MINI Cooper E: The Classic Trim Is An Entry-Level Mini With Little Tradeoffs

The Highlights: 

• All-electric MINI Cooper offers up to 250 miles of range, with fast charging from 10% to 80% in just 28 minutes.
• Distinctive exterior design features iconic MINI elements like round headlights and octagonal front grille, enhanced with LED headlights and aerodynamically optimized rims.
• Interior boasts minimalist design with high-quality materials, including textile surfaces made from recycled polyester, and customizable trim options for personalized style.
• Innovative technology features include the MINI Intelligent Personal Assistant, MINI Operating System, and immersive MINI Experience Modes for enhanced driving pleasure and connectivity.

Brief Overview

Perfect for urban lifestyle, the new MINI Cooper seamlessly blends purist design with an all-electric drivetrain. It maintains MINI's exceptional status within its vehicle segment by continuously evolving while setting new technical standards over its 60-year history. 

Embracing a modern, digital, and unmistakable design, the new MINI models signify a shift towards an all-electric brand by 2030. The design, termed "Charismatic Simplicity," blends forward-looking technology with the brand's origins. 

Exterior Design

^{2024 MINI Cooper SE} 

The new MINI Cooper's exterior embodies the brand's essence with its agile silhouette and hallmark proportions. Short overhangs, a short bonnet, and a contrasting long wheelbase maintain classic design features while highlighting its contemporary urban orientation. 

The front end of the all-electric MINI Cooper retains its iconic circular headlights and striking grille, now featuring an octagonal design with Vibrant Silver accents. LED lights with unique signature modes enhance its fresh radiance, offering customizable light signatures and captivating welcome animations. 

The new MINI Cooper's front fascia ditched the chrome elements. Combined with the sleek curves of the hood and the sharp design of the front apron, it exudes a distinct and sporty aesthetic. The widened track width and dynamic indentation at the wheel arches further enhance its dynamic appeal. 

Streamlined Side Profile: Modernity and Aerodynamics

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

In a departure from tradition, the new MINI Cooper features a side profile without a circumferential Black Band, inadvertently showcasing the body color more prominently. The omission of certain components enhances its visual impact while black sills ground the vehicle. 

Notably, the MINI achieves exceptional aerodynamic efficiency with a low cd figure of 0.28. The rear section boasts clear surfaces and flush rear lights, reminiscent of classic MINI styling. 

Vertical light clusters offer customizable modes, echoing the design language of the front headlights. A defined shoulder section and a horizontal black handle strip accentuate the vehicle's powerful stance and sporty character. 

Interior Design

^{2024 all-electric MINI Cooper SE}

Inside, the new MINI Cooper pays homage to the classic Mini's minimalist design. The central round instrument cluster and toggle bar, reminiscent of the original, structure the interior with a purist approach. 

A smaller number of intelligently designed components create a clean, uncluttered space, while optional features like the head-up display ensure essential information remains within the driver's line of sight, maintaining an unobstructed view of the road ahead. 

The new MINI Cooper's interior boasts a warm and homely atmosphere, thanks to amply sized, curved dashboards featuring textile surfaces for the first time. These materials, created through a specially developed knitting process using recycled polyester, offer versatility and easy care. 

The choice of colors for the textile surfaces and seats varies depending on the trim design. The air vents are notably flat to maximize space. 

Modern Comfort: Front Seats and Panoramic Roof

^{MINI Cooper SE}

Clear lines and generous space in the front seats enhance the interior's modern, airy feel, while the optional panoramic glass roof floods the cabin with natural light. Side lighting, based on ambient light, adds to the interior's distinctive atmosphere. 

The seats come in basic and JCW versions, with high-quality textile covering the adjustment buttons on the latter. The rear cabin prioritizes comfort with additional storage in the luggage compartment. 

The foldable rear seats in a 60/40 ratio allow for flexible expansion of the luggage compartment from 200 to 800 liters. Conveniently, owners can stow cargo in an underfloor storage facility in the luggage compartment. 

By eliminating the need for a traditional gearshift, the new MINI Cooper maximizes storage space in the center console. The enlarged cup holders and spacious open storage compartment provide ample room for essentials. 

The storage box with a knitted surface and textile strap, standard with the Favoured Trim, adds a touch of sophistication. 

MINI Electric’s In-Car Technology

The central OLED display sets a new standard with its high resolution and versatile functions like smartphones. Operated via touch or voice control, it offers intuitive access to all vehicle functions. The redesigned cockpit places the display closer to the driver for enhanced convenience. 

The newly designed toggle bar in the new MINI Cooper offers direct access to key driving functions, such as parking brake and volume control, enhancing convenience and decluttering the interior. Its design aligns with its function, emphasizing both form and usability. 

MINI Experience Modes

The MINI Experience Modes, including Core, Green, and Go-Kart, offer specific user interface designs. The optional MINI projector on the back of the OLED display enhances the immersive experience with matching color schemes and patterns extending into the door panels. 

Each mode, such as Go-Kart Mode, emphasizes MINI's racing DNA with dynamic color schemes and specific analog displays for driving dynamics. 

Personal Mode allows for individualized backgrounds and ambient lighting color-coded to match selected images, providing a unique and expressive interior experience. 

See also: MINI Countryman S ALL4: Your Unconventional Guide To The New John Cooper Works Trim

MINI Intelligent Personal Assistant

Innovating the driving experience, the new MINI Cooper introduces the MINI Intelligent Personal Assistant, the brand's first fully-fledged voice assistant. 

Activated with the greeting "Hey MINI," it allows for hands-free control of various functions, from navigation to entertainment. 

With improved voice recognition and continuous learning capabilities, it adapts to the driver's preferences to enhance convenience and MINI personalization. 

