MINI Aceman SE



Over the years, the MINI Countryman has rather grown in size to the point that it's not really what you'd call 'mini' any more. And that has left space for a smaller crossover in the manufacturer's portfolio. So step forward the MINI Aceman, its name apparently inspired by the odd and short-lived Paceman, with the new car rendered as a compact electric crossover with a serious premium bent. Can it tempt people to stay away from the Volvo EX30 and choose a MINI instead?

Test Car Specifications

Model: 2024 MINI Aceman SE Exclusive
Price: Countryman range from £31,800, SE Exclusive as tested from £39,600
Motor: front-mounted 160kW electric motor
Battery: 49.2kWh (net) lithium-ion
Transmission: single-speed reduction-gear automatic, front-wheel drive
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: up to 252 miles
0-62mph: 7.1 seconds
Top speed: 106mph (limited)
Boot space: 300-1,005 litres
Kerb weight: 1,785kg

Styling

As you'd expect of a model carefully designed, and priced, to fit in between the Cooper electric hatchback and the aforementioned Countryman, the Aceman looks a little like both of them. Size-wise, at a touch longer than four metres from tip to tail, it's closer to the Cooper and there's a certain 'cuteness' about it that's primarily designed to appeal to MINI aficionados, but it takes some of the chunkier and more rugged cues from the Countryman to bolster its stance. So there's lots of black-plastic body cladding, roof rails up top, a hexagonal 'grille' and the daytime running light (DRL) signatures on grander-spec cars like our test Exclusive are polygonal, rather than round. All told, it's a fine-enough looking thing, although it doesn't massively convey the sensation of being appreciably taller than a hatchback, or indeed the Clubman estate which the Aceman apparently has consigned to the annals of history.

Interior

Like the cabins of the Cooper and Countryman models, there's a lot of glitz and glamour to the Aceman's interior, yet there are places where you can feel certain materials have been chosen for their - how shall we say? - value/i>. But, in general, it'll win customers over because from the passenger compartment's beltline upwards, everything is solidly made, beautifully appointed and clothed in appealing textures. The fabric dash, for instance, is a winner (even if it looks like it is custom-made to trap crumbs and dust and the like), as are the gold-coloured highlights, the chunky steering wheel, the plush seats and that 9.4-inch circular infotainment system which runs nigh-on everything fitted to the car. Admittedly, a few more physical buttons wouldn't go amiss, because the screen - while nicely rendered and quick to react - does have a lot of touchpads and menus to familiarise yourself with, while that strip of leather lined up behind the steering wheel is entirely decorative and serves no purpose that we can fathom whatsoever. But, in general, putting these minor gripes aside then the fixtures and fittings of the Aceman's cabin can be considered a hit.

Practicality

Which is less than can be said of the practicality. It's not bad - there are door pockets that can take drinks bottles, a couple of cupholders up front, a covered central cubby and a boot that measures an acceptable, if not exactly groundbreaking, 300 litres with all seats in use. Fold the 60:40 split-folding rear seats down and that number rises to 1,005 litres, while three Isofix points and wide-opening back doors all help matters. But it's a familiar modern MINI packaging issue which rears its head once again, and it's one which only really the large-on-the-outside Countryman has managed to circumvent: cramped rear-seat space. With the driver's chair in position for an adult of only average height, kneeroom in the position behind it is minimal, and even though MINI claims the Aceman is a five-seater, the bench doesn't look even remotely wide enough to accommodate three people and it has (weirdly, for an EV) a 'transmission tunnel' hump in the central footwell area in the back. If you're a couple with two younger, smaller kids, the Aceman would be fine for family transportation duties. If you ever need to carry anyone more than five-foot-eight tall in the back, you'll be better off with one of its rivals. Or a Countryman.

Performance

At launch, there are two power outputs and two battery pack sizes to choose from with the MINI Aceman, although in the latter's case neither of them are what you'd call 'big'. Anyway, the Aceman E has a 135kW (184hp) motor and a 38.5kWh net battery, which results in a claimed maximum driving range of 186 to 192 miles. And that, we're sure you'll agree, doesn't look like much in this day and age, even for the 'modern urbanites' this car is aimed at.

You're therefore better off with this SE, which ups the motor to 160kW (218hp) with 330Nm to back it up, while also enlarging the usable battery capacity to 49.2kWh. That's still not enormous but it's about comparable with the Stellantis EVs with the 51kWh battery pack - fitted to cars such as the Peugeot E-2008 or Jeep Avenger Electric, for instance - as is the quoted maximum range for the Aceman of 252 miles. Recharging times, incidentally, are acceptably quick, as at 95kW DC it'll take 31 minutes to get the MINI's power pack from 10-80 per cent, while a full 0-100kW AC charge on a typical 7.4kWh domestic wallbox requires nine hours (but the Aceman can charge at a maximum of 11kW AC if you need it to).

