Mini Cooper has entered its 4th generation (5th gen if you consider the original Mini) with the all-electric Cooper SE. The original Cooper SE debuted as part of the 3rd gen lineup, but this time around, it’s gonna be available only as an all-electric model. Order books are open in select markets, with prices in the UK starting at £30,000 OTR.
There are a couple of photos that show the styling differences between the original Cooper SE and this new-gen model. Speaking of which, the front fascia doesn’t look all that different, does it? But if you look again, you’ll notice some differences, such as the lack of that vent on the hood; a sharper octagonal grille; the lack of those air curtains on the bumper, and of course, new LED headlights.
The side profile remains mostly unchanged except for those new set of wheels and the lack of side scuttles on the wings, and if you walk towards the rear of the car, you’ll notice some significant changes such as angular taillights that better suit the Union Jack light signature and a restyled tailgate with a black bar that connects the taillights. The rear fascia now looks mature and a bit serious as opposed to the light-hearted looks of the original model, which depending on your perspective, might or might not be a good thing. But anyway, Mini claims a Cd figure of 0.28 for the new Cooper SE, billed as “outstanding” for a small car segment.
The new Cooper SE will be available in four trims: Essential, Classic, Favoured, and of course, John Cooper Works. The JCW will have the frame of the grille in high-gloss black, the roof in Chili Red, and optional bonnet stripes in red or black. Further key highlights include the tyre width of the optional 17- and 18-inch rims being increased by 10/20 mm to 205/225 mm to enhance the MINI-typical go-kart feeling. Available rim sizes range from 16- to 18-inches.
Inside, well, we saw the inside of the new Mini Cooper over a month ago where the key highlight was a circular OLED display. Read more about that here. Other key highlights inside include dashboard and door panels with knitted surfaces made of recycled polyester; a three-spoke steering wheel with a textile strap (Classic trim onwards); black sports seats (Essential trim); 2D knitted textile material (Classic trim); a two-tone houndstooth pattern on the knitted-textile-upholstered dashboard (Favoured trim); perforated Vescin sports seats (Favoured trim), and of course, multi-colored knitted textile and black synthetic leather with red stitching for JCW.
Moving on to the juicy bits of the story, the new Mini Cooper is gonna be offered in two variants: Cooper E and Cooper SE. The Cooper E’s front electric motor offers 135 kW (183.5 metric hp) and 290 Nm (214 lb-ft), with an official o-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 7.3 seconds. The Cooper SE offers 160 kW (217.5 metric hp) and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) and an official o-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 6.7 seconds.
The Cooper E packs a 40.7 kWh battery and offers an estimated WLTP range of up to 305 km (189.5 mi), while the Cooper SE with its 54.2 kWh battery is estimated to offer a WLTP range of up to 402 km (250 mi).
Recommended for you
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments that are unrelated to the post above get automatically filtered into the trash bin.
