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 may flip off all of the traction and stability aids and have an excellent time on a twisty highway. If that twisty highway was greater than 80 miles away, you’d must cease and cost the automotive on the best way there (and once more on the best way again), however whenever you ultimately arrived, all of it made sense.

Having just 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 automotive is a significantly better EV with extra vary, and it gained’t require charging en path to your favourite highway, however when you get there, it’s not as a lot enjoyable because the outdated F56 EV. After spending a weekend with the J01 in Cooper SE trim and driving it briskly on varied roads, I’ve lots to unpack. The expertise left me torn between wanting the automotive 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, nevertheless it 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 automotive, it allowed you to drive with out digital aids, which is invaluable for fans.

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

That is in all probability the extra smart and environment friendly method, translating right into a faster 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 6.7 seconds. But, the outdated automotive by some means felt faster and extra keen, regardless of its larger claimed time of seven.3 seconds. I’ll concede that accelerating at larger speeds feels faster within the new automotive, 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, despite the fact that the J01 is constructed on a very completely different (and non-BMW) platform from China’s Nice Wall Motor (GWM).

This platform additionally underpins the Ora Cat, an electrical MINI rival obtainable in some European markets. Nonetheless, whereas the Ora has a beam connecting its two rear wheels, the MINI will get absolutely impartial rear suspension, providing a extra refined journey befitting a premium automotive. It’s stiff however well-damped, very similar to different trendy 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 automotive virtually telepathic steering—corresponding 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 automotive proper to the sting of understeering however not past it. The J01’s steering was the most important disappointment for me. It’s nonetheless fast for a contemporary automotive, and there’s some suggestions, nevertheless it felt significantly extra inert. There may be loads of precision, and it’s correct, nevertheless it by some means 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 night time 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 fascinating 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 liked it, you’ll really feel like one thing is lacking within the new automotive.

Not Coming To America. But

MINI nonetheless has time to enhance the J01 earlier than it reaches North America. With the mannequin being constructed solely 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 healthier than the F56 (and the brand new F66). With an extended wheelbase and roughly the identical general 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 automotive completely, and I’m keen on the brand new rear gentle 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 lots, however for very completely different causes than the electrical F56. If you’d like a extra usable, grown-up, tech-packed EV, the brand new automotive is the best way to go. It’s higher and simpler to reside 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 crucial fun-to-drive EVs to this present day.