MINI's new kid on the block: the all-electric Aceman
The new MINI Aceman is an all-electric, four-door crossover that sits charmingly between the Cooper and Countryman
By 
SINCE IT WAS FIRST sketched onto a napkin by Sir Alec Issigonis way back in 1959, the MINI became an original cultural icon. It cemented itself as a playful and innovative marque that truly embodied youth and innovation. And has done so ever since.
MINI was the poster car of the ‘youthquake’ cultural movement of the ‘60s, a powerful motorsport competitor, a beacon of cultural cache. Over the years, it has consistently punched above its weight in relevance throughout fashion and music circles, bringing joy, creativity and a childlike wonder to every touchpoint. The young and the young at heart have always enjoyed its compact size, cute and quirky styling and famously fun ‘go-kart-like’ feel.
As we find ourselves in an era ruled by youthful audacity and aspiration, a sort-of youthquake 2.0, MINI is still bringing playfulness to our roads. This time, it’s doing so through technology, aesthetics and personalisation, and with a clever range of petrol and battery-electric models to suit different lifestyle needs.
The ‘new kid on the block’, as MINI puts it, is the Aceman, an all-electric, four-door, five-seater crossover that slides into that middle zone between the MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman SUV. The Aceman offers a fresh approach to the much-loved crossover-style of vehicle and aims to meet the needs of a versatile, lifestyle-centric clientele that desires a car that’s not too big, not too small, but as charming, bold and original as ever.
Debuting the marque’s new ‘charismatic simplicity’ design language, which has been launched to give each new model an individual identity while staying true to the minimalist design of classic MINI, the Aceman is the marque’s first crossover EV. It reveals a more tech-centric ethos that keeps that OG British spirit intact.
When the Aceman’s concept first debuted, Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design, said the crossover was heralding the beginning of a new design era for MINI, one that moved with the times, but recognised a rising desire for lifestyle and personalisation options. “We are returning to [MINI’s traditional design features], but at the same time consistently combining them with innovative technology,” he said. We’ve since seen this approach trickle into MINI’s other products, but when it comes to the Aceman, this crossover battery electric vehicle certainly comes with its own, charismatic identity, rooted in the technology found inside.
In recent years, it would seem that MINI’s R&D department has been paying special attention to the behaviours of digital natives. Including aesthetic trends we’ve seen become popularised among Gen Z and younger millennials, despite the average age of a MINI buyer traditionally stretching into the 40s and 50s.
The Aceman is a wonderful showcase of this youthful approach, as seen through its many fresh-thinking touch points, opportunities for personalisation, sustainable materials and the way it creates moments of immersion and driving experiences.
For example, gone are the days of leather and chrome; instead, a range of recycled materials is used throughout. One such highlight is the soft-touch, sneaker-like knit that covers the dashboard, which is transparent, allowing for personalised, ambient light colours to glow through the surface. You could say this is a modern automotive interpretation of the home trends born out of LED light technology and the soft bedroom aesthetics found all over interior design TikTok.
The personalisation elements stretch into the very cool, single circular OLED display. This has a variety of moods that change the cockpit’s aesthetics, including a classic MINI mode that sees the screen shift to a nostalgic MINI dial and a Go-Kart mode themed around the marque’s racing DNA. Speaking to the digital behavioural side of things, Personal Mode allows drivers to upload an image from their smartphone or via the in-car selfie camera as a background image. The car will then identify the key hues of the image and create an ambient lighting scheme, including the knitted dashboard glow and door mirror, based around the image’s look and feel.
There’s a new MINI Operating System in play, which uses cloud-based navigation with 5G capability and Connected upgrades that offer access to apps across gaming, music and video streaming. A fun little Personal Assistant called Spike, who continuously learns your driving behaviour and routines around repeat routes and draws on geo-based data.
Spike is so clever, he can even take this learning to do things like preemptively open the window for you at a car park you frequent. And for a final little party trick, that doesn’t have much of a use case except for bringing joy to the drive, DJ functionality. When your phone is connected via Bluetooth, and using the MINI in-car media system (instead of CarPlay or Android Auto, which are included) to play music via a tiny vinyl record graphic, a swipe of four fingers will let you ‘scratch’ your own record.
Right now, there are three variants on offer: Aceman E (135kW/290Nm), Aceman SE (160kW/330Nm) and the high-performance John Cooper Works Aceman E (190kW/350Nm). Though the former is wrapping up production this year and is still available in some dealerships, it will leave the latter two for future orders.
Where the MINI Countryman SUV launched to appeal to families, Aceman bridges the gap between the MINI Cooper and its larger sibling, making it a compelling prospect for singles, couples, young families or those looking to downsize, especially if you’ve found yourself disenfranchised by the lack of personality offered by many of the new cars currently hitting our market.
But again, that’s part of the MINI appeal, no?
Building upon Sir Alec Issigonis’ original and innovative vision for a small-but-roomy car, the Aceman is compact, yet agile enough for city life (and parking) and incredibly spacious throughout, so it can also speak to those who spend a lot of time in their car, or have an active lifestyle.
With electric driving ranges of up to 310km (Aceman E), 406km (Aceman SE) or 355km (JCW Aceman E), fast-charging capabilities (10–80 per cent in 30 minutes up to 95kW DC), and clever packaging that balances city agility with surprising spaciousness, the Aceman is a car that fits neatly into busy, expressive, everyday lives and has enough tech to keep us connected and entertained.
Plus, along with that classic go-kart driving feel, the promise of added joy to weekend road trips is not to be underestimated. Because sometimes the smartest thing a car can do is remind you how fun driving can be. It is a MINI, after all.
Related: Inside auto Shanghai, the world’s biggest motor show
Related: A journey through the Barossa with Volvo’s EX90, the all-electric SUV
