MINI Electric

Featuring a cleaner and more minimalist look, the new Mini 3-Door Electric has headliner anthracite, a 3D knitted textile dashboard and a unique Nightshade Blue fabric upholstery. The dashboard also features unique configurable ambient lighting themes, which make the cabin feel vibrant in many ways. 

The highlight of the cabin of the new Mini 3-Door Electric has to be the centrally-placed new-generation 9.4-inch OLED rounded touchscreen infotainment system, which also doubles up as the instrument console and settings panel for the dual-zone automatic climate control of the car. There is a small toggle bar placed below this rounded infotainment system, which has premium quality switches for transmission mode, media and Mini Experience modes. Also seen in the new Mini 3-door Electric are premium features like a wireless charger, head-up display, and premium Harman Kardon audio system. Like the previous-generation three-door Minis, the new Mini 3-Door Electric also has a lack of space for rear seat occupants.  

In this new second-generation version, the Mini 3-Door Electric has received a radical shift in its design. While the switch is still an evolutionary one, the three-door electric Mini now looks sleeker and sharper than before, courtesy of some of its elements that are more angular in appearance.

Take, for instance, the closed grille in the centre, which is no more round-themed, but has an octagonal design. Thankfully, the headlamps are still rounded in shape, and now feature more advanced LED lighting and more attractive rounded LED DRLs. Mini has ditched the faux bonnet vents and side scuttles on the front fenders of the previous-generation model for a cleaner and sleeker appearance.

With black body cladding and dual-tone treatment with contrast-coloured roof and outside rearview mirrors, the Mini 3-Door Electric also gets 18-inch Night Flash dual-tone alloy wheels. More prominent changes are at the rear, with the Mini 3-Door Electric now getting triangular Matrix LED tail lamps in place of round-edged curvy tail lamps, which though continue to feature Union Jack-inspired LED inserts within them. 

While the platform and powertrain of the Mini 3-Door Electric are all-new, the electric hatchback has retained its single-joint spring strut front axle and a multiple control arm rear axle from the previous-generation version. In a typical Mini fashion, this suspension setup is slightly stiffly sprung which leads to excellent handling and stability at all speeds. The new Mini 3-Door Electric is available with four drive modes – Mid, Sport, Green and Green+, with the last two modes altering the driving experience and power delivery by adjusting throttle and climate control setups.

The second-generation Mini 3-Door Electric has received a significantly revised mechanical setup beneath its new skin, with it now sitting on a born-electric platform co-developed with Chinese carmaker GWM. There is an all-new front-mounted electric motor as the primary source of power, which generates 218 PS of maximum power and 330 Nm of maximum torque and enables the Cooper SE to reach a top speed of 170 kmph and cross the 100 kmph mark from standstill in 6.7 seconds. There’s also a new 54.2kWh NMC battery pack that claims a 402 km range (WLTP-certified) and supports DC charging up to 95kW. 

The new Mini 3-Door Electric comes loaded with several advanced driving assistance systems, the long list of which includes adaptive cruise control, lane change warning with active return, rear crossing traffic warning, rear collision prevention, exit warning, park assist, reversing assistant, lateral parking aid, surround view system, remote 3D view, BMW drive recorder, attentiveness assistant, high beam assistant, active cruise control, steering and lane control assistant, speed limit info and automatic speed limit. The other safety essentials in the Mini 3-Door Electric include ABS with EBD, cornering brake control, dynamic stability control, front and side airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors and traction control. 

In this new second-generation version, the Mini 3-Door Electric might have become subjective in its appearance, as the sleeker and more angular design can be polarising for Mini purists. However, with modernity all over it and better performance than before, this generational update for Mini 3-Door Electric is worth the wait.