Whether that's enough range or speedy enough recharging for you will depend on your personal circumstances, but in terms of on-road performance the SE is definitely the one to go for. The 218hp Aceman weighs just shy of 1.8 tonnes, so with that torque on tap to help out, the MINI is suitably swift for both step-off (0-62mph: 7.1 seconds) and roll-on acceleration, with the calibration of both the throttle and (regenerative) brake pedals being excellent. Controlling the Aceman around town on one-pedal driving is incredibly easy, while it doles out its power smoothly and without significantly overwhelming the driven front tyres unless you needlessly provoke it.

Admittedly, some of the 'funky' electronic noises the Aceman makes, specifically in Go-Kart and Core modes - it has eight in total, like the Countryman, because it is a crossover and so it has a Trail setting, even though it has no four-wheel-drive option (yet...) - might set people's teeth on edge, but we don't particularly mind them. It's better that an EV sounds like an EV, instead of attempting to mimic anything with an internal combustion engine, and there's surely a setting somewhere deep within all those menus on the 9.4-inch touchscreen that will turn the noises off anyway.

And it also seemed very efficient, turning in 12.9kWh/62.1 miles across 109 miles of mixed-roads driving, admittedly in quite mild weather, which equates to 4.8 miles/kWh. That'd be a real-world 236 miles if you can replicate it yourself, so the MINI Aceman looks like it is good for its range-claiming word.

Ride & Handling

Let's be clear, the MINI Aceman is not without merit here. In terms of refinement, it's excellent - maximising its lack of a noisy/vibrating internal combustion engine, its high-speed acoustic isolation in the cabin is superb, and the way it covers ground smoothly and effectively at 50mph-plus is most remarkable. It's a car which feels properly grown-up and premium when you're cruising along a motorway.

It's also a long way from bad in the corners either, with admirable body control and steering which is very good, even if it's not sublime. So when you link a series of bends on a challenging road together cleanly and you can fully benefit from the top-notch traction of the Aceman, it can cover ground at a decent rate of knots.

But it's never thrilling in the corners, despite every attempt by its parent manufacturer to give it go-kart-like handling, while the ride comfort suffers notably if you start to dip below 50mph. Our SE Exclusive was on a set of 19-inch alloys and it was prone to crashing over only moderate transverse ridges in the tarmac, while there was a strange bobbling sensation to the car on washboard surfaces that felt like neither axle was quite in sync with the other in dealing with the bumps. In short, it is the classic 'shortish-wheelbase, heavy EV trying to be dynamically sporty tale': as long as the road surface you are on is immaculate and the speeds are high enough, the Aceman is exemplary. But in urban areas? Too often, the ride is overtly crashy and ill-resolved.

Value

The cheapest electric MINI Cooper is £30,000, while the entry point for a zero-emission Countryman is a considerably more substantial £42,080, so the Aceman's £31,800 opening gambit looks highly competitive. But you can get both the Cooper and the Countryman as internal-combustion models for much lower tickets - from £23,150 and £29,350 respectively - which then rather skews poorly for the Aceman. Both the E and the SE are offered in Classic, Exclusive and Sport trims, with the Level 1 pack fitted as standard, so a generous basic equipment list does at least mitigate the Aceman's cost, and to further help place it then know the MINI is at least less money than the cheapest Peugeot E-2008, Jeep Avenger Electric, Alfa Romeo Junior and Volvo EX30 models, although the Vauxhall Mokka Electric is even more affordable again than the Aceman.

Verdict

The MINI Aceman will undoubtedly be a huge sales success, especially if the response to it from bystanders was anything to go by. Various people during our short(ish) test drive were either surreptitiously or openly filming the 'new' MINI on their smartphones as it drove by, and with its angular good looks and high-quality cabin, the Aceman is destined to easily win friends in showrooms. If we're honest, it's a largely unremarkable driving experience served up by this compact electric crossover, although the refinement of it is generally impressive - apart from when it is thumping around on poor urban road surfaces. But if the 250-mile theoretical maximum range isn't off-putting to you, we reckon a slightly firm ride quality and a tad inert chassis certainly won't dissuade punters from choosing the Aceman. Overall, it's a mighty stylish, highly polished zero-emission product.