Mini’s Sending This Countryman PHEV To Tackle The Panamericana

The retromod classic Cooper isn’t the only electrified vehicle that Mini has brought to the New York Auto Show this week. Along with it, the Anglo-Saxon automaker is also showcasing this plug-in crossover ahead of what’s sure to be an epic journey.

The MINI Countryman Panamericana is based on the Cooper S E Countryman All4. The adventure vehicle retains the production model’s plug-in hybrid powertrain, but has been specially prepared to tackle one of the longest roads in the world.

That would be the Panamericana – otherwise known as the Pan-American Highway, Ruta Panamericana, or Interamericana. The longest north-south highway in the world, it incorporates over 30,000 miles (48,000 kilometers) of roads. They traverse a distance of 16,000 miles (25,750 km), as the bird flies, from Tierra del Fuego in Argentina to Alaska.

Mini is sending three of these expeditionary vehicles on the adventure. Each is fitted with auxiliary driving lights and a roof rack to carry a spare wheel and tire. That may come in handy considering the various environments the vehicle will have to traverse to get from one end to the other. There’s a map-outline decal of the Americas on the side, too. But otherwise, it looks pretty much bone-stock.

The MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 packs a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and a six-speed automatic transmission. Combined, they send a total of 221 horsepower (224 ps/165 kW) and 284 lb-ft (385 Nm) of torque to all four wheels. All the while, it’ll go up to 12 miles on electric power alone (by US standards), and up to 270 with the internal-combustion engine kicking in, returning an EPA-certified equivalent of 65 miles per gallon.