The original Mini Electric continued to be popular despite its range shortcomings. It was certainly big on fun and character. Just over a year ago Mini announced an update, plus an electric Countryman. Now the model range has been completed with the brand new Mini Aceman. It’s another crossover, like the Countryman, so how does it fit in? I took it for a spin at the UK launch to find out.
Mini Cooper Electric and Countryman
First, it’s worth recapping the new Mini Cooper Electric and Countryman. The original Mini Electric was looking long in the tooth, and the new iteration makes it much more relevant again. I drove both the E and SE versions a few months ago. Both offer similar fun to the original, with 0-62mph in 7.3 and 7.2 seconds respectively and responsive handling on twisty roads. There’s a JCW version too, which drops the 62mph sprint to 5.9 seconds.
The big upgrade is the battery. The E comes with a 40.7kWh battery delivering up to 189 WLTP miles of range, while the SE offers 54.2kWh providing up to 249 miles. That’s nearly twice as far as the original. The JCW has the same battery but its range drops to 243 miles. That’s still much more usable beyond urban driving. The original Mini Electric wasn’t great for driving out of the city.
The Countryman is a new model. Although there were internal combustion engine versions before, the new electric one is larger – about half a foot longer. This car comes with a 64.6kWh battery for both its versions, the E and SE ALL4. The 201hp E can hit 62mph in 8.6 seconds and has a range up to 287 miles, while the 308hp SE ALL4 takes 5.6 seconds and goes up to 267 miles. The Countryman introduces a flexible family format to the electric Mini range.
Enter The Mini Aceman
The new electric Mini versions solve the main criticism of the original, which was its range. They also introduce a round OLED screen that is both characterful and surprisingly practical. That brings us to the Aceman. Size-wise, it sits between the Cooper and Countryman, and closer to the former than the latter. It’s around the same size as the original pre-electric Countryman. Which begs the question, is the Aceman different enough to have a place?
Initially, there will be two drivetrain versions of the Aceman – E and SE. The E has a 184hp motor driving the front wheels, plus a 38.5kWh (net capacity) battery. This delivers 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds and 192 WLTP miles of range respectively. The SE offers a more powerful 218hp motor and larger 49.2kWh (net capacity) battery, so it can spring to 62mph in 7.1 seconds, with 252 miles of range. Mini will also be releasing a John Cooper Works version of the Aceman – but even that will still be front-wheel drive. This will boast 258hp, delivering 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds, and as it uses the same battery as the SE, so the range is 243 miles. The motors and batteries are all a bit different to the Cooper and Countryman.
There are three trim levels to choose from – Classic, Exclusive and Sport – which provide both external and interior material and color combinations. The Exclusive and Sport options offer sports seats, which are distinctly more premium in feel to the standard seats of the Classic trim, and the Sport trim has John Cooper Works design elements including JCW badging and a spoiler.
There are three additional equipment bundles too, named as per previous Minis – Level 1, 2 and 3. The SE and JCW come with Level 1 as standard. This includes a head-up display, wireless charging and heated front seats. Level 2 adds a panoramic sunroof, sun protection glass and Harmon Kardon sound. Level 3 includes a lot of extra tech, such as electric front seats with memory and massage, an interior camera, MINI Navigation AR, Parking Assistant Plus, Driving Assistant Plus and a personal eSIM.
The driver and front passenger experience of the Aceman are very similar to the Cooper. The seats provided with the Exclusive and Sports trims are a distinct upgrade over the Classic version. Mini has still maintained a relatively traditional set of switches and dials, with a pleasantly retro styling. However, the Aceman upgrades rear passenger space considerably over the Cooper, which is decidedly cramped and only offers two doors, where the Aceman has four. You can fit two average-sized adults (just about) comfortably in the back of the Aceman, so long as the people in the front are average sized too. For two adults in the front and two or three children in the back, the Aceman will be perfect.
The Aceman’s rear luggace space is more hatchback than crossover SUV, however. It offers just 300 liters of capacity with the rear seats up, and 1,005 liters with them down. The Volkswagen ID.3 and even the Nissan Leaf offer more. This will be enough for a supermarket shop or weekend away, but a week-long family trip would be cramped.
Aceman Drives Like A Mini
One of the best things about the original Mini was the way it handled. The size and weight compared to many other EVs meant it still had some of the go kart-like cornering capabilities of the internal combustion engine versions. Around the hill track at the UK’s Millbrook Proving Ground it was an absolute hoot. The new Mini Electric loses none of that, but the Countryman Electric is a much more sedate beast.
Fortunately, the Aceman is closer to the former than the latter in this regard. The SE is distinctly sprightlier than the E in the top power mode. Although 7.1 seconds to 62mph is not that fast by EV standards, the instant torque of the electric motor still makes this car feel sporty. The Aceman E takes a more pedestrian 7.9 seconds to hit 62mph, and this is noticeable if you drive the two cars back-to-back. Both vehicles feel nimble enough and reward spirited driving, but they are far from light. The E weighs 1,720kg and the SE 1,820kg, over 100kg more than the equivalent electric Coopers.
A signature of all three new Minis is the round central infotainment screen. This 9.5in display, the largest circular OLED screen of its kind at launch, adds a unique character to the range. It’s also meant to hark back to the central round instrument dials of original Mini Cooper of the 1960s. This provides a large screen for the satnav, but its most unique feature is how you can choose themes. These combine motor power modes with more aesthetic settings, including color themes and layouts. The Go-Kart option even invokes fun engine-like noises to spice up the drive, although you won’t be handling quite like a go kart in a 1,720kg vehicle.
The extra weight of the Aceman is worth accepting if you need the added space, though, and the range is decent if not outstanding too. The E’s 192 WLTP miles is still city focused, but the SE’s 252 miles and JCW’s 243 miles are more viable for longer journeys. However, while all cars offer 11kW AC charging, the E only goes up to 70kW for DC, while the SE and JCW top out at 95kW. This means 10 to 80% charging in 28 minutes for the E, or 31 minutes for the SE and JCW. Long distance driving will still be much more viable than the original Mini Electric, but lots of EVs in this class are now offering over 300 miles of range and faster charging, such as the Kia EV3, which promises up to 375 miles, or the MG4 Extended Range.
However, the Mini Aceman is reasonably priced if not cheap (no Mini is these days, after all). The Aceman E starts at £31,800 ($40,000), the SE at £36,300 ($46,000), while the John Cooper Works is £40,800 ($51,000). This puts it in a similar ballpark to the Kia EV3, although the MG4 is cheaper.
This brings us back to the main question – what is the point of the Aceman when there is the Countryman already? Where the Countryman is a bit big for European towns and cities, the Aceman is only a little larger than the Mini Cooper. It’s an upgrade for families who have outgrown the Cooper but still want a relatively small car. Like the latter, it has plenty of character. So even if it’s not that fast and its range is still behind competitors, the Mini Aceman a welcome addition to the range.
