Brrr, it was cold during the last week of the year, yet we headed into 2018 with bright sunshine and daytime temperatures above the freezing mark.

As a native of this great state, I’ve always enjoyed our winters, even the cold and snowy conditions which are conducive to fair testing grounds for vehicles suited to these areas.

I’ll admit, though, the week was not fit for plug-in electrics, particularly one of very minimal electric range. All week, we experienced single-digit temperatures during the nights and most days did not get out of the teens.

The 2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4, a fun car in maneuvering and one that boasts of all-wheel-drive capability, was less-efficient in the extreme cold than it might have been in 50-degree temp readings. Extreme cold weather drains more than normal energy from battery packs and reduces performance of electric motors.

This Countryman is a plug-in electric, with its front wheels powered by a 3-cylinder engine under the hood and its rear wheels by an electric motor housed under the cargo floor at the rear. A lithium-ion battery pack to supply the electric motor, is stored under the rear seat just ahead of the motor.

The plug-in port is on the front fender just ahead of the driver’s door; it is a circular scuttle with a large E on the lid, which opens to the charging connection. The other side of the car is balanced with a large E on the outside of a dummy (non-opening) scuttle.

Even after an overnight charge, the 7.6 kWh battery pack provides just an estimated 12 miles of electric-only range.

Overall fuel mileage for the week was barely over 26 miles per gallon. The Countryman’s EPA estimate is 27/28 mpg, and, with a charge of the battery pack, the average can soar far higher for relatively low miles. Through the past week, in the frigid temps, the only spurt of electric-boosted mileage occurred on an easy, Sunday morning crosstown drive to church and back, following a full recharge on Saturday night.

Low-end acceleration is impressive, coming from twin-power turbo installation with the 134-horsepower, 3-cylinder (162 lb.-ft. of torque) and 87 horsepower and 122 lb.-ft. torque from the electric drive. All this mated to a 6-speed Steptronic transmission. The Mini will kick out from 0 to 60 in around 6 seconds.

Drive modes of Sport, Midperformance and Green may be selected from a rotary dial tied to the shifter, which tightens steering and adds throttle response in Sport, while easing any hint of aggressiveness in Green. The gas/electric range can be altered by a choice of Auto eDrive, Max eDrive and Save Battery.

The Countryman, built on the same platform of the BMW X1, is 169.8 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 105.1, and has only 17 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second-row seat, which is somewhat tight in legroom. Comfort and support is decent in the front seats, though ride quality can be a bit rough at times. It rides on Goodyear Eagle Sport 225/50R18 tires.

The Mini Cooper car company, purchased by BMW of Germany in 2000, is based in England, as it has been since its inception in the late 1950s. The Countryman, the largest and roomiest Mini ever built, is assembled in Born, Netherlands.

The review model carried a sticker price of $39,700, reflecting the electric setup, as well as the all-wheel-drive system. Among its many features are navigation, real-time traffic information, enhanced Bluetooth connectivity and voice-activation capability, rearview camera, heated front seats, head-up display and sport leather steering wheel.

A look back. . . .2002 Mini Cooper

This small Mini Cooper showed up in Denver in the summer of 2002. (Bud Wells photo/2002)A bit more than 15 years ago, in June 2002, I drove and reviewed my first Mini Cooper. Following are excerpts from the column in The Denver Post:

Look at the new Mini Cooper, and you’re apt to smile. It’s so small, yet so bright and perky-looking.

Walk around to the front of it, and the little car smiles right back at you. It has two oversized oval eyes for headlights and a wide grin for a grille.

It’s less than 12 feet long. That’s a foot and a half shorter than the Volkswagen New Beetle and 2 feet shorter than the Chrysler PT Cruiser. It’s even a foot shorter than the Mazda Miata.

It’s wheels, though, have been set out to the extreme corners of the structure, with little overhang left in front or rear. That aids the car’s handling and, particularly, its cornering, which is impressive.

The English product is being imported into the U.S. by German luxury-car builder BMW, which acquired the Rover Group in 1994.

Operating with a 5-speed manual transmission and a small 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine of 115 horsepower, the Mini got a severe test on a hot afternoon recently when four of us, Scott English, Tim Coy, Marywyn Germaine and I, drove it about the city with the air conditioning running. It moved very slowly away from the stoplights. Performance is regained under those circumstances by cutting power to the air. Its ride is on the rough side.

The Mini averaged 32.1 miles per gallon. Sticker price on the 2002 model was $18,460.

With sunnier days and warmer temperatures into the new year, the appearance of the redesigned 2018 Enclave has brightened, too, showrooms of Buick dealerships. The new Enclave is one of the most refined of a strong field of midsize SUVs and crossovers.