Modern User Interface

The new MINI Cooper's user interface reflects the "Charismatic Simplicity" design language, blending functional and emotional elements into a modern aesthetic. Micro-animations enhance interaction with the circular OLED display, creating a seamless and intuitive experience. 

MINI Operating System 9

MINI Operating System 9, developed in-house by the BMW Group, offers intuitive operation similar to consumer electronics. 

The start menu allows for personalized content selection, while a fixed status bar provides easy access to essential functions like navigation and media. A tool belt, activated via the multifunction steering wheel or a swipe, allows for rapid access to favorite functions. 

The new MINI Cooper boasts high-speed connectivity and optional 5G capability. The MINI Navigation system offers precise and fast route calculation, with realistic 3D visualizations and real-time traffic updates. 

An augmented reality function aids turn-by-turn navigation, while charge-optimized routes are available for the all-electric model. 

MINI Connected Upgrades and Entertainment

MINI Connected Upgrades allow for flexible bookings of additional vehicle functions, while the MINI Connected Store provides access to a variety of practical and entertaining apps. 

The AirConsole app offers in-car gaming, with smartphones serving as controllers for games displayed on the OLED screen, providing entertainment for all passengers. 

Parking Assistance and Digital Key

The optional Parking Assistant Plus in the new MINI Cooper offers even easier parking with 12 ultrasonic sensors and four surround-view cameras, allowing for clearer identification of parking spaces and autonomous parking maneuvers. 

The Explore Mode enables parking via smartphone in tight spaces. The innovative MINI Digital Key Plus turns the smartphone into a key, enabling automatic vehicle opening and personalized experiences, including automatic welcome projections and easy car sharing. 

Furthermore, the MINI App enhances user safety with functions like Remote 360, providing views of the parked vehicle's surroundings, and Snapshot, allowing the capture and sharing of moments via WiFi-Direct. 

MINI Cooper Electrified Drivetrain: Performance And Range

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

The new MINI Cooper offers locally emission-free mobility and all-electric driving fun with the Cooper E and Cooper SE variants. 

The Cooper E features a 135 kW/184-hp electric motor, while the Cooper SE boasts 160 kW/218-hp, providing impressive acceleration and range of up to 190 miles (305 kilometers) and 250 miles (402 kilometers) respectively. 

New MINI Cooper Driving Dynamics

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

A slightly increased track width and wheelbase contribute to excellent driving dynamics, complemented by a tuned suspension and damping system. 

The precise steering, powerful brakes, and low center of gravity ensure comfortable yet sporty handling. The MINI Cooper's increased tire diameter and width along with available rim sizes ranging from 16- to 18 inches, further enhance its dynamic performance and visual presence. 

New MINI Cooper Electric Trim Options

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

The all-electric MINI Cooper comes in four distinctive trims, each with its own modern feel-good concept. From the Essential Trim's minimalist clarity to the expressive details of the Favored Trim and the sporty flair of the John Cooper Works Trim, there's a variant to suit every taste. 

Electric Driving Pleasure with the MINI Cooper E

^{New MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

The fully electric MINI Cooper E delivers modern, eco-friendly driving combined with the brand's signature driving pleasure. Available in four redesigned trims, like the entire new MINI model family, the MINI Cooper E offers expressive body colors and contrasting roof finishes. 

The Classic Trim, for example, features a puristic design highlighted by Sunny Side Yellow body color and contrasting white roof and mirror caps. 

The MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

In the Classic Trim, the cockpit surfaces are adorned with two-tone black and blue knit material, creating a stylish contrast with high-quality synthetic leather seats available in gray or black with a perforated houndstooth pattern. 

"With the new all-electric MINI Cooper E, we are offering a great entry-level option into the new MINI family. Its 184 hp guarantees exciting agility and acceleration without any sacrifices," says Stefanie Wurst, head of MINI. 

MINI Cooper E Driving Dynamics and Fast Charging

^{MINI Coper E in Classic Trim}

The MINI Cooper E offers maximum driving emotions with sporty steering and optimized dynamics, enhanced by its increased track width and longer wheelbase. The direct power delivery of the electric motor ensures a brand-typical go-kart feeling. 

With an energy content of 40.7 kWh, the battery achieves a range of 190 miles (305 kilometers in the WLTP test cycle), and it can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 28 minutes with a DC output of up to 75 kW. 

The 135 kW/184-hp electric drive delivers a maximum torque of 214 lb-ft (290 Nm), enabling acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. 

MINI Cooper E’s Urban-Inspired Design

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

The MINI Cooper E boasts typical MINI proportions, making it agile and easy to handle in city traffic. Its characteristic MINI face with round headlights and octagonal front grille, along with LED headlights featuring unique signatures, enhance its distinctive appearance. 

Various aerodynamically optimized designs are available for rim sizes ranging from 16 to 18 inches. 

Features like Active Cruise Control and Parking Assistant provide enhanced comfort and safety in city traffic, with automatic distance control and parking assistance making driving in heavy traffic and parking maneuvers more convenient and stress-free. 

How Much Is The MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim?

^{MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim}

The new MINI Cooper E is an entry-level MINI, which explains its relatively cheaper pricing structure. Starting at £30,000 in the UK (around $37,800), it’s the most affordable MINI versus its higher-spec family members. 

However, that seemingly “affordable” price swells rapidly as you subscribe to the add-ons that actually make this car plenty of fun. 

For example, the Classic Trim brings the eye-candy expressive body colors and contrasting roof finishes, plus tech features like Parking Assistant and Active Cruise Control, all of which will set you back a couple extra thousand dollars. 

Specifically, the new entry-level MINI Cooper E in Classic Trim is available at a starting price of £34,500 (around $43,500), and the price may vary depending on additional options and extras.