Iceland and its Westfjords are among the most spectacular landscapes for nature lovers. Every year, thousands of camping and off-road enthusiasts visit the region in specially equipped offroad vehicles and touring camper vans. It’s a crazy idea to make the trip from Munich to the supposed end of the European world in an electric MINE Country SE.
Prepping the MINI for Iceland’s Untamed Terrain
80 percent of all roads in Iceland are unpaved, and even though the Ring Road was paved some years ago, a tour with a regular vehicle is highly not recommended. While most tourists prefer to explore the island on paved roads in white rental cars, such as the Dacia Duster 4×4, and true off-road enthusiasts travel in Defenders, G-Classes, Patrols, or specially upgraded expedition vehicles, the long journey is made in a MINI Countryman SE All4 – electrically powered and slightly upgraded.
Since many of Iceland’s roads are not only unpaved, but the mountainous tracks are also littered with mud, rocks, and debris, the wheels were upgraded. The blue Countryman with the golden roof is fitted with offroad tires, and the roof houses a large off-road rack with space for a spare tire, as well as sand plates and other tools, should things get tight in the middle of nowhere in Iceland. An electric winch would be perfect; but that’s not easy to retrofit onto the aerodynamically styled front end, and since it’s approaching midsummer, the auxiliary headlights on the front or roof were left at home – it probably won’t get really dark at night.
Munich to Hirtshals: Where Range Meets Reality
The adventure tour begins rather unspectacularly in Munich at a sunny 23 degrees Celsius. The battery pack is fully charged and the journey continues with a stopover in Hamburg to Hirtshals in Denmark, where the ferry to Sedisfjödur departs. An electric car with a large roof rack and off-road tires – that costs range.
The promised 400 kilometers, which the 64 kWh battery pack in the underbody – protected only by the standard underbody protection against sharp stones and rough terrain – is supposed to enable, turns out to be less than 300 kilometers in the overall package with the rustic Grabber AT tires at higher highway speeds. But the drive to Hamburg is as relaxed as expected. The wind noise from the roof rack with spare tire is quickly drowned out by the sound of the good sound system, the coarse tread pattern sings less than feared, and so the young off-roader chugs north with its 230 kW / 313 hp all-wheel drive with assisted driving program.
The connected navigation system calculates charging stops excellently, and the navigation map shows where and at what speed recharging is possible. Unfortunately, the Countryman SE only refuels at a maximum of 130 kilowatts – not much for such a long-distance trip, where the battery shouldn’t be topped up to 80 percent on its own. German cities and charging stations fly by, while it quickly becomes clear that consumption climbs well above 140 km/h due to the vehicle’s modifications, reaching impressive heights above the Icelandic hills.
So, up to Hamburg, the electric crossover mostly manages 120 to 130 km/h, apart from a brief 180 km/h sprint, before things get tough on the A7 south of Hamburg. With a Countryman SE All4 solidly charged to over 80 percent, you can travel 240 to 280 kilometers between charging stops on the highway without getting into trouble. As the distance increases, you get used to the countless functions offered by the large, circular screen in the center of the dashboard. It’s razor-sharp, but its submenus are confusing. Admittedly, it takes a while to get used to it, and the lack of instruments alone is more annoying than the adjustment options of the electric massage seats, which should be larger for a crossover of this size.
Ferry to the Arctic: A Sea of Skeptics and Rough Waters
After stops in Hamburg / Germany and Hirtshals / Denmark, the ferry named Norröna departs for Sedisfjödur, with a brief stopover in the Faroe Islands – two long days with some serious waves. Upon boarding, the electric Countryman is a talking point number one, and not just because of its off-road looks. Iceland fans from off-road campers, converted fire trucks, and hardcore Defenders are interested in the crossover, whose electric drive is even more irritating to most than its lack of ground clearance, water tanks, or roof tent. The Countryman has to endure two days in the belly of the ferry, and it’s considerably more comfortable for it than for most of the more than 1,500 passengers, as the harsh weather keeps the winds between seven and ten wind speeds – with constant waves of six to eight meters.
