Electric MINI reinvented as a compact crossover

The BMW-owned MINI brand, one of the first premium marques to launch an electric option, is rapidly adopting electrification across the line-up. But while the familiar MINI hatch and the larger-than-life Countryman SUV have been launched as new generations with electric power to the fore, there’s also an all-new, all-electric option in the line-up called the Aceman. Weird name aside, this is a compact five-door, five-seat crossover that takes aim at one of the fastest-growing market segments, offering MINI fans all the style and attitude of its established models in an electric-only package that promises to be more practical than the standard car.

Exterior design and image

Few compact crossovers on sale have the showroom impact of the MINI Aceman. It takes the cheeky, large-headlight face of the regular MINI, plus some of its other characteristic detailing, but adds roof rails and an angularity that align it with the Countryman in terms of off-road styling.

The Aceman is clearly a road-biased car, though, and its dimensions make it only a little longer and taller than the existing five-door version of the MINI Cooper hatchback.

It undoubtedly holds visual appeal, nonetheless, something buyers can amp up or tone down to their hearts’ (and wallets’) content, as MINI is the king of personalisation. There are Classic, Exclusive, and Sport trim lines for starters, each with their own range of colours, alloy wheel designs and accent detailing, and further enhancement can be found in the John Cooper Works styling options.

Our test car was finished in moody black, disguising the crossover styling to some extent, while its large wheels made the design pop. Amusingly, as you approach the Aceman with its key on your person, the LED lights front and rear do a little light show and the MINI logo illuminates the ground near the doors.

Interior and practicality

Practicality has never been a MINI forte, though the five-door version improves on the original and makes the rear seats more accessible. That continues in the Aceman, which has slightly better interior space than that car, nothing more. Adults of average size won’t complain too much about being in the back of this model, while the 300-litre boot behind is larger than those of the two MINI hatchbacks as well – though not by much. You can just about squeeze a charging cable under the boot floor, too.

Back in the main cabin, the Aceman receives the brand’s latest interior design, material, and technology bundle, as launched last year in other models. Sustainability is at the heart of the construction and material selection, but MINI’s designers have clearly had a lot of fun with it as well.

The traditional circular instrument pod in the centre of the dashboard has been reinvented as a snazzy OLED screen that’s quick to respond to touch and packed full of features. Sensibly, the temperature controls are always visible, though there are lots of quirks to the system, such as a personal digital assistant named Spike and a cheesy “Wahoo!!” emanating from the speakers if you choose the sportiest driving mode. Some will find all this endearing, though thankfully, for the rest of us, they’re not omnipresent.

Interior storage is at a premium as the centre console is quite slim and not very versatile, while the textile-wrapped fascias won’t be to all tastes. We do like how they work with the customisable ambient lighting, however.

Price and electric range

On the face of it, a starting price for the Aceman of €39,190 doesn’t sound bad. This is, after all, a premium brand and the car lives up to that. We suspect, however, that few buyers will stick with the standard specification and prices can rapidly rise from there. The entry-level car is the Aceman E, powered by a 184hp electric motor and featuring a battery pack that allows an official range between charges of up to 309 kilometres. It can be had in Classic, Exclusive, or Sport trim lines, the latter rising to €43,393.

The ‘SE’ specification tested here brings with it a more powerful electric motor – producing up to 218hp – and, probably of more importance, a larger-capacity battery. In its most modest (Classic) guise, this allows for a more useful range of up to 404 kilometres. Again, it can be had in all three grades and prices start at €44,720 for the Aceman SE Classic.

Our test car started life as the Aceman SE Sport, priced from €48,923, but with quite a few options fitted, it retails at nearly €57,000. Bizarrely, that’s seven grand more than the range-topping John Cooper Works Aceman Sport costs, a particularly sporty variant with even more performance on tap. Anyway, all this goes to show that the Aceman can be fair value, or not so much if you go mad with the options.

Driving experience

Ever since BMW relaunched the MINI brand back in the early 2000s it has latched onto the original’s image for “go-kart-like handling” – ie, it was agile and fun to drive. In truth, most MINIs since have lived up to the billing to a certain extent, but we do wonder how much the average buyer cares about such things.

The Aceman, for example, handles very well on a twisty road with exceptional body control, quick steering, and rapid reactions to the driver’s input. But all this superb control comes at the expense of comfort and we suspect that many buyers would gladly give up half the agility in return for double the comfort. The Aceman’s suspension is just a little too firm for our liking, resulting in unwanted jiggling throughout the car over most road surfaces, notably so at
lower speeds.

Part of this is likely down to the low-profile tyres fitted to the 19-inch wheels on our test car. They don’t offer much cushioning from bumps and other imperfections on the road and we’d advise buyers to try to test drive a car sitting on the same size wheels they’re likely to buy. The good news is that the Aceman can be purchased with much smaller rims. And yes, I admit they don’t look as good, but that’s a balancing act every buyer needs to consider for themselves.

Better than the hatch?

The electric MINI hatchback drives a little better than the Aceman, but there’s really not much in it and you can have a larger influence on that with the options chosen. They share electric powertrains and are effectively just as efficient as each other in terms of using the charge in their batteries. The electric MINI hatchback is a little more affordable, but it’s not available as a five-door with electric power so in reality the Aceman will be chosen as much for its extra practicality as its image. Either way, we expect it to become the brand’s most popular electric vehicle.