2024 Mini Cooper SE | PH Review

The electric Mini is back with 218hp, the option of a JCW aerokit and considerably more range. No brainer, right?

Good car, the old Mini Electric. Where some alternatives sought to reinvent the small car with battery power, the Mini’s introduction felt as seamless as adding a diesel option once did. The Electric drove like a Mini, looked like a Mini and felt like a Mini - job jobbed, to a large extent. Manna from heaven for estate agents up and down the country, and proof that petrol power wasn’t a prerequisite for fun.

But there was a sense of that car being a toe in the EV water (if the analogy works) for Mini, with a modest range and no Cooper billing of any kind. It was almost to see if people would take to the idea; a soft launch in case anything went awry ahead of the real deal. Well, people most certainly did take to the idea, and now we have the real deal, complete with a heap more range, a chunk more power and even a Cooper S badge. Is this when the electric Mini comes of age?

Probably you’ll share a general lukewarmness to the new J01 Mini’s appearance (yes, we’re onto J-numbers now), a small car that’s now a bit blobby and bloated compared to the taut old days. For what it’s worth, our UK test car featured a JCW aerokit that helps add a bit of much-needed attitude. But even those who didn’t know about the substantial weight gain over the last Electric would probably assume there was one.

Any concerns about the outside ought to be forgotten when presented with the new interior. The driver doesn’t sit quite as low as they once did because of the batteries, and the steering wheel is even chubbier than ever, though probably that’s been said since the 1275 GT was introduced. The driving position is fundamentally very good. Also on the upside, this is a driving environment that combines style and functionality better than many others, the clarity of the screens and liberal use of fabric throughout make the Mini feel even more expensive than it is. The absence of a transmission tunnel means it seems genuinely spacious, the wireless charging pad is large enough (and actually charges) and the toggle switches remain. The central 240mm OLED infotainment screen is glorious to look at and pretty good to use; some icons could be larger and respond a little faster. But never before has a Mini, famed for its general sense of plushness, felt this upmarket - it’s a real step on.

This Cooper SE emulates the previous Electric in feeling very ‘Mini’ to drive from the first yard. It’s eager, darty and keen, the steering super responsive and the car alive to those inputs. Some have suggested the weight gain makes it feel substantially less nimble than the old car; it’d be hard to comment with any authority on a pre-Covid drive, but there was never a point where this Mini seemed onerously heavy. Its maker might have turned the 'go-kart' descriptive into a cliche over the years, yet it has justified its use here. It's obvious enough to seem like fun.

Even with the additional kilos, the big power bump (powered by a battery that at 49.2kWh adds more than 20 usable kilowatt hours over before) means this SE always feels just a bit faster and more urgent than the old model. It’ll scoot up to 80mph or so in no time at all. There’s definitely noise now, too, which was conspicuous by its absence the first time around. The seven ‘Drive Experiences’ - Core, Go Kart, Timeless, Green, Vivid, Balance, Personal - all seem to have their own sound signature, whirring and whizzing and shrieking and humming along - it all seems more complementary of the experience here than in the larger i-badged BMWs. Lots of 21st-century Minis have entertained with augmented sounds of some description, so this definitely feels cut from the same cloth.

There’s that same slightly busy quality to the ride as almost always, well-damped though never exactly relaxing - likely exacerbated by the extra mass. You probably sign up for some busyness with a Mini, and rather this firmness and friskiness than a dull Cooper S. There’s enjoyment to be had flinging it around, too, a willingness to rotate with a lift and just enough fizz through the wheel under power to know you’re in a fast, front-drive Mini. The brake pedal is good rather than great, though a fairly drastic regen mode means going without settings feels acceptable. The SE has retained a lot of what was good about the Electric while addressing some of the weaker points. It’d be nice if it could have done this at less than 1,500kg, sure, but we live in a world of two-tonne Lamborghini supercars, 2.5-tonne M5s and Defenders getting on for 3,000kg. Perhaps 1,600kg isn’t totally egregious.

Because of the differences in each mode, with new displays and a different feel to the car, there seems to be more to discover with the SE than there was in the Electric. And with some comparable cars that feel like they’re figured out in five minutes. Though a close-run thing, the SE was a nicer drive than the more powerful, rear-drive Cupra Born VZ we tested recently. Like lots of good Minis, it encourages you to drive it harder, faster - and now a bit further, too.

Great though the Electric was, nobody could say it went very far on a charge. And while this one has required plenty more kilos for the privilege, it does have some range in the tank. Now it can be an everyday, all seasons, any scenario hot hatch rather than just a city runaround. Officially it’ll do 240 miles, our test car showed 220 on a full tank, and averaging a teeny bit more four miles per kilowatt hour would get over 200 miles. Given 3mi/kWh was achievable driving like an audition for The Italian Job, that seems doable.

Which would leave you with a very desirable small EV. However laudable the light, bright, i3-powered Mini Electric was, a WLTP range of less than 150 miles did hamper its appeal. Look at how clever, cool EVs with little range have fared, the Mazda MX-30 and Honda e most notably. Clearly, outside a big city, it compromises the appeal. Yes, this is a pricier, heavier electric Mini, though one with a far broader appeal than before. Moreover, almost all the attributes that have come to characterise the modern Mini experience are present and correct, including the vitality that buyers expect. Expect to see plenty of them about in short order. Let's just hope familiarity works its magic on the look.

SPECIFICATION | 2024 MINI COOPER SE

Engine: 54.2 kWh battery (gross figure; 49.2kWh net), single electric motor
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 218
Torque (lb ft): 243
0-62mph: 6.7 seconds
Top speed: 106mph
Weight: 1,605kg
MPG: 244 miles WLTP range, 95kW max charge rate
CO2: 0g/km (driving), 4.1-4.4mi/kWh claimed
Price: £34,500 (Classic; Exclusive £36,700, Sport £38,000)

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