► New Mini Aceman spotted
► Battery-electric and funky to look at
► One part of Mini’s new electric range to come
Electric cars are arriving in a growing number of shapes and sizes, and the forthcoming Mini Paceman is another EV that fits in a sector that previously didn’t exist. Based on a concept and coming to production in 2024, it’s not really an electric SUV, but more of a stacked five-door hatch. Think of it as a Mini Allroad with a footprint similar to the likes of the Ford Puma, Vauxhall Mokka and VW T-Cross, and you’re pretty much there.
Our spy photographers have once again snapped Mini’s first electric crossover testing in Sweden, this time sporting some fetching yellow and black camouflage. Squint for a bit, and you’ll find the production prototype shown here looks very similar to the concept we’ve already seen.
At just 4 meteres long, it’ll be smaller than the current Countryman but add more space due to better EV-centric packaging. It’s no coincidence the name of the concept car mirrors that of the shortlived Mini Paceman; it will again draw inspiration from the crossover genre, blending Mini’s traditional hatchback silhouette with the chunkier aesthetic of the SUV breed.
What about the concept?
Instant recognisability, clear brand identity and an evolutionary DNA driven by innovation, zeitgeist and style form the essence of the new design language named ‘Charismatic Simplicity.’ Yep, another marketing-led platitude, but at least this phrase is attached to something that does point to a future styling direction.
While some long-running Mini styling themes were only mildly modified, certain other elements have disappeared for good. The headlamps are for instance no longer circular but oblong, the long-capped roof boasts a larger fully integrated spoiler, the octagonal grille no longer is a closed unit, the conventional door handles give way to flush-fitting devices, the diagonal cutlines which used to run from the foot of the A-pillar across the front wings and the trad side scuttles were ditched altogether.
Design chief Oliver Heilmer and his team beefed up the posture with a bunch of mature design elements like the more upright front end, the sculptured front wings which stick out like the buttocks of a Porsche 911, a shapelier rear end sadly paired with a much taller loading lip, four prominent upright exterior loudspeakers mounted in bright orange housings, broader and more emphatically flared sheet metal cascading over the larger wheel apertures, and enough dark plastic claddings to underline the car´s rugged outdoor appeal. Although beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, the Aceman looks fresh, modern and sufficiently different from the Jukes, T-Crosses and Capturs of this world.
Perhaps the most interesting single exterior signature feature is the adaptive freeform lighting interplay between the grille, the headlamps and the front end graphics. In companion mode, the car bonds with the user from a distance, softly illuminating the path to the driver´s door and welcoming the authorized person with an interactive colour burst and a double LED wink followed by a catchy four-tone M-i-n-i jingle dubbed Earcon. Yes, this potentially embarrassing procedure is a delete feature, thank goodness.
‘We stick to tradition where it makes sense, and we never break with tradition without a very good reason,’ says Heilmer. ‘The Aceman is our first 100 percent leather- and chrome-free proposal. Not because we don’t like leather and chrome, but because there exist planet-friendlier alternatives which even offer extended benefits like more variety, more creative freedom and a more emotional user experience.’
Is the Mini Aceman interior just as wild?
You bet. It’s here that the Aceman excels, breaks truly new ground, surprises and delights with clever technologies and elaborate details. So let’s climb behind the three-spoke steering-wheel wrapped in green velour sporting a selectively embossed quadratic pattern.
While the left spoke accommodates the cruise control touch pad, its counterpart on the right lets you scroll through the menus, adjust the volume and confirm input.
The fancy gadgetry of yore and all those fingertip buttons have been eliminated, and the rim is now actually fully circular again – hurrah! Mounted on the soundbar-style dashboard trimmed in recycled fabric is the sole instrument, a larger and fully digital iteration of Sir Alec’s original analogue holdall.
The high-res display can be accessed from the steering wheel, by direct touch or via the upgraded UX/UI system. The screen is no longer a small rectangular monitor in a round housing but a large-diameter multi-colour eye-catcher which uses every square millimetre of its considerable surface area.
It is 4050mm long, 1990mm wide and 1590mm tall, sits on a brand-new extended-wheelbase platform and drives the front wheels via a choice of two drivetrains.
While the Cooper E packs a 40kWh battery and a 182bhp e-motor, the SE features a 50kWh energy cell and a 228bhp power unit. All-wheel drive is not on the cards for the Aceman but will be offered for the future 282bhp Mini John Cooper Works and the 300bhp-plus GT.
When will the real production Mini Aceman arrive?
We expect it to launch in the summer of 2024, according to Mini boss Bernd Korber. It’ll be one part of Mini’s new range of cars that will have both combustion and electric variants through to 2030, including a fresh hatchback we’ve already spotted testing as well as an all-new Countryman that will share more than enough with the facelifted X1 revealed earlier in 2022.
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