BMW subsidiary and iconic British automaker Mini took another giant leap into the electrified age today with the debut of the all-new, all-electric fifth-generation Mini Cooper hatchback. The new battery-electric Cooper has been redesigned from the ground up as a dedicated EV, hitting the road soon with a minimalist take on classic Mini design, a high-tech cockpit, and electric performance and range custom tailored for urban motoring.
This isn’t the first electric Mini we’ve seen. The automaker experimented with plug-in hybridization starting with the Countryman PHEV in 2018 and, in 2020, launched the 114-mile Mini Cooper SE. However, the automaker’s decision to design the new Cooper from the ground up as a dedicated full-electric model — rather than a retrofit of a combustion car — speaks about where the brand sees itself in the future.
Ultra-minimalist design
Like the four previous generations, the new Mini Cooper is a small hatchback. Final dimensions weren’t specified at the debut, but side-by-side with the current generation, the new Cooper doesn’t appear to have grown much taller or longer. It is, however, obviously wider with a longer wheelbase. I reckon that designing this new generation from the ground up as an electric vehicle allowed Mini’s engineers to better integrate the battery and e-motors into the structure of the vehicle, keeping size in check overall.
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The new Cooper doesn’t appear to have grown significantly over its forefathers.
Mini
Mini’s designers set out to create a minimalist aesthetic inside and out that highlights the broad strokes of over 60 years of Mini design while simplifying and removing details. The Cooper no longer has any chrome on its exterior, while the headlamps and grille have been simplified to basic geometric shapes. The wheels are larger, which helps sell the compact car proportions despite a slight scaling up. And, out back, the Cooper’s LED matrix tail lights are now customizable (and can still be configured with a Union Jack motif).
I spent a few hours climbing in, around and underneath the new Cooper in the sheet metal at a secret BMW preview event in Munich earlier this year. While I’m not sure I love this ultra-minimalist exterior, I continue to enjoy the Mini’s ultra-compact proportions and scale. Most importantly, it’s certainly and instantly recognizable as a Mini.
I’m especially impressed with the Cooper’s new interior, which retains the same basic dashboard configuration as the original 1960s Mini, complete with a high-tech version of the large, round central speedometer, and physical switches and toggles below. (Physical switches in 2023! How quaint!) We’ve already gotten a peek at the Mini Cooper’s interior and the new Mini Operating System 9 that lives in its dashboard. The new infotainment suite features a first of its kind round OLED screen powered by the latest-generation of Mini’s navigation software, a cartoonish animated digital assistant and 5G internet connected services.
Cooper E and SE powertrains
The electric hatchback launches with two powertrain configurations: Cooper E and Cooper SE.
The Mini Cooper E will be powered by a single 135-kilowatt (184 horsepower) electric motor mated to a 40.7 kilowatt-hour high-voltage battery. With around 214 pound-feet of torque, the Cooper E is said to complete a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 7.3 seconds. On the more generous global WLTP test cycle, Mini expects this spec to cruise for around 190 miles between charges.
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The round central display, physical switches and simple dashboard shape are all hallmarks of Mini interior design.
Mini
The sportier Cooper SE steps up to a 160-kW (218 hp) electric motor and a maximum of 243 lb-ft of torque. The extra grunt shortens the 0-62 mph hustle to just 6.7 seconds. A larger 54.2-kWh battery, meanwhile, boosts the range to a WLTP-estimated 250 miles between charges. Even accounting for the shrinkage of our more rigorous EPA test cycle here in the US, that’s a significant improvement over the current Cooper SE’s 114 miles.
Built around a wider track and slightly longer wheelbase, the Cooper promises planted handling, emphasizing the low center of mass created by its underfloor battery pack with stiff stabilizer bars and larger, wider wheels and tires. This new Cooper is sure to be heavier than the four generations that preceded it, but Mini’s engineers are confident that the hatch is still a hot one and will deliver the “go-kart feeling” drivers have come to expect.
