A few weeks after its reveal, the new electric Mini Cooper is finally available for pre-order. The opportunity to discover its price, down sharply compared to the previous generation, while autonomy is increasing.
We’ve been waiting for the arrival of the new generation of the electric Mini Cooper for a while, three years after the launch of the previous version. The manufacturer was also impatient, as it pulled the rug out from under the spy photographers by revealing official photos showing the style of this new version.
A falling price
It was finally on September 1, a few days before the opening of the Munich show, where we were able to discover it, that the electric city car was officially unveiled. The latter evolves very strongly on the aesthetic level, with a more refined style and undoubtedly more aerodynamic, even if the Cx (drag coefficient) has not yet been revealed by the manufacturer. But the look and the driving position are not the only developments.
Indeed, this new version has also reworked its technical sheet to offer increasing autonomy. The latter is now displayed at 402 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle for the most efficient SE version, with its 54.2 kWh battery. The entry-level variant claims 305 kilometers thanks to its 40.7 kWh pack. The older generation maxed out at 234 kilometers.
Obviously we expect the price of the city car to be a little steep due to this sharp increase. Well, to everyone’s surprise, this is not the case at all, quite the contrary. On its site, the British brand has already opened pre-orders for its electric Cooper, and is revealing its prices. And good news, this new version costs less than before !
It takes in fact 34,000 euros to offer you a copy of the electric city car in its entry-level Essential finish, as well as a small deposit of 250 euros. For the record, the old generation started from 37,400 euros with its 32.6 kWh battery and its autonomy which is minimal compared to current models, including the Peugeot e-208 and its 400 kilometers.
Premium positioning
However, the electric Mini Cooper is still not cheap, even if it remains eligible for the ecological bonus of 5,000 euros. And for good reason, the most high-end SE version with the largest battery displays an entry ticket from 38,000 euros. Which places the city car among the high-end models, notably compared to the Smart #1 which starts at 39,990 euros.
In fact, even the finish SE John Cooper Works the most high-end is eligible for state aid, since it starts at 46,230 euros as indicated on the manufacturer’s website. For the record, the E version displays a power of 184 horsepower identical to the previous generation. The SE variant claims no less than 218 horsepower for a torque of 330 Nm.
THE 0 to 100 km/h is then achieved in 6.7 and 7.3 seconds depending on the variation chosen. For the moment, the manufacturer has not yet given details on the standard equipment of its electric city car, which should logically be better equipped than the old one. Unless the brand has chosen to cut back on equipment in order to be able to offer its car at a lower price without reducing its margin too much.
However, we know that the electric Mini Cooper will have semi-autonomous driving as well as a route planner. Recharging takes place from 10 to 80% in 30 minutes, at a maximum power of 75 kW on the E and 95 kW on the SE. At the moment, we do not yet know with certainty when the first deliveries will take place, but they should start before the end of the year.