Mini Aceman review

It’s an all-new Mini crossover. Well, kinda. The Aceman arrives to fill the gap between the Cooper (that’s what Mini now calls the old Hatch) and the Countryman, with the latter growing up in its latest generation to become more of a proper SUV.

Want some dimensions? The Aceman is 4,079mm long, 1,514mm tall and 1,991mm wide. It’ll only be offered as a full EV, and it uses the same bits underneath as the Cooper Electric. If you want said Cooper in all-electric form you can only have it as a three-door, whereas the Aceman offers five doors and 90 litres more boot space. Hence why it now exists.

Why do you say it’s only ‘kinda’ new? 

The Aceman really does use standard electric Cooper bits underneath. So, like the Cooper it is available in three forms: E, SE and John Cooper Works. The former gets a 38.5kWh (usable battery) for 192 miles of range and 70kW DC charging. A single electric motor powers the front wheels with 181bhp and 214lb ft of torque. 

The SE steps things up with a more powerful 218bhp/243lb ft motor and a larger 49.2kWh battery for an improved 252 miles of WLTP range. The max charging speed is improved too, but it will still only manage 95kW on a rapid charger.

The John Cooper Works is a hot little crossover with 254bhp and 251lb ft being sent to the front wheels, but it uses the same battery as the SE, so its estimated range drops to 243 miles. We’re yet to drive the JCW, but we’ll update this review when we’ve had a go.

It looks a little… awkward?

Yeah, Mini has refreshed its entire range in the last year or so and refers to its current design language as ‘Charismatic Simplicity’. From some angles the Aceman just looks like a shrunken Countryman, and it gets the now familiar Mini lights with three different signatures that you can change on the touchscreen. We’re not so sure about the square wheelarches and angular front end though. Mini refers to these as “plump Mini shapes”. Gross.

The trim levels for the E and SE versions reflect those of the Cooper and Countryman, so you’ve got Classic (small wheels, boring paint options), Exclusive (funky colours, gold trim, bigger wheels) and Sport (black trim, sporty bumpers).

What about the interior? 

It’s very much a copy and paste job in here from both the bigger and smaller Minis. You get the same 24cm circular touchscreen, a couple of rows of physical buttons underneath and a supremely chunky steering wheel. Click through to the Interior tab of this review for more.

How much does it cost?

The Aceman E starts at £31,920 in the UK, with the more powerful SE getting more kit and kicking off at £36,420. That means it represents a £1,800 increase over the electric Cooper E and SE respectively. Not bad.

What are its rivals?

It’s an electric crossover, so there isn’t enough space on the internet to list all of the rivals. You’ll be cross-shopping with cars like the Volvo EX30, the Volkswagen ID.3, the Peugeot e-2008 (and all its Stellantis siblings), the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and the Hyundai Kona Electric.

Heck, Minis are fairly premium options these days, and once you’ve added a few options onto the base price of an Aceman SE you’re also getting perilously close to rear-wheel drive Tesla Model 3 territory.

Let’s put it this way, if you enter the Mini showroom looking to buy a Cooper Electric, we reckon it’s quite likely you’ll leave with an Aceman. It’s only £1,800 more spec for spec and offers more space inside and a bigger boot. It has exactly the same interior too, although it doesn’t drive as sweetly and certainly doesn’t look as cute.

The ride is too firm and you’ll need to spend some time with the interior to decide whether it’s for you, but we reckon Mini has done a decent job of injecting plenty of tech in there while retaining some personality. It is let down by some confusing menus and that hugely chunky steering wheel though.

Still, the Aceman is here to nab those Cooper customers who want a little bit more space. It won’t change the small electric crossover game, but Mini doesn’t really need it to.