Read Caroline’s Mini Aceman review for everything you need to know about buying Mini’s new electric crossover in Ireland in 2025.
The Aceman is a brand new model for Mini that slots between the Cooper and the Countryman. It occupies a handy middle ground: bigger and more practical than the Cooper with five doors but all of the charm and character that make Minis so desirable.
It goes on sale in Ireland priced from about €39,000 with the choice of two batteries, the largest of which will take you up to 405 kilometres (WLTP) on a single charge.
Let’s take a closer look.
Design
The Aceman is styled as a compact crossover so it’s pleasantly chunky in the metal. At the front, the LED headlights get a unique angular treatment to give the Aceman its own distinct character in the Mini line-up. The octagonal grille can be finished in gloss black or silver depending on the trim. There are three trim levels: Classic, Exclusive and Sport. Roof bars complete the rugged good looks.
From the side it’s clear this is a compact vehicle, with short overhangs front and rear giving the Aceman a familiar squat, sporty stance. The wheel arches also have a pronounced shape, fitting alloy wheel sizes from 17″ up to 19″. Flush door handles give a smooth appearance.
The Sport model on test gets John Cooper Works (JCW) inspired styling including sportier bumpers front and rear, blacked out Mini logos and JCW badges.
Mini Aceman Interior
The cabin is very quirky and colourful – classic Mini really. The Sport version gets a JCW-inspired red and black interior, including gorgeous synthetic leather heated front sports seats. There are plenty of recycled materials used in the cabin but they don’t look shabby at all. The fabric in the dashboard and doors gives the car a stylish finish. Even the heated steering wheel comes with a neat textile strap.
There’s a head-up display rather than a traditional digital driver display. The main event is the charismatic Mini circular touchscreen in the centre of the dash. Underneath that is the brand’s familiar line of retro toggle switches.
The screen can be controlled by touch or voice command and comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a heavy reliance on touch control, so it can be fiddly to use while driving. For instance the buttons for the climate settings, heated seats and steering wheel are very small. If you swipe upwards it is possible to customise a toolbar to your favourite features and the star button on the steering wheel can be used as a shortcut.
Equipment features don’t come cheap in the Aceman. You have to add packs to get extra features including power adjustment for the front seats, Harman Kardon stereo and a panoramic glass roof with blind.
Practicality
The Aceman is built on the same platform as the Cooper but has a longer wheelbase so there is more legroom for rear seat passengers. Depending on the position of the front seats, it is a comfortable place to sit though headroom could be tight for taller passengers. Width-wise, it’s still quite a narrow car so two on the outer seats will be most comfortable. There is a middle seat but it’s quite narrow.
Amenities include small door bins, pockets on the back of the front seats, two USB-C ports and a single cupholder. There’s no centre armrest but that’s similar to most other compact crossovers.
The boot is titchy enough at just 300 litres, but again its closest rivals don’t muster much more. The Smart #1 has a slightly smaller boot at 273 litres. There are practical features like a 12 volt socket and a two-position boot floor. The rear seats will also split fold 60:40.
There’s Isofix child seat fixtures on the outer two seats and the front passenger seat.
Driving the Mini Aceman
The Aceman E has a range up to just 308 kilometres. The Aceman SE has a larger battery (49.8kWh usable capacity), which can manage up to 405 km (or up to 398km in the Sport trim tested).
It’s not a huge battery in this day and age but adequate for a car designed for town and city driving as opposed to driving up and down motorways all day long.
The Aceman SE has a 218hp motor powering the front wheels with 330Nm of torque spurring it on for a 0-100kmh time of 7.1 seconds. It’s nippy and agile to drive with even a go-kart mode, which can be chosen from the Mini Experiences in the touchscreen. It’s really fun to drive with fluid, progressive steering and excellent body control through bends.
There’s also a premium edge to how it performs on the road. The cabin is extremely quiet, even at high speeds on the motorway. While the suspension is certainly on the firmer side and it never really settles down on the motorway, there’s no noise or roughness going over bumps making it a nice companion for the road.
Over a week of driving my average consumption was 16.2 kWh per 100 kilometres, which translates to real world range of about 307 kilometres. There’s also regenerative braking that can be adjusted through the touchscreen, including an adaptive setting that intelligently adjusts the amount of regeneration. It works well.
Charging
The Aceman comes with 11kW AC charging as standard, which is great to have. DC charging rates are more modest at up to 70kW for the Aceman E and up to 95kW for the Aceman SE – a 10-80% charge in at best 31 minutes at a sufficiently fast charger.
There’s also battery preconditioning possible through the navigation system.
Mini Aceman Price
The Mini Aceman E starts from €39,190 on the road and the Aceman SE from €44,720. The Aceman SE Sport tested retails from €48,923.
Verdict
Like most Minis, the new Aceman is likable and lovable. It’s clever positioning between the Cooper and the Countryman makes it considerably more practical than the Cooper. But it still retains the charm and character of the Mini brand in a fun, compact car. The chunky crossover looks make it instantly desirable and it’s great fun to drive, with a premium edge that goes some way to justify its price tag. Some electric compact crossovers are more spacious and have larger batteries and more range, but this feels primarily designed as a small urban runabout or perhaps a second car for a family. So if that’s all you need, the new Aceman is very high on the desirability list and a very nice car overall.
Watch a Mini Aceman Video Review
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year
The post Mini Aceman Review appeared first on Changing Lanes.