Mini Aceman review

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Mini plugs the gap between Cooper and Countryman with a fun-loving, high-riding rival for the Volvo EX30

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The Mini Aceman is the filler in Mini’s electric car sandwich.

It's the one you go for if you rather like the electric Mini Cooper hatchback, but you can’t live with its slightly restrictive three-door layout. Yet you also don’t really want the bigger, costlier electric Mini Countryman. Nope. You’re an about-town kinda person, and you want compact but useful, with lots of style and plush, premium design goodness.

Well, Mini’s got you covered with the Aceman. It’s based on the same platform as the electric Mini Cooper – which is different to the platform used in the petrol Cooper hatch models, don’t forget, as that can in fact be had with five doors. The Aceman is electric only, and gets the five-door layout and an extra 22cm in length over the three-door Mini hatch.

The innards are the same, too, which means a choice of either 38.5kWh li-ion NMC battery in the entry-level Aceman E, or 49.2kWh in the Aceman SE, for a WLTP range of up to 185- or 252 miles, respectively. Rapid charging speeds peak at 70kW for the E and 95kW for the SE. Power output also goes up with battery size, from 181bhp to 215bhp, giving 0-62mph times of 7.9 and 7.1secs respectively.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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MINI Aceman SE review 2024 02 side panning

Mini will tell you that the Aceman is ‘the first crossover for the premium small car segment’, but we have a couple of bones to pick with that claim. First, Lexus may have something to say about that since the Lexus LBX (a key rival to the Aceman) has been out for a while already. Second, it’s very hard to find much crossover in the Aceman. Even if it is 22cm longer, 8cm taller and 2cm wider than the electric Cooper E, at 4.08m long, 1.51m tall and 2.0m wide (with the mirrors out), that’s still a compact hatchback.

Granted, it’s a hatchback with standard roof rails and chunky wheelarches, so there is a ruggedness to it, which is precisely what Mini’s getting at. But in practice this is a small, front-wheel drive car that is barely any higher to get into than plenty of ordinary hatches. And that’s great news, because small cars are brilliant. So, enough of the crossover classification madness, now. Please.

Anyway, the Aceman is unmistakably a Mini in its styling, with flag light design, wide-eyed cuteness and clever tricks including an optional, graduated blue-to-white contrast roof finish (and it is painted, not wrapped or stickered).

Naturally, there’s a good array of colours and personalisation features to choose from, too, and you get a metallic paint finish as standard – albeit a rather bland silver in entry-level Classic trim, while Exclusive gets a very handsome British Racing Green, and Sport has standard flat ‘Chilli Red’ with go-faster decals and all. There’s a John Cooper Works model on the way, which will have its own stylistic flair.

INTERIOR

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MINI Aceman SE review 2024 13 dash

The Aceman certainly offers a good deal more practicality than the Mini Cooper; although, by compact crossover standards, that's no saying much. 

There's room for adults in both rows of seats, and a usable boot, as you’d expect from a B-segment SUV (although compared with rivals like the Smart #1, Citroen eC4 and Fiat 600 Electric, it’s only averagely spacious).

The cabin styling is all unmistakably Mini, and very familiar to the Cooper hatch. The huge, circular OLED touchscreen dominates, while the dashboard is swathed in textured, woven fabrics complete with bright colours that fade into more muted blues or blacks.

Sure, maybe the peculiar belt that adorns the dash behind the steering wheel on those cars with a head-up display is a bit much, but there’s no doubt that Mini makes a fantastic interior; high class, yet quirky and interesting. In the small car classes, Mini currently has the best perceived interior quality and design flair, and that’s no doubt one of the most compelling reasons to buy one.

Mini’s simplified layout of instruments and controls stretches the bounds of easy usability a little bit. There’s no physical cursor controller for the 24in round infotainment display, for instance, and very few menu buttons. Mini’s ‘tool belt’ swipe-up shortcut screen saves it from offending or irritating once you’re used to it, however - and meanwhile, if you don’t like the idea of looking over at the centre screen for a speedometer all the time, Mini will provide one in the car’s head-up display (which comes as part of the ‘Level 1’ options pack, but really ought to be standard-fit).

The driving position is good, and has enough adjustment and space to suit tall drivers. There’s definite a ‘big car’ feel of composure and solidity to the Aceman’s forward cabin, so we’ll even forgive it for having the air-con temperature controls in the screen.

As for practicality, the Aceman may disappoint a bit if you’re looking for a small family car. The rear seats can seat three across if you’re willing to squeeze in, but legroom is a bit tight. You’ll get a short adult or child in there okay, but expect lots of muddy scuff marks on the back of the front seats, and there’s no centre armrest.

The boot gets 300 litres of space, so will be fine for a lightweight buggy or a couple of cabin bags, and the seats fold in a 60/40 split if you need them to, but the Lexus LBX has usefully more space with its 400-litre boot, and the Kia EV3 (granted, also a chunkier car at 4.3m long but available at a similar price) is way roomier for passengers and luggage, not to mention has a longer driving range.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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MINI Aceman SE review 2024 26 performance

This being a Mini, you get quite a lot of cheeky dynamic character for your money. Even the entry-level Aceman E offers 181bhp of power, and a sub-8.0sec 0-62mph sprint, which is enough urgency to make the Stellantis Group’s lesser EVs seem a bit limp and lacking in fizz.

