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VM Test Report Mini Cooper SE: Heavy Fun - But Not for Long

The two-door "Mini-Mini" also comes standard electrically - and again as a Cooper. Visually sleeker than ever, it remains true to one thing: a driving machine. However, the 400 kilometers range is utopian due to moderate efficiency.

With an empty weight of 1.7 tons, the Mini advances into regions where the Seven Series BMW once lay. | Photo: Mini
With an empty weight of 1.7 tons, the Mini advances into regions where the Seven Series BMW once lay. | Photo: Mini
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One might argue whether every customer in this vehicle segment truly places a heightened value on the technical data and driving behavior itself. Especially those who decide on a Mini first buy the brand, the model, and the specific design. Cute, cool, and trendy – this is also offered by the latest Mini, where the customer, as with its predecessor, has a choice of whether it is powered by an electric motor or a combustion engine.

Cooper electric? It works! 

First of all: the electric drive fits excellently with the new Mini Cooper. The only concerns are the instruments and a yawningly slow charging speed. On the other hand, the seating position is convincing, with the now electrically adjustable seats that offer good lateral support. In the narrow rear, hardly anyone can or must sit, fortunately. Better to utilize the two seats to expand the merely 200-liter trunk space for items like jackets or bags.

1.7 tons of curb weight is a lot for the vehicle size

A step on the gas pedal and, despite the gigantic 1.7 tons curb weight, it gets going merrily – and how. The thrust of the Chinese Briton from a standstill is impressive. In the rain and on the wet road, the front tires quickly reach their adhesion limit, and yet the pilot behind the wheel beams after the first combination of curves. Because one thing is right: the driving fun. It’s no different in the city. The electric motor on the front axle with its 160 kW / 218 PS and altogether lively 330 Nm is, especially due to the high weight, not a powerhouse – really not. But does such a small car need more power? Probably not. Braking, steering in, simply accelerating out of the curve and adjusting with the steering wheel where it should go.

As the rain subsides and the road dries, not only do the front wheels grip significantly better, but the rear also shows itself to be much more stable in borderline areas than known from the agile predecessor. Does the everyday driver feel this, or better yet, the corresponding driver, because the Mini in its latest version is likely to remain one thing in particular: a car for the chic ladies. No, the better handling in borderline areas, the precise steering, and other intricate details painstakingly worked out by the engineers in the chassis are likely to remain hidden to most customers.

Prices start at 36,900 euros gross

But this doesn’t apply to everything. Because the low center of gravity and the overall very coherent driving behavior – this is where the at least 36,900 euros expensive Mini Cooper SE scores points in every customer’s hand. Whether all these occupants will love the fine and razor-sharp but all-too-cluttered round instrument in the middle of the dashboard? Maybe.

Mini drivers are not vegans: The elimination of leather bothers many  

However, they will be bothered by the lack of instruments behind the steering wheel, the cheap-looking retractable head-up display, and the absence of leather seats even in the list of optional extras. Mini, previously particularly successful with its durable leather sports seats in the expensive versions, which tended to become even more elegant with age, is patronizing its customers and dictating that leather is suddenly no longer en vogue.

However, the opposite is the case, and the decision to individualize should better be left to the customer, even within the four trim levels. Not only in many forums are there disappointed reactions to the new equipment, but first dealers are also reporting that customers cannot understand the elimination of the noble animal hides.

In addition to the extensive touch functions and the various driving programs with associated screen presentations, central control functions can be operated via the steering wheel, a switch strip under the circular touch display, or by voice. Numerous functions such as navigation, telephony, and entertainment can be controlled with a voice assistant.

Nix Cooper: Top Speed and Charging Speed are Rather Slow

As impressive as the 3.86-meter-long Mini Cooper SE performs on the road, aside from its weak top speed of 170 km/h, it is just as disappointing at the charging station. The base version of the Mini Cooper E charges at a sluggish 75 kW, and even the Cooper SE is slower than nearly all competitors with a maximum charging speed of 95 kilowatts, despite these models having been on the market for years. The fact that the battery pack in the underbody still charges from 10 to 80 percent in half an hour is solely due to its small 54 kWh battery, for which there is no larger alternative.

Out of the 400 kilometers range, only 228 remain

From the promised 400 kilometers of range, nothing was felt during the test drives, as the onboard computer showed just 228 km with a full battery. Despite rain and 15 degrees Celsius outside temperature, this is a very low value. This is too little even for a cool cruiser. It means that instead of the specified 14.1 kWh/100 km, around 20 flows through the Mini's wiring. So, if you want to achieve 300 km plus x, you should keep the fun potential of the Cooper in check, or rather, keep your foot off the gas pedal.

The entry-level model with its 135 kW / 184 hp electric motor will come even less far: It has a tiny 40 kWh battery, which on paper only promises 305 km of range, of which in reality less than 200 will remain. The price of the base version: 32,900 euros. Which means the advancements in efficiency compared to the predecessor are rather modest...

Stefan Grundhoff; press-inform

Technical Data: Mini Cooper SE

Motor: Electric, front

Power: 160 kW / 218 hp

Max. Torque: 330 Nm

Top Speed: 170 km/h

Acceleration 0 – 100 km/h: 6.7 seconds

WLTP Consumption: 14.1 kWh / 100 km

WLTP Range: 400 km

Drive: Front

Battery: 54 kWh

Trunk Capacity: 210 – 800 liters

Price: 36,900 euros gross

What does this mean?

The new Mini has become much more mature and stays true to itself: Because the original Mini was always about great driving fun and fantastic design. And never just about efficiency or space utilization. Only in terms of range, a little more would just have been more...

 

Translated automatically from German.
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