MINI Cooper SE 2024 review – the new Chinese-made MINI Hatch electric car has almost double the range, but is it any less fun?

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MINI Cooper SE 2024 review – the new Chinese-made MINI Hatch electric car has almost double the range, but is it any less fun?

We may have seen something new. MINI Cooper S launched in Malaysia, but it was just a re-warmed version of the upcoming petrol-powered F56. The future of the German-owned British brand is electric, a point it made clear with the launch of a The all-new MINI Cooper, all-electric last year.

Launching in Malaysia this weekend, the J01 is a new MINI Hatch for a new era. Developed in collaboration with GWM and produced at a new plant in Zhangjiagang, China, the car packs a host of flagship brand innovations under its recognisable classic design.

Even the aforementioned design has been completely overhauled, with a more minimalist look that’s a welcome change from the car’s increasingly over-the-top predecessors. Gone, for example, are the clamshell hood, front fender scuttles, chrome accents, and black plastic wheel arches – instead, you get custom daytime running lights inside the signature round headlights, and matrix LED taillights with a choice of three different lighting patterns.

A bigger change can be found inside, where the MINI Hatch’s various displays and switches have been merged into a prominent 9.2-inch OLED circular touchscreen, running on the latest Android-based MINI OS 9. Fabric trim, warm metallic gold accents and a cool pattern projector behind the central screen contribute to the new-age aesthetic of the interior.

Before MINI Cooper SE The Lexus LS may have been hampered by its petrol-powered architecture, with a range that was only good enough for getting out of town, but this latest model is very different. The top SE model you see here comes with a 54.2kWh battery, giving it almost double the range at up to 402km on the WLTP cycle. It has a little more power though – its single front motor produces 218PS (160kW) and 330Nm of torque, helping it sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds.

So, the new MINI Cooper has more range and more tech, but does the switch to an electric powertrain come at the expense of the Oxford’s famous go-kart driving dynamics? That’s what Hafriz Shah tried to find out by testing the car in Sitges, Spain, and you can check out his review below.