Copenhagen, Denmark. mobile.bg team from the venue.
Over the years, the Mini Countryman has grown in size to a degree that defies the very name of the brand – there is no longer anything “Mini“ in the latest generation of the SUV. That's fine in terms of practicality, of course, but what if you want a more compact crossover with the Mini badge?
Well, now there is good news. The BMW-owned British compact car company is about to satisfy those demands as well with the Aceman, a light SUV that's closer in size and price to the three-door electric Cooper than to the already much larger Countryman. But the Aceman will only be available on current.
There are two battery sizes and two versions with different power characteristics, and the Aceman is a name associated with the short-lived but iconic Mini Paceman crossover, sold for several years from 2013 to 2016.
To find out if it can compete at the top of the small electric crossover market when it arrives here in Bulgaria, we drove the more powerful Aceman SE to its international media launch in Denmark, one of the most EV-friendly countries in the world.
We tested the new Mini on the congested city streets of Copenhagen, while also taking it for a long drive in the countryside surrounding the Danish capital. Here are our initial impressions.
Exterior and interior
The compact electric crossover will compete in price with the likes of the Cupra Born, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV and perhaps its most obvious, direct rival, the stylish Volvo EX30.
Mini prides itself on providing a premium exterior and interior experience across all its models, and with Aceman's sleek design and interesting materials, the compact electric crossover doesn't disappoint.
If you sit in it and the Countryman, you'll notice that the Aceman's interior is more carefully built for the price – its vents, for example, are considerably less refined, while some of the plastics are visible and generally feel cheaper.
Also, we're puzzled as to why that leather strap on the panel behind the steering wheel couldn't have been slightly elasticated so that it served a practical purpose (like holding parking tickets or the like) rather than being purely decorative.
But these are the only flaws in the compartment that we found. Everything else, plus the John Cooper Works seats in the SE, is excellent. The central element of any modern Mini - the 9.4-inch, round touchscreen display of the infotainment system is naturally present here as well.
Since almost all of Aceman's main information and functions go through this display, there is no dedicated instrument panel behind the steering wheel – instead, all versions come with a foldable and fairly informative head-up display.
In the salon there are many more interesting details such as the “floating“ door handles, for example, which perfectly match the fabric and dashboard to give the Mini a suitably luxurious atmosphere.
The use of highly recycled and environmentally friendly materials abounds in Aceman, but you wouldn't know it because the high quality is felt throughout. This includes the “Vescin“ seat upholstery, which looks and feels like natural suede but isn't actually leather - vegans will be happy :).
Aceman relies heavily on the touchscreen for most of its operations. The rest of the instruments are minimalist in style and reduced to nothing more than joysticks on the steering column, buttons on the steering wheel and a panel of basic controls below the touchscreen.
Among them is the start/stop button and even the transmission switch, which doesn't look much different from the one that changes the modes. There are also five additional keyboard shortcuts below the switches, but while two of them are climate-related (rear window heating and front dehumidifier), the rest of the car's comfort functions require a lot of taps on the circular display. Which isn't always the most intuitive thing to do while on the go.
The driving position is good though, with plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment, and all-round visibility is perfect. So ergonomically, the interior of the Aceman is very good, as long as the driver goes through some acclimatization before getting to grips with it.
If the front of the coupe is quite successful, the rear of the Aceman is less pleasant. It's not that the quality of the materials here is lower, but rather the familiar shortcoming of the modern Mini comes to the fore - an uncomfortable and hard back seat without side supports.
As a five-door crossover, the Aceman should be roomier and more accessible in the second row than the three-door Cooper electric hatchback, but rear legroom is limited even for people of average height.
Also, the Aceman is claimed to be a full-fledged five-seater, but the rear seat isn't wide enough for three people, unless they're all children. So we're much more inclined to think of the Aceman as a four-seater.
At the back of the car there is a modest but useful enough trunk with a volume of 300 liters. And if you take into account the 60:40 split folding rear seats, this figure increases to an impressive 1,005 liters for a car in this class.
