► Month 4 with our Mini EV
► We compare it against an Italian rival
► Which is better?
Isn’t it nice to see Alfa Romeo back on form? Sales are up, the brand’s past quality issues seem to be resolved and it’s building cars that get both critics (Giulia) and customers (Tonale) excited. It’s the sort of good-news story that we all need at the moment.
Mini has had less of the Italians’ ups and downs, more consistently delivering returns across the duration of BMW’s ownership. But with both brands preparing to give up on years of petrol-engined heritage in a brave new world of electric cars, it feels like a good time to see which might be best able to both pay homage to the past and offer a clear way forward.
Not since the Mito has Mini had a natural Alfa rival. And even in the Junior you could argue that they’re not natural bedfellows – one a relatively tall crossover with five doors, the other a compact three-door hatch in a body style of yesteryear.
But the Junior we’re testing today is the Veloce version and that gets much closer to the Mini’s mood board – both are cars that are trying to replicate some of the nippy handling characteristics of hot hatches of old. All surplus power and barely controlled front-end scrabble.
The interior of the Alfa does a much better job of feeling driver-focused – even the touchscreen is angled towards you. The seats look great with their kidney cutaways and deep bolsters, to the point where the Mini’s look anaemic in comparison. Twin hooded cowls over the dials, alcantara and red stitching add to the atmosphere in the Alfa.
Priced from £42,295 and with 276bhp and 254lb ft, the Junior is the more powerful car here, to the tune of 61bhp. Crucially, it also comes with a limited-slip diff up front and, as we found when we drove it in Italy over the summer, this is vital in making the Junior feel less Stellantis parts-bin and more actual Alfa. BMW has always managed to walk that tightrope with far more dexterity than most, giving its three brands distinctive personalities but still managing to make the most of any cost savings.
What’s impressive about the Mini is that, despite having a power disadvantage and also a weight penalty (it’s 25kg heavier), it gets to within a second of the Alfa’s 0-62mph time. On our point-and-squirt kart track (at the time of the test, the Junior wasn’t homologated for road use), neither car manages to significantly gap the other. Both have a lovely sense of surplus power, front wheels scrabbling for traction at the exit, torque steer threatening to run away with you before you get the steering wheel straightened out.
The diff in the Alfa is a lovely thing, allowing you to tighten the car’s line by playing with the accelerator. It’s the only EV I’ve driven that gets close to the wonderful adjustability of the Fiesta ST. The Mini lacks this edge, feeling more stable but less adjustable.
Its tyres don’t help it. Whereas the Alfa is on Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and the most aggressive looking 20-inch alloys (standard fit on Veloce trim – excellent), the Mini comes on Maxxis Premitra tyres that run out of grip far earlier. Admittedly, in normal road driving I’ve never had an issue but on the track they really hampered the Mini’s performance.
It’s a pity because the Cooper comes to you more instantly, offering a better chassis balance with less pitch and dive on the entry and exit of a corner, helped by the marginally more darty front end, despite the awful tyres. What’s important is that it feels like a Mini, very nose dominant and with minimal body roll. You can sense the ghost of Paddy Hopkirk looking down on you and, while not approving of a 1.6-tonne Mini, at least acknowledging what it’s aiming for.
In the Alfa, you feel the car’s extra height as you cut towards the apex, that momentary pause while the springs take the weight and before the body settles. It’s not easy for it today because this kart track is quite technical and there are a number of right/left flicks – on a road and with gentler bends, it should be much happier.
The Alfa’s brakes are also nowhere near as effective – in ‘Natural’ driving mode, there’s not enough bite and the pedal is too soft, contrasting with the Mini’s where you get a better sense of the grip available. Dynamic makes the Junior’s better but even then, they’re a way off where the Mini’s are.
A winner? It’s mighty close but I’d have to plump for the Mini. But there’s a wider point that’s more pertinent: after too long of EVs being very accomplished but boring, both the Alfa and Mini manage to inject a bit of character back into driving. They’re better for their flaws.
In other news, I had a very quick go in a Mini Acemen Cooper SE recently, the five-door equivalent of my car. On the plus side, it’s got usable rear legroom and enough for actual human beings (after four months with the Cooper SE, I’m still trying to work out where Mini has put all the space). On the minus side, to me it doesn’t look enough like a Mini and rides dreadfully. I never thought anything could make my Mini feel comfortable but whad’ya know, it turns out another Mini can do just that. A double win for the Mini Cooper SE, then.
Logbook: Mini Cooper SE
Price £34,500 (£39,799 as tested)
Performance 49kWh battery, e-motor, 215bhp, 6.7sec 0-62mph, 106mph
Efficiency 4.2-4.4 miles per kWh (official), 3.8 miles per kWh (tested)
Range 240-249 miles (official), 186 miles (tested)
Energy cost 7.0p per mile
Miles this month 1398
Total miles 4916