Preview: Mini Continues Its All-Electric March With the Aceman Small Crossover
This all-new model slots in below the Countryman, promising room for five and up to 252 miles of range
The new Aceman SUV is a five-passenger, all-electric subcompact SUV that complements the recently redesigned and larger Countryman. Like all new Mini models, it’s an EV—part of the brand’s stated goal of being fully electric by 2030.
Mini promises that the efficiently packaged SUV will deliver the brand’s established “go-kart” driving experience while blending in modern driver assistance systems, including what the company calls a “digital user experience.” It’s wrapped in a body that looks like the redesigned Cooper and Countryman, all of which have the most aggressive reinterpretation of Mini design since the brand relaunched in 2001.
CR's Take
The Aceman slots in below the Countryman as a subcompact SUV, but we expect it to have a decent amount of interior space. Because the Aceman is an EV built on an EV-specific platform, it should mean that interior room will be similar to its bigger sibling since the Countryman, which offers both EV and gas-powered models, has to house a driveshaft that runs from the front engine back to the rear wheels. In theory, front- and rear-seat leg- and foot room could be on a par with the Countryman. The Aceman could also be a replacement for the four-door Mini Cooper hardtop.
Mini claims the brand will be fully electric by 2030, and the Aceman EV is the next step in that process. No matter what drives it, the Aceman will be recognizable as a Mini, even though some of the brand’s quirks have evolved with the times.
Photo: Mini Photo: Mini
Outside
The new Aceman measures 160 inches long and 59 inches tall. This means the Countryman now becomes Mini’s “big” SUV, as it is 10 inches longer than the Aceman, although it’s just two inches taller.
While it features its own version of Mini’s updated “face,” it’s clear even at a glance that the Aceman is a Mini. Just like on the EV versions of the new Cooper and Countryman, it has a large, octagonal light bar framing a faux grille and the bumper/area to mount the license plate. Mini continues the tradition of placing the headlights high and to the outside of the vehicle’s nose. In the case of the Aceman, these lights are five-sided, pinching in toward the center of the hood.
Like its siblings, the Aceman’s window glass seemingly wraps around the entire vehicle, thanks to the use of glossy black trim on the windshield and roof panels. Versions with a contrasting-color roof (also a Mini hallmark) look as if the entire roof panel is floating above the car.
Photo: Mini Photo: Mini
The Aceman’s tail lights sit vertically at the outer edge of the car, just beyond the tailgate cut line, with three different lighting graphics that give a nod to the British flag—early versions of the Aceman will be built in China, but production will eventually move to the UK. The tailgate closes just above the cutout for the license plate, and a chrome skid/damage plate sits below the bumper for protection during any minor off-roading.
Four different trims will be available. The Essential trim is a streamlined, minimalist look. Classic brings the contrasting roof and mirror caps in either black or white. The front grille is in high-gloss black with the inner parts painted in body color.
The third trim, Favoured, offers the option of the “Multitone Roof” combined with white mirror caps and a grille frame in Vibrant Silver, while the final trim is called JCW (John Cooper Works). This is a motorsports-inspired trim with a distinctive front and rear design. The front grille features a frame and the variant-specific JCW logo in high-gloss black, while a contrasting roof in Chili Red and red hood stripes underline the powerful overall appearance. Meanwhile, the rear sculpture is much more muscular in shape and the all-round paneling is finished in high-gloss black.
Mini has always offered a wide variety of wheel styles and sizes, and the Aceman is no different, with available sizes spanning from 17 inches to 19 inches.
Photo: Mini Photo: Mini
Inside
Although the Aceman might look like a Countryman on the outside, it looks like a Mini Cooper on the inside. This is most evident in the placement of the air vents: They run horizontally along the bottom of the dashboard instead of separate vertical vents at the outer edges and bracketing the “floating” infotainment screen.
But like both the Cooper and Countryman, all information is displayed in a 9.4-inch round center OLED screen. The top of the screen contains information such as vehicle speed and battery status; pressing the speed display can transform the screen into a full-display speedometer.
Menu functions are displayed on the left and right side of the screen as small widgets, while the bottom section of the screen houses icons for navigation, media, phone, and climate functions, which are always present and can be chosen at any time.
Photo: Mini Photo: Mini
The Aceman gets the traditional small toggle bar, a Mini design element from the 1960s that has been carried forward and modernized with each generation. In the Aceman, the five toggles control the parking brake, gear selector, start/stop key, experience mode toggle, and volume control. Mini eliminated the traditional gear selector, and now uses the space for storage.
Each of the four trims gets its own distinct interior treatment. The black sport seats in the Essential Trim have various shades that are repeated on the dashboard inlays, while the steering wheel is a two-spoke model. Starting with the Classic trim, all Aceman models get a three-spoke wheel with different colored materials. The dashboard and door panels get a black and blue knitted surface that contrasts with the seat coverings.
Photo: Mini Photo: Mini
What Drives It
The electric-only Aceman will be available with a choice of two versions when it goes on sale. In Aceman E guise it will use a 135kW/184 hp electric motor driving the front wheels. This motor produces roughly 214 lbs.-ft. of torque, with a claimed 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of 7.9 seconds. Of course, we will perform our own 0-60 tests as soon as we purchase one for our test program.
A more powerful Aceman SE will also be available. It uses a 160kW/218 hp motor, also driving the front wheels, and has approximately 243 lbs.-ft. of torque. The SE can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in approximately 7.1 seconds.
The 42.5 kWh battery in the E gives it a range of approximately 192 miles, while the larger 54.2 kWh battery in the Aceman SE has a range of approximately 252 miles, based on the European Test Cycle.
However, since many standards for the U.S. market differ from the European Union, we’ll update this story when more information is available.
Mini says the Aceman can be charged via alternating current with 11 kW. DC fast-charging speeds in the Aceman E are up to 75 kW and in the Aceman SE speeds are up to 95 kW. According to Mini, the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes.
