The new electrical Mini Cooper SE is just arriving in European showrooms and looks like the outgoing automobile and the revised combustion mannequin. Nevertheless, it’s not mechanically associated with either of them, and it’s built in China through a three-way partnership that BMW has arranged with Nice Wall Motor, referred to as Highlight Automotive Restricted.

This is the excellent news: in one other signal of how superior China’s auto business is now, the up-to-date electrical Mini is objectively higher than ever. It fixes many gripes regarding outdated fashions and nonetheless has the dealing with, efficiency, and sense of pleasure {that a} Mini ought to have.

This is the bad news: being made in China will most likely keep it out of U.S. driveways for now, and it is even coping with some tariff-related complications right here in Europe.

However, each time politics is sorted out, mini-followers everywhere are in for an excellent time—no gasoline is mandatory.

(Full Disclosure: Mini loaned me a brand new Cooper SE for a few days for testing.)

What Is It?

Beneath its very similar physique sits a bespoke EV platform that GWM uses within the automobile it calls the Ora Funky Cat in Europe. Mini shall be fast to point out that whereas the Ora and J01 are mechanically associated, the Cooper SE has particular Mini chassis tuning that makes it pleasing to drive.

Unlike the Ora, which has a twist-beam rear suspension setup, the Mini options extra superior multilink suspension in the rear, which helps with both journey comfort and street holding.

The brand-new platform has two battery pack sizes and two motor energy ranges. Its wheelbase and monitor width are barely more significant than the gasoline Mini. However, its general size definitely decreases. This offers automobiles barely shorter overhangs and totally different proportions. However, you don’t discover it until you park it after the gas-burning mannequin. The simplest option to inform the 2 aside is to look at whether they have cladding across the wheel wells; the EV doesn’t have any.

For the primary time in an electrical Mini, you’ve got the selection of two battery packs: 40.7 kilowatt-hours (36.6 kWh usable) and 54.2 kWh (49.2 kWh usable). They correspond to WLTP vary rankings of as much as 189 and 249 miles, respectively.

The outgoing Cooper SE had a 32.6-kWh battery (28.9-kWh usable) and a WLTP ranking of 145 miles. Its EPA range was a meager 114 miles, which was much closer to what you can expect to realize in real-world driving situations.

Having pushed all of Mini’s fashions over the past 10 years, this new one—codenamed J01—felt familiar to me. It has an identical stiff journey that may get slightly bouncy over uneven roads. The steering is sharp and direct, and once you look out through the windscreen, you have little question as to what you’re driving.

However, it’s also very different in many ways, all of which add up to a reasonably distinct expertise from any Mini ever pushed.

Dealing with Steadiness

You’ll be able to feel the JJ01’sadditional weight over the older Mini Cooper SE, primarily based on the F56 combustion mannequin. My tester, which had the bigger of the 2 obtainable battery packs, weighed 3,700 kilos (1,680 kg) or 530 kilos (240 kg) more significant than the outdated mannequin. The J01 with the smaller battery is a bit lighter at 3,540 kilos (1,605 kg; however, it nonetheless doesn’t feel reasonably as agile as the electrical F56.

Mini hatchbacks are famous for their exceptionally sharp steering that turns even the smallest into a significantly different route change. Some don’t recognize this attribute and assume it makes Minis feel dirty. However, it’s one of many issues I remember about these automobiles. The J01 nonetheless has sharp and direct steering, however it dodoesn’teally feel as keen to show as II’dcome to count on from a Mini.

You’ll be able to still get right into a rhythm and circulate with the automobile around a winding street, but the handling is more grown-up and never quite as telepathic as before. What’s the same as before is the laborious journey that favors easy roads.

The J01 doesn’t get adaptive dampers, which is a shame for an automobile at this price level. It may actually have used a smooth setting to smooth out bumpier roads. I used to be shocked at how much head toss I received on this automobile when not on completely easy asphalt.

Physique roll is stored in verify, although you may chuck it into corners at relatively alarming speeds. Also, you come out the opposite aspect, grinning and a bit frightened. The entrance finish bites remarkably correctly, and I discovered myself pushing the automobile somewhat laboriously earlier than it felt like it was on the verge of understeering. It looks like it may take as much lock as you dare apply by way of the twisties, and it takes a while so that you can modify it to change into snug while exploring its grip limits.

