I’VE never driven a MINI and not thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
They’re like an antidepressant with that guaranteed go-kart experience that’s part of their genetic make-up.
And this week’s test drive is the new MINI Cooper SE — the E in its name is a clue that it’s fully-electric.
Putting an electric drivetrain in a small, nimble car makes sense so I’ve never understood why lots of EVs are huge, already heavy SUVs filled with all the mechanical gubbins that goes with making them all-wheel drive.
Then, sure why not lump in a super heavy battery for good measure that makes a vehicle that was never designed to handle like a sports car or hot hatch handle even worse thanks to the added weight?
But take a little supermini like a MINI, remove the engine and gearbox and substitute it for an 160kW electric motor and 54.2kWh battery and it will help lower the car’s centre of gravity.
The overall weight of the Cooper SE is 1,680kg, heavy for a MINI but not for an EV, and with 218bhp and 330Nm of instant torque on tap, you have a little electric pocket rocket at your disposal.
And proof you don’t need massive amounts of power to have big fun.
Key Facts:
MINI Cooper SE
Key facts:
MINI Cooper Electric
Cost: From €32,054 with SEAI Grant
Engine: 160kW electric motor, front-wheel drive
Power: 218bhp
Torque: 330Nm
0-100kph: 6.7 seconds
Top Speed: 170kph
Range: 400km
Real world range: 300km
Rivals: Fiat 500 Electric, MG4 EV, Renault 5
The Cooper SE is able to launch from 0-100kph in 6.7 seconds with a top speed of 170kph.
However, in wet or slippy conditions, the front wheels will easily spin.
Still, it has a very easy-to-control chassis, just adding to the fun.
But what about the lack of engine noise you normally experience with a regular turbo-charged petrol-powered MINI Cooper that sounds amazing with all the pops and bangs from the exhaust?
Well, MINI have that covered with a selection of different Driving Experiences that are operated via a little toggle switch on the dash.
The default mode is Core, there’s Green, a more eco-friendly setting, Personal where you can fine-tune things, Vivid offers bright colours, Timeless shows retro graphics and Balance plays soothing music.
But my favourite, obviously, is GoKart mode — it makes all sorts of computer-generated sounds. Imagine the sounds you experienced while playing Mario Kart, but while you’re driving the MINI.
It’s seriously fun, and inside you have lots of retro features that hark back to the iconic MINIs of the past.
The large central screen is still there but now it’s a full HD Oled screen with amazing sharp modern graphics, again as good as you’d find on the latest gaming consoles.
There’s a twist stop/start switch and another toggle switch for the gear selection, and it all adds to the go kart/motorsport feel to the cabin.
The boot is only 210 litres but it’s a MINI so what did you expect? And drop the rear seats for 800 litres.
The Cooper SE has a range up to 400km but as I was testing it during the recent cold snap it dropped to just 250km with 100 per cent battery charge — and that’s snow joke!
However, in normal weather conditions DC fast-charging at 95kW will take around 30 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent.
And at home when using a 7.4kW wallbox it takes around five hours and 15 mins for a full charge.
The MINI Cooper SE starts from €32,054 when oyou take advantage of the SEAI Grant.
But if that’s a tad too expensive for you there is the Cooper E that starts from €28,471 along with the SEAI Grant.
Power output on the Cooper E drops to 184bhp, but it will still be a blast to drive.
