RAY MASSEY: New electric Mini Aceman packs a bit of poke

Back in the days when Britain really could do ‘stuff’, we invented the Mini. And not just A Mini. The Mini.

Launched in 1959 by design genius Sir Alec Issigonis, this slight but powerful car became an icon of the Swinging Sixties. Measuring 10ft long (just over 3m) it really was small – a point worth reinforcing for those more used to its 21st century incarnations.

It passed into the hands of Germany’s BMW in 1994, who helmed the next four generations, the latest of which – the all-electric five-door Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) Aceman – I’ve just been driving.

Measuring more than 4m and weighing 1,820kg, it is significantly heavier than the original’s 590kg. Progress!

Yet it too is a Mini. It also has a very sporty ‘John Cooper’ twist, made visible by specific exterior JCW bodywork tweaks, interior trim, and the red, black and white JCW logo.

The new range-topping JCW Aceman compact SUV, like all in the Mini Aceman range, is available only as an electric. Powered by a 54.2kWh battery, it develops a maximum 255hp which propels it from rest to 62mph in a sprightly 6.4 seconds and up to 124mph.

The front-wheel drive JCW is agile and grippy, giving a good lick on the straight and offering a blast around the Cotswold country lanes where I drove it. But you do need to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel to keep the power under control. The racing-inspired interior with high-sitting seats are great, but the rear is a bit of a squeeze even for four, never mind the claimed five, with a compact 300-litre boot.

A 24cm, circular digital screen dominates the central dashboard and holds all the information the driver needs. It has seven driving modes, including ‘go-kart’ option. Claimed range is 243 miles, though real-world range is likely closer to 200.

This Aceman doesn’t come cheap: prices start from £40,920, putting it into the higher ‘Tesla Tax’ bracket for EV Vehicle Excise Duty. My car cost £44,570, thanks to extras including £550 for the British Racing Green paint and £3,800 for a ‘Level 3’ pack, which included a panoramic glass sunroof, front heated and electric memory seats and adaptive LED headlights. The sibling two-door JCW Electric hatchback starts from £39,120.

It may be a compact SUV but the JCW Aceman still a far cry in size from the original 10ft long Mini – being more than a meter longer (4.08m compared to 3.05m). At nearly 2m wide it’s also much broader (1.99m compared to 1.41m) and also taller (1.51m against 1.35m). At 1.820kg it’s also around three times the unladen weight of the original Mini at 590kg.

Roof rails are standard as are the larger 19-inch wheels and sports tyres on which it runs (the hatchback version has 18 inch wheels) with red painted brake callipers.

Range finder

The JCW Aceman has a claimed range of 243 miles, though real-world range is likely closer to 200 miles.

An 80 per cent charge at a fast-charging station takes under 30 minutes, says Mini.

Rivals

It may be premium and a tad niche, but the JCW Aceman is in a competitive market for feisty compact SUVs at a time when prices generally are dropping because of sluggish sales, the influx of cheaper Chinese rivals, and discounts from car-makers desperate to avoid controversial ZEV mandate fines for selling too few electric cars to meet imposed government targets.

Rivals include the Volvo EX30, Abarth 600e, Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, and the Smart #1.

Summing up its latest model, Mini notes: ‘Over six decades ago designer John Cooper developed a sportier version of the classic Mini, becoming an instant success on racetracks and rally courses globally before the name was cemented in history with three victories at the Monte Carlo Rally across the 1960s.

‘John Cooper Works has been transferring this success from the racetrack onto traditional MINI models ever since.’

VERDICT

The new range-topping JCW Aceman is a fun, fast and agile compact SUV that’s marginally more practical – if slightly slower – than its hatchback sibling.

But while extremely sprightly, it’s go-kart handling does need to be controlled as raw power seems to have been promoted at the expense of performance finesse.

And it’s not cheap.

And while German-owned MINI may still class it as a British ‘brand’, the new Aceman is currently built 5,000 miles from Oxford in Zhangjiagang, China. There were plans to build it in the UK, along with a reintroduced electric Mini hatchback. 

But in February BMW paused a planned £600m investment (announced in September 2023) to electrify its Oxford factory, citing ‘multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry’ including a slower than expected take-up of EVs.

Legend has it the original Mini of the Swinging Sixties never made a profit.

That’s not a mistake current owners BMW are ever likely to make.