Whereas I fancy a quiet electrical automobile, just like the Tesla Mannequin 3, whose silent surge pins you to your seat, I also assume there’s nothing flawed with inside acceleration sounds if they’re adequately achieved. Within the J01, the acceleration sound you get in Go-Kart Mode, which is what the game mode is known as on this automobile, is terrific.

It does a terrific job of conveying the feeling of velocity and truly helps you understand velocity better. It is perfect once you rise off when the sounds interrupt you, making you feel like you’re straddling an interdimensional area as you decelerate.

Energy, Vary And Charging

My 54.2 kWh tester never confirmed more than 193 miles of estimated range when absolutely charged. However, you can stretch that to 210 or 220 miles when you put it in Inexperienced mode and drive it under the velocity restriction with restricted air-con use. The typical electrical energy consumption where I had the automobile was simply over 3.4 miles per kWh. As a result, I stored it in Go-Kart Mode more often than not and drove it spiritedly.

The Mini Cooper E, the small-battery mannequin, has 18,4 horsepower and 213 pound-feet of torque. It claims an acceleration time from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) of seven.3 seconds and a high velocity of 99 mph. The large-battery Cooper SE, like my tester, has 218 horsepower and 243 lb-ft. It accelerates to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds and has a barely more significant high velocity of 105 mph.

TThere’sadditionally a charging velocity distinction between the 2 powertrains: the Cooper E can DC fast-charge at as much as 70 kW, with the Cooper SE elevating that to 95 kW. Each needs about half an hour to charge from 10 to 80%. Going from flat to complete using the usual onboard 11 kW AC charger takes 4 hours for the E and simply over 5 hours for the SE.

Compared with the previous-generation 184-hp automobile, the brand-new 218-hp mannequin doesn’t feel quite as desperate to speed up, even with the additional energy. Some of that may be attributed to the fact that it has an additional mass that it must get shifting, but the motor doesn’t ship its energy quite as immediately as earlier.

When you rolled it at decreased speeds, the traction management light would immediately come on and keep on within the old automobile. When you did the same with traction management, the wheels would spin the ability away and never progress much ahead. It wasn’t very efficient at putting its energy down. However, it also meant that you just needed to study the automobile and know how to press the pedal to get the most out of it in any scenario.

With the brand new model, once you ground it off the road, the traction light will nonetheless flash, but the energy supply will really feel rather more gradual. Unlike the outdated automobile, the brand new model feels like it’s torque-limited at lower speeds, particularly to forestall the aforementioned habits.

The brand new automobile’s tuning makes it sooner in a straight line, however it lacks the thrill and enjoyable of the outdated automobile. I additionally discovered the option to flip off traction management to make it a bit extra partaking by way of the corners and,d in addition, get a more sumptuous feel for its chassis. It must be adequately hidden if there’s a setting for it someplace.

Sensible Appears to be like

When you park the J01 Mini after the brand new F66, you’ll discover that the electric automobile has cleaner, less complicated shapes and appears more monolithic. It has a more excellent stance on the street with its longer wheelbase and broader monitor, and the fact that it doesn’t have the bolt-on fender spats simply makes it look more premium and upmarket.

The entrance finish nonetheless has the identical acquainted grille defined earlier than it was; however, most of it doesn’t let any air by way of—solely the decreased half is open. It’s pretty sizable, and it’s there to claim the Mini model ID and cleverly conceal the sensor array for the security programs. I also favored the headlights, which have the identical acquainted form but are cleaner and less fussy to look at.

From this aspect, you can see that the A-pillar is more slanted than in every other trendy Mini. This is achieved to enhance aerodynamics, and it helps the J01 obtain a drag coefficient of 0.28, which is down from the earlier electrical mmmannequin’s 0.3Cd. There’s only one crease on the decreased part of the door, which helps break up the peak of the automobile. Between this, the blacked-out pillars, and the contrasting roof, it appears to be relatively low and sporty.

The brand-new gentle clusters are the most significant change within the automobile’s rear. They’ve a very totally different form, however they nonetheless have a stylized Union Jack, a staple of Mini gentle design lately. If you’d like an excellent sportier look, Mini presents the JCW trim bundle, which makes the entrance and rear bumpers look a bit extra aggressive. It provides a considerably bigger roof spoiler that makes the automobile appear to be a small touring automobile.

The upper limit to wheel size is eighteen inches, but they appear larger than they really are and are good for the automobile’s dimensions. Once I first noticed the automobile, I assumed they were 19s.

