Review: Mini Aceman

Mini AcemanMini Aceman
Mini Aceman
Julie Marshall drives the new Mini Aceman, a practical, and fully electric alternative to the Mini Hatch

The new Mini Aceman is a great little SUV - and it’s all-electric.

Bigger than a conventional Mini but not as large as the Countryman, it is a nice compromise for those who bemoan that Minis were getting just that bit too big.

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Easy to drive and park and with loads more room inside than the Mini hatchback. It can seat five - at a pinch - and the 300-litre boot, while not commodious by any stretch of the imagination, is actually quite useful for day-to-day living.

Mini AcemanMini Aceman
Mini Aceman

The seats fold down when you need extra space.

Having five doors is a major advantage over the hatchback - particularly if you regularly carry passengers.

Of course, the statistic that anyone looking to buy an electric car wants at their fingertips is the battery range.

Mini suggests 190 miles but, as everyone who has put such claims to the test knows, these are under test conditions.

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Mini AcemanMini Aceman
Mini Aceman

Once you put on the climate control, sound system, and windscreen wipers and plug in your phone, the battery range takes a nosedive.

Charging time though can be as little as 30 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent. This is with a DC charger. An AC system takes more than four hours to charge from 0-100 per cent so best plan in lots of stops.

As with all Minis, the interior fit and finish is superb but the massive infotainment screen is somewhat over the top (It’s 9.4in in diameter, but seems so much bigger) and is a bit awkward to navigate your way around at first.

The sat nav graphics are excellent though and the head-up display is very useful. The cloth interior trim is really smart and lifts the cabin’s ambience.

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We had the entry-level E Classic and if you need more miles between charges there is also an SE with a bigger battery or an even higher-powered John Cooper Works model.

Driving any Mini is fun and the Aceman is no exception. The steering is sharp and acceleration from 0-62mph is 7.9 seconds and very smooth with little body lean around corners.

The suspension is firm which is fine most of the time but does send a jolt through your spine if you take speed bumps too fast or drive along poorly surfaced roads.

The specification is high with a full raft of safety kit and adaptive cruise control as standard.

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Options are by way of packs depending on the level of kit you desire. Our Classic was enhanced with a Level 1 pack which added adaptive LED headlights, heated front seats, a head-up display and wireless charging storage. It costs £2,000 and is probably worth the extra - go up a spec to SE and it comes in with the price.

The price for the E including the pack came in at £34,350.

Specification

Min Aceman

Price: £32,350 (£34,350 as tested)

Engine: 38.5kWh battery

Power: 181bhp

Torque: 214lb/ft

Transmission: One-speed automatic transmission

Top speed: 124mph

0-62mph: 99 seconds

CO2 emissions: 0

EV range: 190 miles

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