Cold Welcome: Iceland Greets with Snow, Wind, and Range Anxiety
So the MINI isn’t the only one happy to see the light of the Icelandic world again in Sedisfjödur – amid light snowfall, minus one degree Celsius, and gloomy clouds. As you head northwest on the empty Road 1, it quickly becomes apparent that the range is decreasing significantly faster than before under these weather conditions. On the increasingly empty Ring Road past the Rjukanda waterfall and Grimsstadir, there are actually enough charging stations, as promised by the onboard electronics and smartphones. But the reality is different, because it remains cold and a strong headwind on the plateaus causes the excess range of more than 70 kilometers until the next charging stop to evaporate in minutes, before the hypercharger with its 150 kW is no longer accessible according to the digital remaining range information.
With the electricals off, mental crawl mode on, and the car speeding at 70, 60, and finally 50 km/h toward the Dimmuborgir lava field and the nearby indoor swimming pool, which is supposed to provide a brief energy boost six kilometers before the planned fast charger. Reached with a remaining range of just under five kilometers – you can rely on the MINI’s displays. A quick ten minutes of charging with just under 20 kW and then past the hot springs, tourists, and campers to the hypercharger, which powers up the Countryman as desired, while excellent fish and chips provide entertainment for the occupants.
The all-terrain tires are a great feature; they not only prove highly useful on long journeys, but also perform admirably here in Iceland on ice, rain, and unpaved roads. The tougher chugging in crawl mode is over, and we continue westward at a brisk gallop as the weather improves. The already impressive landscapes of lava rock become more and more impressive, the summer heat keeps coming through towards the evening, and the only thing that mars the 750 km stage on this day are the charging stations.
Lava Roads and Charging Woes
Because one or two standardized european charging apps won’t work in Iceland. Ionity, EnBW, or Aral Pulse – local providers, and above all On Charging, are in demand here, because unlike the magnificent 300 and 400 kW charging stations in Denmark, not all stations accept credit cards. It’s not cheap either – between €0.31 and €0.87 per kilowatt hour are charged to power up the family MINI. The manageable charging speed of the mileage-hungry car isn’t significant, because the charging station often limits charging power to 50 kW, and outside of Reykjavik, charging power up to 150 kW is rarely available.
At 12:30 a.m., the increasingly dirty Countryman reaches the Flokalundur Hotel in bright sunshine, before setting off on the demanding final leg of Route 622 at 5 a.m. the next morning – one of the most challenging routes in the Westfjords, with a particularly spectacular scree passage by the water that can only be negotiated at low tide. While some adventure guides had sneered at the choice of vehicle and its off-road equipment when planning the tour, they were proven wrong the next day.
Cliffs, Meadows, and the Unexpected Capability of the MINI
Coming from the north, the blue MINI Countryman SE with the golden roof cap performs much better than anyone expected. The electric SUV easily masters green meadows, murky scree, and narrow paths with cliff overhangs and water crossings at a slow speed. Here and there, it touches the ground, scraping against the grass, while the views of the sea and the steep coastline become increasingly spectacular.
At the slow off-road speed, the electric range is no problem at all, and the limited ground clearance alone occasionally forces evasive maneuvers. Could the entire Route 622 really be conquered with the E-Countryman? After almost two hours of driving from Thingeyri over hill and dale, it’s clear that it won’t make it. The heavy rains of the past two weeks have caused a landslide, and the already narrow and challenging track is no longer passable for any vehicle. Even spades, sand boards, and jacks are of no use.
Waffles, Weather, and the Way Home
The return trip the same way is only slightly disappointed, and the attempt to get as far as possible on the R 622 from the south is abandoned shortly before the most spectacular stretch of beach. Here, too, the waves and weather have swept everything away. Back to the pleasant, trendy café Simbahöllin with its delicious waffles, before continuing on to Reykjavik and back again. But this time – to by ferry.
Stefan Grundhoff; Press Inform / Photos: Bernhard Filser
IMINE is MINE Countryman SE SE
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