Yes, we also sometimes sigh that electric cars offer little excitement. But the Mini Cooper SE makes mincemeat of all prejudices. What a nice thing!
What stands out about the electric Mini Cooper SE?
The fact that the classic Mini from 1959 by Sir Alec Issigonis is used in every new Mini must be a heavy burden for the designers. So small, so agile, so light (635 kilos) and yet so spacious: how do you get the spirit of the original Mini into a modern electric car of 2024? A slip is easily made.
If only because of strict safety requirements, the electric Mini Cooper more obese. And then of course you have the battery, the biggest fattener among car parts. The Mini Cooper SE therefore weighs more than 1000 kilos more than its distant predecessor.
At the same time, the appearance must always be traceable to the most famous model in British automotive history, which is now 65 years old. Although the Mini of 2024 has as much to do with the original Mini as a Wiener schnitzel with a Red Lion pub; it was developed in Germany and built in China. To compensate, the rear light units are as usual available in the shape of the Union Jack.
When developing the new Mini, the designers looked critically at all the details of the old model. Unnecessary chrome frills were all deleted, the new design is much more restrained. That is Mini’s new design philosophy (charismatic simplicity), also the Countryman and the Aceman have been stripped of their frills. But even a layman still recognizes the front of the Mini Cooper immediately. At the back, the designers allowed themselves a splurge: the light units are no longer rectangular, but triangular.
Every new Mini is also measured against the benchmark of the original version on the inside. The crazy thing is that the Mini’s dashboard looks more like the 65-year-old model than that of its predecessor. Mini had a clean-up: the busy dashboard of the retiring Cooper was stripped of almost all its buttons and switches. Actually, only a small steering wheel, a round speedometer and a modest row of buttons remain. Just like with the first Mini.
“The Mini wraps you around its fingers as if it were Casanova himself.”
The enormous round touch screen, which looks a bit like a glass ball, demands all the attention. Don’t be surprised if an English bulldog appears in the display. This is Spike, the virtual voice assistant that Mini previously introduced. Spike does not bark, but helps you through the menu structure of the infotainment system.
The new electric Mini Cooper comes in two flavors: with 184 hp (Cooper E) or 218 hp (Cooper SE).
What’s good about the electric Mini Cooper SE?
You buy a Mini with high expectations: it should steer well, be fun to drive, feel light, respond quickly to the right pedal and not intervene too quickly via overprotective safety systems. The Mini Cooper meets those expectations with playful ease. He wraps you around his fingers as if he were Casanova himself. Mini has come up with an ‘experience’ for every mood, where the glass ball has a different layout. Skeptics will curl their toes, but we felt like we were in an amusement park with only fun attractions.
For example, when idling in Timeless mode, the car sounds like the petrol engine of the first Mini. As you drive faster, it gradually turns into a futuristic hum. In the Go kart program, the steering and engine response become more direct and the sound engineers also went into overdrive. If you push the accelerator all the way to the floor, you will hear an artificial hum derived from a melodious fuel engine, and if you release the gas for a turn, you will hear the well-known blob-blob-blob. Very fake in an EV without exhaust pipes, but we still grin.
“We are happy to be fooled.”
We increase the speed a little after every turn. Of course you notice that the Mini is not lightweight, but the cornering speeds are high and in terms of playfulness you feel like you are in a rear-wheel drive car. If your co-driver complains of nausea, switch to Relax mode. Then the panoramic roof closes automatically (the usefulness of which escapes us) and you hear the birds chirping. Also fake, of course, and yet we are happy to allow ourselves to be fooled once again.
If you don’t want that (dis)fun and prefer the peace and quiet of the silent electric motor, you can switch off the Mini sound at the push of a button. Finally, all praise for the seating position, which is quite low despite the battery pack in the bottom.
What could be improved about the Mini Cooper SE?
Mini’s technicians encountered numerous dilemmas. A large battery or impressive fast charging performance comes at the expense of scarce space and creates excess kilos. The range of the basic Cooper E (40.7 kWh) is therefore limited to 305 kilometers. Our Cooper SE (54.2 kWh) reaches 402 kilometers. Fast charging is possible with a maximum of 95 kW (Cooper E: 75 kW). Also not something to write about to China.
But an electric Mini that offers so much driving pleasure deserves more compassion than yet another interchangeable EV that we have been driving so often lately, so either. If you look at it positively, you focus on the improvement compared to the old Mini Electric, which had a very modest range of 234 kilometers.
In a three-door Mini you cannot rely on the seating comfort of one Rolls-Royce Phantom, although we had such low expectations that in practice it was actually not too bad. Every centimeter is still put to good use, as Alec Issigonis would happily conclude. Furthermore, the Mini has large windows that allow a lot of daylight and that also eases the pain.
When will the electric Mini Cooper come to the Netherlands and what is the price?
The electric Mini will soon be available at the dealer, with a base price of 35,990 euros (Mini Cooper E with 184 hp). The Mini Cooper SE costs 38,990 euros.
Mini Cooper E (40.7 kWh)
- 184 pk, 290 Nm
- 160 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 7,3 s
- 13.8 kWh/100 km (305 kilometers)
- Price: 35,990 euros (suitable for SEPP subsidy)
Mini Cooper SE (54.2 kWh)
- 218 pk, 330 Nm
- 170 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 6,7 s
- 14,1 l/100 km (402 kilometer)
- Price: 38,990 euros (suitable for SEPP subsidy)
There will also be petrol versions. The Cooper C produces 156 hp, which was 136 hp for the Cooper. The Cooper S even produces 204 hp; 26 hp more than the previous one. The first engine is a three-cylinder, the Cooper S has one more cylinder.
What do I think of the Mini Cooper SE?
The major design clean-up has worked well for the Mini Cooper. The tastefully finished dashboard with glass ball is perhaps even more beautiful than before. But the electric Mini especially impresses you with its driving characteristics – even if you like to complain about plugs, it will not leave you unmoved. You keep laughing. Exactly why you get into an electric Mini. This is one of the nicest electric cars. Perhaps the nicest.