Living with the Mini Aceman: It’s a hit with Gen Z

Over the past twelve months, Mini replaced its entire range. The hatchback has been renamed Cooper, the Countryman SUV has got bigger and the Aceman has slotted into the sweet spot between the two of them.

Both the Cooper and Countryman have electric options, but it’s only the Aceman that’s exclusively fully electric. I’ve got one on my driveway for the next few months to see how living with what Mini calls a “crossover SUV” is really like.

We already have one Mini on our driveway, a 2015 five-door Mini hatch that belongs to my daughter, Gemma, and was once the star of an episode of Hollyoaks – the Mini, not Gemma.

Gemma now has the digital keys to the Aceman, too, and has been using it instead of her own MINI to see how she fares with electric driving.

We’ll be updating my review as I drive and get to know the Aceman better, so check back in to see how the fully electric Mini measures up in the real world.

open image in gallery

Much as I love the Aceman, I haven’t been driving it much recently. The odd trip away has seen my 26-year-old daughter, Gemma, grab the keys to see how it measures up to her 2015 Mini Cooper and to see how she fares with an all-electric car.

She even took me out in it to the opening of a new fruit yoghurt shop (called Frurt - how did they come up with that?!) that she’d been invited to.

I always find it a bit odd being driven by my daughter, but she’s been well trained! It did give us a chance to have a chat about the car and what she likes and doesn’t like about it.

We’ll get the one negative she talks about out of the way first, and it’s amazing what some people find in a car that just would never occur to me. “When I’m driving in the dark and there’s a car behind me with its lights on, the door mirrors seem to dim a bit,” Gemma told me. “I really don’t like that!”

Like her father – and so many new car buyers these days – Gemma doesn’t like the constant beeping if, by chance, she happens to exceed the speed limit by a couple of miles an hour. But she was pleased to see that BMW has given you the option of setting a ‘fast button’ on the steering wheel to help you deactivate the warning, or set it to control something else you might do regularly, like changing radio channels.

open image in gallery

But what about the drive? “I love the way it feels like my own Mini - and I really get what Mini says when it talks about ‘go-kart handling’,” said Gemma. “It’s quick, I love the instant reaction you get when you put your foot down a bit, and I really like the noise that you get, too – I know it’s a fake noise, but it just sounds appropriate and fun.”

Gemma’s a big fan of the new Mini interior, which goes into all three of the new Mini models. “I really like the fabric across the dash and the way the lighting inside the car can be changed to give different themes,” she says. “You’ve always been able to change the colour of the lights in Minis and this just takes it on to a new level.”

However, it’s the central, circular OLED screen that she’s really fallen for. “It’s crisp, clear and I love how you can even personalise it,” said Gemma. “I think there are probably too many themes or driving modes, but I love the sounds you get when you change them.

“It’s a good job we’ve got a head-up display in this car, though, otherwise the only speedo you’ll see would be the one on the display in the centre. Oh, and if I’m being picky, I wish Apple CarPlay would go across the whole screen rather than just a square in the middle of the circle.”

Charging hasn’t been a problem, either – although Gemma does benefit from our charger at home. She’s used the public charging network only once, but the range of the Mini has been enough for her trips from our home in South Bucks to her friends in Cambridge and in Bicester.

So, when the Aceman has to leave the Fowler family, how will Gemma feel? “It won’t be a hardship to go back into my Mini, but I’ve loved the Aceman. It’s a nice size, great to drive, I love the fact that it’s electric and zero emissions and the tech is fantastic. I’m a Mini fan and would seriously consider buying an Aceman as I prefer to have five doors.”

open image in gallery

From my point of view, the Aceman is the car I jump into most, because it’s just so easy to live with and so much fun to drive. It’s the perfect car to drive into London. not least because I don’t have to pay the congestion charge but it’s so easy to nip in and out of traffic and easy to park.

And just lately I tend to have been keeping the car in go-kart mode, as much for the sharp throttle response as the fact you get more of the fantastic synthesised noise when you accelerate. Call me a geek, but that’s one of the things I really love about electric Minis.

Test cars may come and go on my driveway, but my Mini is still the one I jump into most because of its fun and easy-going nature.

Even after time away from it, the Mini is always a pleasure to drive again – it just fits in with life so easily. It’s small enough to park anywhere – with cameras relaying their images to the big, circular, OLED screen in the centre of the dash – while the car will park itself quickly and efficiently, too.

