We need to start this story proper by first talking about the OG MINI Cooper SE.
Originally launched back in 2020, the MINI Electric was built on the F56 generation MINI Cooper chassis, adapted to work with electric gubbins borrowed from the BMW i3. And the recipe worked – it had the same 181 bhp as the equivalent combustion Cooper S, whilst only gaining about 70 kilograms.
There were some obvious compromises though. With an adapted platform, you’d not be able to optimally package an EV powertrain, leading to a less-than-ideal battery pack capacity of just 32.64 kWh. Which then translated to a real-world range just a smidge under 200 kilometres.
A road trip then, isn’t the electric F56’s forte. But these issues have been resolved with the latest iterations of the electric MINIs. Which probably explains why MINI Singapore/Thailand had enough confidence in their new cars to allow us to embark on a road trip from Bangkok to Khao Yai and back.
The Stars of the Show
The starting point was Novotel Bangkok Future Park Rangsit. We flew in a day early, giving us ample time to unpack, unwind and settle down before the big event the following day.
Three of the latest electric MINI models greeted us on the driveway of the hotel. There were two Aceman S cars, and one Cooper SE. The purpose of the trip was to allow us to sample the JCW versions of said cars at Pathumthani Speedway, ahead of the Bangkok Motor Show. And the electric S cars were supposed to get us there.
Range Anxiety? What Range Anxiety?
The venue of the main event was just a stone’s throw away from our hotel. Or if you prefer your distance in numerical format, about 17 kilometres. Which really wouldn’t make a dent in the ranges of either the Cooper SE or the Aceman S.
Let’s first start with the Aceman S. Powering the sportier compact electric MINI crossover is a 215 hp, front-mounted electric motor. This is fed by a 54.2 kWh battery pack, which is also shared with the JCW variant. MINI claims it’d do 407 kilometres on a single charge, and judging by the mileage we covered on the trip, there’s no doubt that it’d actually do it.
We’ll cover the on-track happenings in a seperate article. But with our track experience done, we jumped into the second Aceman S for the second leg of the journey. This will see us drive through some epic, scenic roads on the way to our second stop of this road trip.
This was 103 kilometres away. We could have made it there at one go, but we stopped at a rest stop for a charging photo op.
With 71 kilometres down, we had 32 kilometres to go. And the views just kept on getting better, with roads that snaked through some areas of truly mesmerising beauty. We ended up at the Choc a block Cafe & Bistro, our second stop of the trip.
The Roads That Kept On Giving
And just as we thought the scenery couldn’t get any better, the roads continued to improve. The mountain passes allowed us to give the Aceman S a proper workout, and despite being a higher-riding crossover, it manages to deal with all the curves in a sporty and engaging fashion.
We stopped for a second photo op, only this time, with a lake for a backdrop.
With that done, we were back on the road, and only 55 kilometres from our final destination for the day – The Peri Hotel Khao Yai.
The Final Stretch
Having already sampled both Aceman S cars, it was time for us to try the Cooper SE. As is the case with the Aceman S, the Cooper SE has a front-mounted electric motor developing 215 hp. It also has the same 54.2 kWh battery pack, with an almost-identical 402 kilometres of range.
The crew charged up all three cars overnight, and our task for the final day was to return the three MINIs to BMW Thailand’s HQ at One Bangkok. This 160 kilometre drive was mostly on Thailand’s expressway network, so there really wasn’t a chance for us to try the car our dynamically.
Still, what impressed us the most was how compliant the car was. Sure it is stiffer than your standard Cooper E, but by no means was it jarring. Electric torque made it a breeze for us to dart in and out of traffic, and excellent levels of sound insultation made the 2+ hour drive actually fairly pleasant.
We ended up being the first car to reach One Bangkok, despite being leapfrogged by the Aceman Ses earlier in the morning. One hearty lunch later, we were shuttled to the airport for our flight back to Singapore.
Lessons From An All-Electric MINI Road Trip
The MINI approach to electric car building appears to be very different from most of its peers. Instead of cramming humongous battery packs and then compensating for the added weight with huge amounts of torque, MINI opted to preserve what made its cars so great in the first place.
By keeping the pack small, the car is lighter, which translates into greater levels of efficiency. It also means you can fit springs that aren’t as stiff, as there’s less mass for you to suspend.
All this means a car that has decent range even when driven at higher rates of speed (both cars would have done close to the advertised range despite our exuberant driving), and that still feels light and on its toes through a good sequence of corners.
As a result, the new electric MINIs feel truly distinctive to drive, with seemingly polar opposite traits somehow managing to co-exist harmoniously. You can now truly live with an electric MINI with no compromises!
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