MINI is going through a bit of a renaissance right now, as it aims to become a fully electric manufacturer by 2030. And in September last year, they’ve made perhaps the most important step in that direction, by unveiling their first-ever purpose built electric model, the all-new second-generation Mini Cooper SE.
But it’s an uphill battle for MINI, because not only is it a historic brand with many die-hard fanatics, it’s also mini… and EVs need space for bigger batteries (and thus range). So is this new electric MINI good enough to lead the company’s electrification charge? The company flew us halfway across the globe to Barcelona, Spain, to find out.
We won’t spoil too much here, so if you want the full breakdown, check out the first drive review video above. But in short, the new MINI Cooper SE is still very much a MINI, in all the very best ways possible, and it’s a bright beacon of hope that represents the brand’s electric future.
The new electric MINI Cooper will be offered in two variants (in addition to the petrol-powered variants, which is technically a heavy facelift from the previous-generation model), namely the Cooper E and Cooper SE. The latter, as driven in the review, is more of note – not just because it’s the flagship variant, but also because it is rumoured to be arriving in Malaysia soon.
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A single electric motor powers the MINI Cooper SE from the front axle, delivering 218 hp and 330 Nm of torque that translates to a century sprint in 6.7 seconds. The motor is juiced by a significantly larger 54.2 kWh battery pack, afforded by a brand new electric platform co-developed with China’s GWM (via the Spotlight Automotive joint venture company), which has essentially doubled the model’s driving range to now 402 km (WLTP).
Aside from the powertrain, there are also significant changes to the design of the iconic hatchback, both inside and out. The new electric model is built around the “Charismatic Simplicity” design language, emphasising on the iconic MINI styling touches, but modernised to fit into the model’s new clean and green messaging.
