The Mini Cooper SE retains everything we like about regular Cooper but its a lot greener now. It has a 181bhp electric motor and has a range of 270 km.
Like all other manufacturers, Mini has also joined the EV race and they have finally taken the wraps off the Mini Cooper SE – the all new electric Mini. This new Mini retains the classic character of a Mini but also incorporates several new elements from the 2017 Mini Electric Concept.
The Mini Cooper SE retains the classic Mini shape and proportions. Just by one glance, you could mistake it as any regular Mini but looker closer and the differences aren’t all that subtle. At the face, gone is the conventional grille and in its place there’s a silver and green panel with an ‘e’ badge where there would traditionally be ‘s’ badge. The air dams below have been made much neater this time around.
At the sides, there is nothing differentiating the electric Mini from the regular one except the asymmetrical wheel rim design. And it looks very cool when the car is standstill. At the rear, there are no dual exhaust or a diffuser. The bumper has a very clean finish and there’s again another ‘e’ badge on the tail gate. The coolest visual element on the Cooper SE are the Union Jack LED tail lamps. They look stunning. The charging ports are in place of the conventional fuel filler cap.
Moving inside, its instantly recognizable as a mini with the round motifs all around. What’s new is the all-digital instrument cluster and some different detailing on the dashboard. The Cooper SE gets three driving modes to chose from – Green, Mid and Sport. Also, the ride height has increased by 18 mm because the batteries are packed down on the floor but the boot space remains the same at 211 liters. You can have all the regular bells and whistles in the Cooper SE as in the standard Cooper S.
The Mini Cooper SE will be powered by a 181bhp electric motor mounted on the front axle with 270 Nm of peak torque. It will do the 0-100 kph sprint in 7.3 seconds and has a top speed of 150 kph. It has a 32.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack which claims to have a driving range of 235 to 270 kilometres under the new WLTP test cycle.
Also Read : BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe To Come To India By 2020-2021
The Cooper SE can be charged to 80% in two and a half hours using a standard 11kW charger whereas to fully top up the batteries, you will need about three and a half hours. With fast charging, the car can be charged up to 80% in just 35 minutes. Mini says that the Cooper SE retain the go-kart-like agility of the standard Cooper even though it is heavier than the latter.
Also Read : Audi E-Tron SUV Finally Unveiled In India; Launch Later This Year
The Mini Cooper SE will be unveiled to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show coming up in September, with production commencing in November. It will go on sale in 2020 and will come to Indian shores soon there after.