Many cars’ self-parking systems are just too difficult to use and, frankly, you can do it quicker yourself. But the Mini’s is great, and I do love a bit of tech.

open image in gallery

Admittedly my car comes with the pricey ‘level three’ option pack, but there’s nothing I’d need to add to the Mini’s roster of kit. I love the crisp head-up display and the Harman Kardon audio system, but best of all is the digital key that uses my iPhone to control the car.

The Mini-supplied key, with its keyring that mimics the cool strapping across the dash and on the steering wheel, is chunky and cumbersome. So being able to leave that behind and just use my phone is a real boon.

As I approach the car, it unlocks and plays its fancy light animation, and the car will then start once it knows my phone is inside. It’s another Mini feature that just makes life easy – other than making me forget my house keys because there’s no longer a need to visit the key box as I leave the house.

I don’t think there’s another car that blends three important things: snappy acceleration, fun and secure handling (Mini calls it go-kart handling, and that pretty much sums it up), and the synthesised noise you get as you accelerate that just fits perfectly with the spirit of the car. Sure, that firm ride is still there, but it’s the price I’m paying for those sexy 19in wheels.

open image in gallery

One other thing I like is the Mini App, which will let me open the car remotely, check on range and charging status, set the climate control to get the car to the right temperature before my journey, and tell me where my car is.

Why would I need to know where my car is? Well, my daughter Gemma tends to leave her own Mini on the driveway and take mine instead. That’s fine – but it would be nice to know beforehand. In Gemma’s hands the Mini has been up to her friend in Bicester and her other friend in Cambridge, to her work and back on numerous occasions and even a 150 mile round trip to see her grandad.

More on Gemma’s thoughts in the next report, other than to say she loves the Mini, but just wishes it had a little more range – or at least wishes it got closer to the claimed maximum of 244 miles. Around 200 seems to be the current average.

Although the new Aceman is definitely compact at 4,079mm, that makes it about a meter longer than the original classic Mini and 221mm longer than today’s three-door Mini Cooper. It’s still dwarfed by the Countryman though, which is 366mm longer still.

What does that mean in the real world? Well, the Mini has just taken three of us – including my 88-year old dad – for a weekend to his club in central London, the aptly-named Union Jack Club. My Mini doesn’t have a Union Jack on its roof, but the tail lamps still sparkle with a Union Jack style.

open image in gallery

My wife was relegated to the back seats, where she had no complaints about space, just the bumpy ride, which I’ll come back to. She did love the panoramic glass roof, which is ideal for sightseeing around London. The glass roof is part of the £6,500 Level 3 pack – Mini certainly knows how to charge for options.

The boot easily coped with three cabin bags plus a few other things, and the Mini was a joy to drive around London where the sharp acceleration from the 215bhp electric motor made nipping in and out of traffic great fun. Being zero-emissions, I didn’t have to pay London’s Congestion Charge once the car was registered.

The crossover SUV style also made it comfortable for my dad, who’s not as nimble as he once was, to get in and out. One thing he loved was the big 9.5in OLED screen in the centre of the dash. I’m a fan, too, although I wish Apple CarPlay could go full screen rather than just appearing as a square in the middle.

Driving in and around London in stop/start traffic is where the Aceman is at its best and its most efficient. Mini says a range of 244 miles should be possible in my car, but 200 has been the maximum so far. However, driving around town has seen efficiency jump above the four miles per kWh mark and a full charge is now showing 218 miles. If I reduced the number of motorway miles I’ve been doing, I reckon 230 miles or more will be easily achievable on a single charge – and I haven’t yet felt short of range.

open image in gallery

The only slight issue we’ve had with the car so far is the ride comfort. When I’m driving alone, I’m fine with what Mini refers to as ‘go-kart handling’. Driving the Aceman always puts a smile on my face with its snappy acceleration and just as quick reaction to steering inputs.

However, my passengers report that the ride is firm and even worse in the back. Part of that is probably down to the optional 19in wheels my car came with rather than the standard 18in wheels, which would probably be a little more compliant.

I’m fine with the way the car drives, the impressive quality, the style and the tech on board too. Not only that fabulous circular screen and its impressive usability, but little things like being able to use my phone as the key rather than the chunky one that came with the car.

So it’s an impressive start to life with the Mini Aceman. Let’s see how the rest of the family get on with it in the coming weeks and months.