BMW i7 vs MINI Countryman: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the BMW i7 burns about $800 of fuel annually against $800 for the MINI Countryman. That $0 yearly gap compounds to roughly $0 over five years and $0 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the MINI Countryman is the stronger commuter at 101 mpg city, while the BMW i7 pulls ahead on the interstate at 95 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the BMW i7 is recorded with no distinct engine configurations, the MINI Countryman with 4 (SIDI & PFI, SIDI, SIDI; PHEV). Across 34 recorded BMW i7 configurations and 75 for the MINI Countryman, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the BMW i7 is offered with All-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive, the MINI Countryman with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Large Cars and Midsize Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.