All About The Inside

The outside could not seem very different (although it’s), but the inside will leave you with little question about whether this can be a new automobile. Visually, it’s a distinctive piece of automotive inside design, with distinctive supplies, textures, and expertise that no different automaker has used beforehand. The display, which wwe’velined at size in our Mini Working System 9 evaluation, is spectacular and a pleasure to use if a bit distracting on occasions.

Mini-eradicated animal merchandise from the inside of the J01. You don’t even get leather-based on the steering wheel, and whereas others say you possibly can’t inform the distinction, I disagree. The fake leather-based product used on the helmet makes noise once you slide your hand over it because it returns to the heart after you flip it. This could be a bizarre criticism. However, I discovered it to be considerably unnatural to the contact, though I’ll concede it appears excellent.

The wheel’s design was additionally on point, and I favored the knitted plastic strap that served as its third spoke. In true BMW custom, the rim was pretty thick, and the protrusions at two and ten felt like full-size palm rests. That took some time, but after just a few days with the automobile, I discovered I didn’t mind it.

The seat upholstery was made of the same artificial materials, but I found its texture more pleasing. My tester had the sportier seats with the built-in headrests, which look nice. However, they block plenty of the ahead visibility for rear occupants, who can feel pretty hemmed-in when touring behind a J01. The area within the rear didn’t appear any higher than within the combustion Mini, even with the additional wheelbase.

There were no soft-touch plastics anywhere in the automobile’s cabin. Whereas I might usually complain about this when reviewing a premium automobile, I didn’t mind it in the J01. The knitted plastic used on the sprint, where it has a sample, and on the door panels, where it’s plain, and you can see its distinctive texture, was fantastic.

The seating position was good and low, helping you feel connected to the automobile. This is a critical Mini trait, and I’m happy they didn’t damage the car by making you feel perched on top of the seat. Having additionally sat in the mechanically related Ora Cat, I can attest to the truth that you sit quite a bit lower in the Mini.

Mini puts many capabilities in menus you can access through a touchscreen. The devoted controls it did preserve are all bodily, so there’s nothing to slip over and activate by chance like in other automobiles. All buttons click when you press them, and that’s superior.

My ultimate inside spotlight must be the ambient lighting. That is the primary automobile I’ve been in that has projectors displaying patterns on the dashboard. The projectors are hidden behind the massive central display, so you don’t see where the sample is projected, and the impact is exclusive.

This, together with the opposite locations that gently up at night (even across the panoramic glass roof), make this automobile a shocking nocturnal cruiser. Each night I had this automobile, I discovered myself cruising by way of town after sunset, having fun with the inside illumination and the excellent Harman Kardon sound system.

The Electrical Mini Is Now Worthy

By changing an ICE automobile into an EV, Mini couldn’t give the outdated F56-based Cooper Sh an extensive enough battery or sufficient range. It was one of the most enjoyable electric automobiles around a winding street. Still, the issue was that until you lived very close to 1, it wasn’t possible to drive to it—to say nothing of getting enjoyable after moving back home.

This has been addressed with the JJ01’s bigger batteries, which are far more usable. The brand-new automobile has lost a few of its rowdy dealing characters. However, it nonetheless presents loads of enjoyment. In an ad, I think an edition is faster than earlier when you get it shifting. Mini is engaged in a much more potent variant, which would be the electric automobile driving ffanatic’smannequin of selection.

However, it’s not exceptionally sensible, with nearly precisely the identical rear legroom and cargo area because of the gas-burning variant; however, I can forgive it because its interior is something else when it comes to design.

The Mini Cooper SE has a base worth of €35,640 or $39,500 (about identical to the outgoing F56-based Cooper SE), and my Flavored trim tester had €12,282 ($13,600) in choices, bringing its total worth to €47,922 ($53,200). The most cost-effective model you will get right here €31,713 ($35,000), is the Cooper E in base Important trim.

The Verdict: A Small, Electrical Champion

Excessive tariffs imposed on autos manufactured in China imply the J01 will not come to the U.S. right now. There are talks of beginning manufacturing at the Oxford manufacturing facility within the U.K. after the 2026 completion of a deliberate growth of the power. That might make it possible for the mannequin to be imported, but we’re nonetheless ready for more particulars.

No matter the timing, this can be a critical improvement for the electrical Mini, all without sacrificing what individuals love about the model. When and if it arrives Stateside, it must be well worth the wait.