Almost nobody really remembers what an original Mini looks like anymore, and that’s okay. It was launched way back in 1959. In England.

It was a tiny thing with the wheels at the corners and petrol-burning engines that made it feel as nimble as it was brisk. But the world has changed.

Now, the iconic Mini is mostly made in China, with battery-electric power being the ‘engine’ of choice more often than not.

Mini Aceman makes perfect sense

Sidenote: There has been significant investment in Mini’s Oxford plant. This will see the home of Mini become a full electric vehicle facility in the next few years. Production of the Mini Aceman will move back to England in 2026. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as they say.

Anyway, back to the now. I present to you the new Mini Aceman, which The Citizen Motoring spent a week zooting around the suburbs in recently. Yes, it’s a crossover and yes, it’s battery-electric. But non-purist things aside, I enjoyed my time in the Aceman. It’s not as compact as the Cooper, but it’s also not as big as the Countryman – so dare I say it, it’s almost the sensible choice in the range.

Available in two spec levels, S and SE – which we covered in detail when the Mini Aceman was launched a few months ago – the car you see here is the SE. In simple terms, this means it produces 160kW and 330Nm. The S, with a smaller battery, offers 135kW and 290Nm of urge.

Also read: All-electric Mini Cooper SE rises above weight and price issues

Faster than claimed

Right off the bat, the Mini Aceman SE felt rather brisk – as is usually the case with electric cars thanks to the instant torque. This feeling can be deceiving, but it’s my job to test these numbers in the real world. Mini claims a 0–100km/h time of 7.1 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 170km/h.

As it happens, I got this one right. The Mini Aceman SE clocked a better-than-claimed time of 6.86 seconds. It was just short of 160km/h at the quarter mile and hit the speed limiter shortly thereafter. You don’t need more from a car you’re claiming to buy for efficiency.

Which brings me to range. Mini claims around 380km from the 54.2kWh battery, but I averaged around 340km. This is very much on par with anything else in this segment.

Staying true to the fun element

Charging at home – like most of you will – cost me around R200. That doesn’t even buy you 10 litres of fuel these days. For the number crunchers, if you do the maths, this equates to around 2.8 litres of petrol per 100km. A figure hard to beat with this level of performance.

Also read: VIDEO: Electric Mini Aceman shines as brand’s crossover pioneer

Something that will keep Mini enthusiasts happy is that although the Aceman is a slightly more mature offering than the Cooper, it can still dart around and look to bully a few hot hatches. Those sharp handling characteristics first envisioned in the original remain, adding to the fun element you expect from a Mini.

Inside, they’ve also managed to keep that old Mini feeling alive with the large, circular OLED screen in the centre and a minimalistic approach.

Road test data