There may be more practical alternatives to the Mini out there, but none have the Mini’s fizzy attitude. Performance is strong in the case of the Aceman E, and stronger still with the SE. Mind you, there is a fair bit of torque steer as that twist arrives, which gives the Aceman a scrappy feel that some will actively enjoy and others may find irritating. The same torque stream will have the wheels spinning up in damp conditions when you go for a quick getaway, too.

Pace is certainly fine, and the SE feels punchy even if you go for an overtake or rapid motorway merge. It’s not just about zippy urban wieldiness, after all; The Aceman is refined, and feels very confident at motorway speeds, and has a grown-up aura that’s another of its selling points, alongside the styling, brand kudos and Nintendo handling.

What is annoying is that the brake regen’ modes are accessed via the touchscreen, so you can’t switch between the adaptive, low, moderate or high settings without punching through a couple of menus. Even the heaviest setting isn’t quite a one-pedal mode, either. Still, at least the brake regen’ is never grabby, and we found it easy to predict and modulate even if the adaptive setting occasionally felt a bit overly intrusive.

RIDE & HANDLING

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MINI Aceman SE review 2024 27 rear pan

This is quite a firm and feisty-feeling car to drive, though, even in bog-basic form. Fun, of course; and, unlike in the bigger Countryman, there’s less incongruity to the Aceman’s at-least-moderately compact proportions -  and so you can whizz it along lanes, around roundabouts and into gaps with a bit more confidence. 

If you’re not a fan of the Mini’s brand’s particular take on driver involvement, mind - which entails a fair bit of jiggling and jumping around on country lanes, and the odd snatch of torquesteer over cambered corners, as side dishes to your oh-so-famous ‘go kart’ handling - you’ll be well-advised to seek out something with less of a tiggerish temperament.

Because there’s no mistaking the Aceman’s almost forcefully perky handling. Even in the more laid-back ‘Experience’ modes, the steering is quick and gives a darty turn-in, so that you feel like you’re benefitting from the Aceman’s wide yet stubby stance. It’s good fun, without feeling overly nervous, and it’s to the Mini’s benefit that it feels so different to all of its rivals when it comes to the way it goes down the road.

But, ride comfort is the payoff. You can’t add adaptive dampers to the Aceman, and the ride is busy; less so, on first inspection, in the more powerful Aceman SE, perhaps a little counterintuitively, than in the E model. Vertical body movement is particularly noticeable as the bobs restlessly along a country road, and the suspension thunks heavily over bigger intrusions. Sure, it’s damped well enough that it doesn’t get crashy or jarring, so is unlikely to be a deal breaker for anyone who’s keen on a Mini - but it can get tiresome on longer journeys.

While we’re having a bit of a grumble, it’s worth pointing out that the Aceman’s turning circle of 11.1m is underwhelming for a small car. A lot of rivals, including the Jeep Avenger, Kia EV3 and Lexus LBX, manage closer to 10.5m.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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MINI Aceman SE review 2024 01 front tracking

While this may say more about the price of the smaller Mini Cooper E, Mini buyers will have to find less than £2000 extra to open up ownership of the bigger five-door Aceman; which doesn’t sound like much to pay. But it's still not terribly cheap, the Aceman. It starts at £31,800 for the E, or £36,300 for the SE.

Range and DC rapid charging speed, if anything, are likely to be what disappoints Aceman E buyers; because the car doesn’t really extend the repertoire of Mini’s smaller hatchback for longer-distance use. 

Mini claims up to 192 miles WLTP for the cheaper Aceman E; but on our slightly chilly test drive, a full charged battery was only worth an advertised 130 miles on the trip computer.

Rapid charging speed, meanwhile, is pegged at 75kW for the cheaper model - which, though perhaps not problematically slow, looks poor next to what else your money might buy.

In both cases, the Aceman SE buys you more; but only really a competitive showing on erither by supermini EV standards (Renault 5, Citroen eC3, etc). If you're spending close to £40,000, you won't have to look very far at all to find better.

Equipment is decent on the SE, but the E really needs that £2,000 Level 1 pack to give it the level of comfort and convenience that you would expect of a Mini.

A standard three-year, unlimited mileage warranty is fairly par for the course, but can look underwhelming next to the longer warranties offered by Lexus, Kia and Hyundai. The Mini’s battery is warrantied for eight years and 100,000 miles.

VERDICT

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MINI Aceman SE review 2024 29 front static

For owners used to the first Mini Electric’s range who just need a more spacious car, this car might well go far enough. But for others, from a premium brand especially that really ought to be offering cars of better technical substance than this as well as charismatic style, we’d expect the cheapest Aceman to fall a little short of the mark. After all, even the Mini Aceman E isn’t cheap; and it’s not as practical nor as long range as some of its chief rivals.

For all that, it’s easy to see why you’d still go for it. Because the Aceman is, well… a Mini. The interior is second to none in this class for perceived quality, personalisation and sheer wow factor, and it’s also the zingiest to drive in this class. Plus, it has style and brand lustre to spare.

In short, it’s got some pretty big objective shortfalls, but this is a car that you buy just because you want it, and we can all understand that. As long as you’re happy to pay to scratch that premium itch, then the Aceman is a likable and fun small car.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.