Mini Aceman: Prototype caught

The “Paceman,” a two-door CUV coupe based on the former Countryman, was not a big success for Mini, which is why they are now dropping the “P” and turning the rather modest “Pace” into the ace “Ace.”

More space inside than the current five-door

And that positioning is smart, because as a CUV it stands somewhat taller than the five-door it replaces, but with a length of 4.05 meters, width of 1.99 meters, and height of 1.59 meters, it remains significantly shorter than the “Clubman” estate, which last grew into a standard compact estate with rear doors…also not quite a great success.

It’s different with the Aceman, which we predict will be a success: it’s not yet an SUV, it’s considerably smaller than the Countryman and offers much more interior space than the three-door. And by the way, it has the same cool, fabric-covered reduced interior. It was only crudely covered in the prototype but still hardly photographable. It’s clear: The digital cockpit can also be maximally personalized here.

Visually more akin to the Countryman than the three-door

The headlights, with their squareness at the front, are more akin to the Countryman, while at the rear they become narrower and end with the tailgate. The front and rear of this electric vehicle are as closed-off as possible to improve aerodynamics, complemented by clever airflow solutions around and through the flared wheel arches.

Regarding the electric drive, there are likely to be two front-wheel-drive versions, oriented towards the three-door: The base version will be aligned with the electric Cooper E, featuring a 40 kWh battery and 181 hp. It’s quite possible that Mini will slightly increase the battery capacity. Additionally, 270 Nm of torque is expected. In the stronger version, we anticipate a 54 kWh battery, as used in the Cooper SE. The power of the Power-Aceman is likely to be around 215 hp. For range, we expect approximately 200 km plus/minus x in demanding everyday use for the base model and 250 plus/minus x for the 54 kWh version. Those driving efficiently in summer could achieve 300 to 400 km plus x – which will also be the communicated WLTP value.