I’ve been driving the new 2024 Mini Cooper SE since November last year. It is the next-gen Cooper SE electric vehicle that was unveiled in Munich in September 2023.

You may recall, I was in attendance for it in Germany, as a guest of BMW South Africa where the Cooper E and SE; and Countryman E and SE ALL4 were unveiled, which introduced its new round OLED display, amongst other cool technologies. And we got a sneak peak of the Aceman.

South Africa will only get the Cooper SE variant, and not the E. The Cooper SE is my long-term test EV for a period of six months.

I was away in Dec/Jan for almost three weeks on holiday and was penned articles for print about the Mini (Brainstorm, Forbes Africa). So consider this post my introduction of my long-term test car on Recharged.

Mini Cooper SE Quick Look

  • 160kW output and 330Nm of torque
  • 49.2kWh nett battery, 387km range (WLTP)
  • 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds
  • 10-80% in 35 minutes; max DC speed: 95kW
  • Base Model: R802 000; With extras: R924 500

The new Mini Cooper SE may have a base model price of R802 000 but according to Mini South Africa, the cars are built with a certain level of spec and trim packages as standard for the local market. This is why when you visit the Mini website, the cheapest model comes in at R879 500.

The press car I am driving kitted with extras comes to R924 500, which is close to a million rand! Here is the list of extras:

Naming convention

Mini also has a new (confusing) naming convention for its cars going forward. All its hatchbacks are called “Cooper”, doesn’t matter if it’s EV or ICE; then the other two models are “Countryman” and “Aceman”. Entry-level models like Mini One and others have fallen away.

With Countryman, it won’t be called Countryman Cooper S anymore, the Cooper has been removed. Then you will get models like C for a regular one and S for the more powerful ones. The EV has an E variant as mentioned earlier, which is not coming to SA.

So the Mini Cooper SE electric model I am driving just says “Cooper S” at the back, to denote the more powerful variant, but nowhere does it says “Cooper SE”, just like the petrol variant, also says “Cooper S”. Now unless you have a good eye, it is almost impossible to tell the petrol from the electric, because Mini has also hidden the tailpipes from the petrol version – so the back looks like an EV!

The quickest way to tell them apart? The “S” on the petrol version is red; and the “S” on the electric is yellow. Plus the front grille on the EV is closed off. And now you know.

Design

The most noticeable thing about the new Mini is the minimalistic, retro look. I have to admit, it has grown on me. It feels like Mini is going back to the basics, to the original Mini look, as the ones over time felt like it wasn’t so “mini” anymore. They are two tone, and I like the Chilli Red version I have with a black roof and two-tone wheels. My previous, previous Mini was red with a black roof as well.

The LED front and back lights are actually customisable, You can choose how you can want it to display from 3 options, including the Union Jack at the back. Rather nifty. And when you switch it one, the left front light winks at you.

The inside has also been given a revamp, which is made with mostly recycled materials. It is characterised by the new OLED display, which is one of my highlights, detailed below. It’s a high-res display that runs Mini’s latest Operating System 9, with so many new features. It shows the parking camera view in great quality and for general interaction.

Charging and range

The Cooper SE has a range of about 387km (WLTP figures). When I charge it fully, I get around 337km, but when it’s in efficient mode. But given my lifestyle where I work from home and don’t do any long-distance driving, the range is well-suited as a runaround city EV.

It will recharge from 10-80% in a quick 35 minutes, but because it has a max DC charging speed of 95kW, you feel the slow speed between 80-100%, which takes the longest.

Cooper SE

Most EVs recommend you charge till 80% to keep the battery in optimal condition, so when I’m in a hurry, I stop it at 80%. Otherwise the Mini app is mostly accurate when it comes to estimating the end time. I find the app invaluable for monitoring charge and when I use older chargers, I can pick up when it gets disconnected for whatever reason.

Living in Joburg North, I have at least three public EV charging stations within my vicinity, plus I have one at home. I’ve not been in a situation where I found myself stranded. If I can’t access one, I go to the other, which I’ve had to do as some of the chargers are starting to show age or are broken.

Here are some of my highlights so far

Driving Experiences: The car has eight different driving experience presets that you can easily toggle between. They are Core, Go-Kart, Green, Vivid, Timeless, Balance, Personal and Trail. I cannot stress how I love presets on an EV, mainly for eco mode. If you have want to have fun, flip the switch to Go-Kart; if you want to go into eco mode to save range, go to Green; and for something arty and colourful, try Vivid. Each has its own lighting, soundscape and design.

Round OLED Display: The round display is actually a clever design because it shows you so much more information than a regular rectangle display. Apart from being OLED, so it’s bright and vivid, you can see other data on the edges with CarPlay or Android Auto in the middle of the screen. So when you’re using Google Maps, music, etc, you can see other data about the car, like temperature, battery life, power/consumption, etc.

Digital Key Plus: As someone who is an early adopter, I love that the Cooper SE now has ultra-wide band support through Digital Key Plus. I’ve already linked my phone and smartwatch to it, which are fully fledged car keys, so I don’t actually carry my physical keys anymore. It’s wild! It unlocks as I approach it, which is handy when grocery shopping.

App Store with Games: While the AirConsole update has been delayed, you can still play other games on the Mini, while the car is stationary.There’s a fruit ninja type of game, a range of podcasting apps, YouTube, news and entertainment ones as well. You can access them when it is safe to do so, and not while driving, just in case you missed it.

The Mini app: This app has been revamped to offer a better interface and stats. I’ve been using it for my regular car but on an EV it’s one of the most valuable things to download. It lets me monitor charging status (I could tell on several occasions when the car stopped charging, due to aging chargers), check battery and range; control certain functions remotely, view all my trip data, see how efficiently I’m driving, use the camera to check my surroundings remotely, find charging stations, etc. Plus you can do basics like lock, unlock, hoot, control lights and climate (I can do this on my own car, too).

Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to drive the Mini Cooper SE over the next few months.