With the 2018 model in the showrooms for the final two months of the just-concluded year, the Enclave increased sales from 7,308 units to 11,910, an increase of 63 percent. It is the second-best-selling Buick model, trailing only the Encore, a compact-sized SUV.

The Enclave underwent an attractive exterior remake, is 2 inches longer overall, has a bit more power and added safety. From the waterfall grille and extended wings on the Buick logo up front, to the light on the ground giving “the kicking spot” for the power liftgate at the rear, the Enclave is sleeker and filled with new appeal.

A new 9-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is mated to the 3.6-liter V-6 engine, for which horsepower has been boosted from 288 to 310, with torque of 266 lb.-ft. The Intelligent All Wheel Drive system monitors and adjusts for improved traction. A somewhat awkward setup for shift sequence on a new electronic shifter requires plenty of practice for shift smoothness.

The Enclave’s wheelbase has also been  lengthened by 2 inches to 120.9 inches. Among big three-row SUVs, the Enclave’s overall  length of 204.3 inches is a bit shorter than the Nissan Armada (208.6) and Toyota Sequoia (205.1), though longer than the Dodge Durango at 202 inches, the Mazda CX-9 at 199.4, the Volkswagen Atlas 198.3, Volvo XC90 194.9 and the Honda Pilot 194.4.

The Enclave carried Jan and me to Denver on a December night to the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association Building, where member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP) gathered in the Bud Wells Board Room for their annual Christmas party.

David Muramoto heads the RMAP as president, with David Beardsley serving as vice president, Angelia McGowan as secretary, Mike Cotsworth as treasurer and Craig Conover and Andrew Ganz as board members at large.

Tim Jackson, head of CADA, welcomed more than 40 RMAP members and guests and discussed sales of new cars and trucks thus far this year in Colorado; “They’re up 7 percent here, while sales nationally are down slightly. Light trucks, crossovers, SUVs and minivans continue to fuel the market for new-vehicle registrations in Colorado.”

My test was aboard the Enclave Premium, one of four trim levels. An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration is prominent in the roomier interior.

The Enclave doesn’t offer a second-row bench seat; they’re captain’s chairs with walking space between them for assisting access to the third-row seating. Fewer and fewer buyers have requested second-row benches in recent years, Buick said. The second-row seats slide forward and backward and will recline.

The passenger-side seat will also fold forward to create another opening to the third row. The third-row seats are roomy enough and cushioned enough to accommodate adults.

Cargo space behind the third row is 23.6 cubic feet; fold down the third row and the storage grows to 58 feet. A hands-free power liftgate, opened by a swing of the foot, is standard. A remote-opening sensor shines a Buick shield logo light on the ground as a spotlight for where the “kicker” should aim.

The Buick averaged 21.1 miles per gallon in an even split of highway and city road time. The Enclave rides on Continental 255/55R20 tires.

The base Buick, with front-wheel drive, begins around $42,000; it won’t be a factor in all-wheel-drive-obsessed Colorado dealerships. The three which will, each with all-wheel drive, are the Essence, the Premium and the new upscale Avenir.

The Enclave Premium AWD from a base price of $50,315 climbed to sticker total of $57,055 with an otional dual moonroof, 20-inch aluminum wheels, surround vision, navigation and trailering equipment.

The Enclave is built in Lansing, Mich.; its engine and transmission are put together in Mexico.

’78 Buick LeSabre

priced at $7,092.55

(Forty years ago this winter, I reviewed in The Denver Post the 1978 Buick LeSabre four-door sedan, provided by Deane Buick Co., 1080 S. Colorado Blvd. Excerpts follow:)

You can still buy a big car with a big trunk and air conditioning for about $7,000. The car is Buick and the model is the 1978 LeSabre.

Since downsizing a year ago, the LeSabre’s dimensions aren’t what they used to be. Those older LeSabres gave an excellent highway ride. The ’78 models give a good ride and are easy to park, too. The four-door will carry comfortably six adults, and it is easy getting in and out of the rear seat. The roomy trunk has 21 cubic feet of space.

The engine, a 350-cubic-inch V-8 with four-barrel carburetor, seemed sluggish. However, the car showed only 69 miles when John Ramstetter turned it over to me. Gas-mileage checks were on the low side – 11 miles per gallon in town, though some of the miles were under adverse conditions during a snowstorm. The highway test was 15.4 mpg.

Base price of the four-door is $5,458.55, with a destination charge of $435 for $5,893.55. The 350 engine added $313, air conditioning was $581, steel-belted radial tires $46, AM radio $96. Sticker price was $7,092.55.

The LeSabre is 218 inches long on a wheelbase of 115.9 inches. It is Buick’s second largest automobile, smaller only than the Electra.

With a little improvement in gas mileage, the four-door I drove should appeal to many families.