Engine and driving characteristics
Mini are adamant that no LPG versions of the Aceman are planned, so the choice is only electric. Both variants are single-engine, front-wheel-drive vehicles, with the E having a smaller battery (38.5kWh), a lower-powered motor (135kW) and an even lower maximum DC charging speed (75kW). That's why we'd recommend the SE variant we tested, which is arguably more usable in a wider range of driving scenarios.
Mini Aceman SE Specifications
Front drive
Battery 49.2 kWh lithium-ion
Power 160kW (218 hp)
Torque 330 Nm
0-100 km/h – claimed 7.1 seconds
Energy consumption during the test 12.9 kWh/100km
Requested range – WLTP 405km
Max. AC charging speed 11kW
Maximum DC charge 95kW
Charging times for the SE take just 31 minutes at its maximum DC rate of 95kW, for 10-80 per cent battery charge, while at the other end of the spectrum the 7.4kW AC wallbox will take nine hours to charge the battery from 0-100 percent.
When it comes to handling, the Mini always likes to "play" with the so-called karting settings, and here the most focused Experience Mode available for the Aceman is Go-Kart, and when selected, a voice shouts “Wahoo!“ like Toad from Mario Kart getting a turbo boost – but before you get all excited, it's worth remembering that this electric crossover, with its larger battery of 49.2 kWh, weighs almost 1.8 tons.
Of course, this is not an obscene weight for an electric car, but the Aceman is a relatively small car. That's why we think the more powerful 160 kW SE is definitely the way to go, because it has enough power to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in around seven seconds.
This figure alone doesn't speak to how lively the Mini feels under acceleration, but the decent 330Nm of torque makes it suitably quick to respond quite sharply to the accelerator, and when we're off from a place, and when already moving.
For all its speed and Mini's allusions to sporty handling, the Aceman isn't quite as exciting to drive as, say, its conceptual predecessor the Paceman, especially in its JCW guise. But that doesn't mean the car doesn't perform well on the road
The Aceman impresses with acceptable body control, plenty of grip and no understeer in any corner taken at a reasonable pace. In other words, the management is just good, not great.
Although it is a comfortable, quiet and refined car, there is a small problem with the 19-inch alloy wheels (they are a different design, but both the E and SE have the same size wheels).
Given the supposed sporty spirit of the car, the Aceman has a fairly stiff suspension, and so at 19s the bumps on the city tarmac are amplified, resulting in a slightly uncomfortable low-speed ride. It's not terrible, but it's noticeable. But once the speed increases and the road conditions improve, the Aceman seems grown up and cultured.
Conclusion and price
The car has an extensive list of standard equipment, feels a lot more premium inside than its direct alternatives, and the SE version of the Aceman gets some pretty juicy goodies that make its increased purchase price more palatable.
The Aceman has yet to be rated by either ANCAP or Euro NCAP, but standard safety equipment is generous enough and the SE also benefits from blind spot monitoring and lane change to give it an excellent level of safety .
Mini says the Aceman E's 38.5kWh battery lasts up to 309km on a single charge, while the SE's 49.2kWh unit increases that range to 405km. Interestingly, on our test drive over the 175km route we managed an impressive 12.9kWh/100km without driving it with any particular focus on economy, which would have achieved a real-world range of 381km. So that with minimal effort the claimed mileage is completely achievable.
So without much flash, the Aceman has all the tools to become another Mini sales success. It looks nice and massive from the outside, the interior is elegant and well appointed, and the way it drives is nice, soft and above all - very easy.
With its smaller battery pack, the Aceman is aimed squarely at the “modern urbanite”, so it won't suit all needs - especially if you regularly drive long distances. But if you want one of the more modern yet premium compact electric crossovers, then the Mini Aceman SE should be pretty high on your list of potential vehicles.
The base price, considering that this is an electric car from a premium manufacturer, is not high - BGN 66,850, but the SE versions are already more expensive. Their base price starts at BGN 74,750 and can easily exceed BGN 90,000 for the top level Aceman SE with John Cooper Works equipment.