. It takes some pretty rough bits of road for the ride to become less than pleasant. I have the standard part leather seats in mine and they are very comfortable for my ample frame.......... especially as they have the extending thigh support that wasn’t available for the armchairs in any Range Rover. Yes they are quite firm but I like that.

I love my PHEV (I wish it would be a full electric but ... well, I'll take the hybrid for now ).

I completely agree with you Ro, would be a great BEV if they can give it a long electric range. I have been tempted by the Jaguar I Pace, but the problem for me is I don’t need such a large car these days so the Countryman PHEV suits my requirements better. A BEV Countryman with a real world range of 220 miles / 300 Kms would be heaven!

 

[Jackdaniel]

Sorry bit off topic but question for you guys who know more about electric cars...How many miles can you guys see the electric Mini hatchback having?

 

[Tim in Scotland]

There is a small write up about it in this month’s Top Gear Magazine (Titled The Electric Edition) - they claim (I suspect from the BMW press pack) battery will be 33kWh, 181bhp and a possible range just over 100 miles. Doesn’t say if these are “real world” driving figures or what is claimed under the new testing regime (which is a s flawed as the old system!). It’s an improvement over the PHEV’s electric capacities - 7.6Kwh/87bhp/26 miles (all claimed and not real world) my “real world” milage is more like 17 miles range which for me is’t a huge issue as I have free charging at my destination 16 miles away from home but it is disappointing and I do run the first 5-6 miles of my run to town in petrol mode so I can use the cabin heater to warm up the cabin without running down the electric range, I also think that it is important to have the ICE part warmed up before I want to welly it to overtake other traffic with themally stressing the combustion engine.

Interesting side point from my local dealers - the latest software in their MINI PHEV is totally different to what is in mine and if they program a route into the satnav the car will automatically manage the power source and it can show on the screen how the power sources are being utilised - ie there is a display that shows which power source is in use and if it is producing regen electricity or just shoving excess power to the battery from the ICE to charge the HV Battery. I have to bool mine in for a software update as I still cannot update the charging from the dashboard screen, I can only set the charging times from the app.

 

[ro_explorer]

I think the power train currently used in BMW I3 will make its way into the mini so we might see the same raw numbers when it comes to range and power.

 

[Tim in Scotland]

That is also mentioned in the article in TG Magazine, they state that i3 parts are used in the Mini S E “where they will fit”

 

[Jackdaniel]

Thanks

I currently do high mileage - about 20-25k a year but never more than 100 in one go - based on that electric may be ideal. Thinking of holding off with new car purchase a bit longer and seeing what the Mini E is like as fuel bill is a bit silly!

 

[375439]

I have the optional 18” black alloys and the 225/50R18 99W tyres on mine - these are not run-flats and the ride is great. I have come from many years of driving big SUV’s with renowned supersmooth air suspension and I was amazed just how well my PHEV rides in comparison to those luxobarge feather beds - the PHEV’s ride is as pliant and quiet as my last Range Rover Sport L494 HSE Dynamic which rode on 22” wheels shod with low profile All Season tyres. It takes some pretty rough bits of road for the ride to become less than pleasant. I have the standard part leather seats in mine and they are very comfortable for my ample frame.......... especially as they have the extending thigh support that wasn’t available for the armchairs in any Range Rover. Yes they are quite firm but I like that.


I completely agree with you Ro, would be a great BEV if they can give it a long electric range. I have been tempted by the Jaguar I Pace, but the problem for me is I don’t need such a large car these days so the Countryman PHEV suits my requirements better. A BEV Countryman with a real world range of 220 miles / 300 Kms would be heaven!

Have to agree with Tim on this one i also have the 18 inch wheels with non run flats and find the ride very comfortable and quiet.

 

[Tim in Scotland]

Thanks
I currently do high mileage - about 20-25k a year but never more than 100 in one go - based on that electric may be ideal. Thinking of holding off with new car purchase a bit longer and seeing what the Mini E is like as fuel bill is a bit silly!

Ummmm 100 miles in the winter I expect will be highly unlikely, probably more like 75-80 miles on a cold night with the heater on, headlights on wipers on and maybe even the seat heater on.............. PHEV might be more suitable for those distances and at least you have 35 litres of petrol and a characterful little 1.5ltr engine to assuage range anxiety and give you some fun if you want it! Remember too that the faster you go in an electric car the more rapidly your charge disappears too...... so if you have any motorway or fast dual carriage way driving at 60 or 70 will very quickly reduce the range too. With the PHEV you can recover charge as you drive too so you can run on petrol on the motorway and switch to electric power in built up areas/ town

 

[Jackdaniel]

Ummmm 100 miles in the winter I expect will be highly unlikely, probably more like 75-80 miles on a cold night with the heater on, headlights on wipers on and maybe even the seat heater on.............. PHEV might be more suitable for those distances and at least you have 35 litres of petrol and a little and characterful little 1.5ltr engine to assuage range anxiety!

Ahh - good to know thanks! Only do 100 miles in one go weekly so could make do with charging it along the way if it’s just in winter that the range is that low? (The Countryman is nice but bit big / costly for me at the moment sadly!)

 

[Tim in Scotland]

Well today we had a lovely sunny day here and +13c and the car got nice and warm inside from solar heating of the black and glass roof - for the last 3 weeks the indicated range has been 17 miles or less, this evening after a recharge from 3pm and about half charge to full the range has jumped up to 21 miles on the app. It will be interesting to see what it is showing in the morning as we are forecast to have a ground frost overnight. It would probably help if I garaged the car overnight but my garage is full of junk after 30+ years owning cars too big to go into it!