The 2024 MINI Cooper SE: Extra Vary, Much less Enjoyable?

After I drove the F56-based MINI Cooper SE a number of years in the past, it left me grinning virtually as a lot because the combustion engine Cooper S. You would flip off all of the traction and stability aids and have a very good time on a twisty highway. If that twisty highway was greater than 80 miles away, you’d have to cease and cost the automobile on the best way there (and once more on the best way again), however whenever you ultimately arrived, all of it made sense.

Having lately pushed the brand new 2024 MINI Cooper SE, which isn’t associated to the ICE mannequin, I solely skilled a part of the enjoyment I felt within the older model—a few of the enjoyable has been misplaced. The brand new automobile is a a lot better EV with extra vary, and it received’t require charging en path to your favourite highway, however when you get there, it’s not as a lot enjoyable because the previous F56 EV. After spending a weekend with the J01 in Cooper SE trim and driving it briskly on varied roads, I’ve rather a lot to unpack. The expertise left me torn between wanting the automobile to really feel extra like its predecessor and appreciating what it does higher now.

Extra Highly effective, Longer Vary

My tester was a 2024 MINI Cooper SE, so it had the extra highly effective motor and bigger battery. This gave it 218 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, but it surely additionally weighed virtually 1.7 tons, or about 3,700 kilos. The 2021 to 2024 Cooper SE borrowed its motor from the BMW i3S, making 184 hp and 199 lb-ft however weighing about 1.44 tons, or 3,175 kilos. Regardless of having much less energy, it felt faster to speed up, and in contrast to the brand new automobile, it allowed you to drive with out digital aids, which is invaluable for lovers.

Setting off in each automobiles, the traction management mild will flash because the entrance wheels wrestle to place the ability down. Nonetheless, within the J01, it appears like energy is being held again at low speeds. If you ground it, you get about 70% of what it might probably ship, and as velocity builds, the acceleration strengthens.

That is in all probability the extra wise and environment friendly method, translating right into a faster 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 6.7 seconds. But, the previous automobile one way or the other felt faster and extra keen, regardless of its greater claimed time of seven.3 seconds. I’ll concede that accelerating at greater speeds feels faster within the new automobile, with the next high velocity of 105 mph in comparison with 93 mph within the older mannequin.

Barely Larger

The 2024 MINI Cooper SE (J01) has a barely longer wheelbase (99.5 inches vs. 98.2 inches), however I didn’t discover it any extra comfy than the electrical F56. To MINI’s credit score, the suspension feels equally stiff and a bit bouncy, though the J01 is constructed on a totally completely different (and non-BMW) platform from China’s Nice Wall Motor (GWM).

This platform additionally underpins the Ora Cat, an electrical MINI rival accessible in some European markets. Nonetheless, whereas the Ora has a beam connecting its two rear wheels, the MINI will get totally unbiased rear suspension, providing a extra refined trip befitting a premium automobile. It’s stiff however well-damped, very similar to different fashionable BMW or MINI merchandise.

The Driving Expertise

The steering was a spotlight of the F56 Cooper SE for me, no matter powertrain. It was simply as sharp and responsive within the electrical mannequin, giving the automobile virtually telepathic steering—similar to some supercars on this respect. There was additionally loads of suggestions, permitting you to precisely gauge the entrance axle’s grip, letting you push the automobile proper to the sting of understeering however not past it. The J01’s steering was the largest disappointment for me. It’s nonetheless fast for a contemporary automobile, and there’s some suggestions, but it surely felt significantly extra inert. There’s loads of precision, and it’s correct, but it surely one way or the other makes the driving expertise really feel extra indifferent than within the F56. Drive the 2 automobiles again to again, and the distinction of their steering setups is evening and day.

Despite the fact that they give the impression of being related, these automobiles really feel fairly completely different. The J01 is certainly the higher EV, with about 70% extra vary per cost, faster charging, and an attention-grabbing inside with one of many coolest infotainment screens within the business. You’ll love driving the J01, however in the event you’ve pushed the electrical F56 and cherished it, you’ll really feel like one thing is lacking within the new automobile.

Not Coming To America. But

MINI nonetheless has time to enhance the J01 earlier than it reaches North America. With the mannequin being constructed completely in China via a three way partnership with GWM, importing it doesn’t make monetary sense proper now. Nonetheless, MINI has confirmed plans to begin manufacturing of the J01 at its UK plant in 2026, and by then, the mannequin will obtain a mid-lifecycle refresh that can hopefully restore a few of the driving enjoyable.

If there’s one space of the J01 that I can’t complain about, it’s the design. Its smoother, extra monolithic look is best than the F56 (and the brand new F66). With an extended wheelbase and roughly the identical total size as earlier than, in addition to a barely wider monitor, the J01 has a greater stance and appears extra planted.

There’s one thing about its proportions and the simplicity of its design, which, apart from the fake entrance grille, lacks any pointless particulars. The 18-inch wheels on my tester suited the automobile completely, and I’m keen on the brand new rear mild design—I do know it’s probably the most polarizing a part of the J01 and F66’s design.

Total, I appreciated the 2024 MINI Cooper SE rather a lot, however for very completely different causes than the electrical F56. In order for you a extra usable, grown-up, tech-packed EV, the brand new automobile is the best way to go. It’s higher and simpler to dwell with every day. Nonetheless, in the event you’re a driving fanatic, there’s no substitute for the electrical F56, which stays probably the most participating front-wheel-drive EV ever made and one of the vital fun-to-drive EVs to at the present time.