MINI debuts its all-new Cooper Electric in Sitges, Spain

Electrification is less foreign to the MINI brand than you might imagine.

Back in 2008, it had already unveiled the fully-electric MINI E - albeit sold in extremely limited quantities. In 2017, a plug-in hybrid variant joined the Countryman range, named the Countryman SE. Then, in 2020, the MINI E was succeeded by a model for the masses, when the MINI Electric entered series production.

The Cooper Electric is arriving as MINI's path to full electrification swings into full gear 

With a deadline in the early 2030s to move its entire brand into full electrification, however, MINI is now kicking things into full gear.

And after releasing the fully-electric Countryman onto the road, and recently even unveiling the Aceman, it has taken its next crucial step: With the official international media launch of the all-new Cooper Electric. The first media drives of the hatch are now underway, around the picturesque environs of the Spanish town, Sitges.

First - a preliminary note about nomenclature. Whereas 'Cooper' used to denote a variant of the MINI Hatch that packed more power (and equipment), the term is now used to refer to the model that we once knew as, well, the MINI Hatch.

The Cooper Electric is built on a new, dedicated electric platform, and features a reduced design philosophy, alongside a longer wheelbase

With that in mind, the all-new Cooper can be had in combustion-powered forms, as the Cooper C and Cooper S, but the spotlight (and the sunshine in Spain) has now been cast on the Cooper Electric - or Cooper E - which has been built from the ground up to be fully electric.

Before getting into the new car's power figures, it'd be remiss to not note its styling first. Based off MINI's new 'Charismatic Simplicity' design philosophy, the new Cooper Electric has a focus on reduced design elements, and thus boasts a cleaner silhouette, despite making sure to carry on many MINI-like hallmarks - including its rounded head lights, floating roof and all-round glass windows.

Notable changes include the removal of any black, plastic wheel arches - for fenders that sit nicely with the rest of the car's body - and the swapping of those chunky door handles for flushed ones instead. The rear is also where there is a marked difference, with the hatch getting triangular shaped taillights for the first time - although these do still maintain the Union Jack motif.

Finally, building the Cooper Electric with a dedicated electric platform has allowed MINI to stretch its wheelbase out to 2,526mm now, while reducing the car's front and rear overhangs. 

The Cooper Electric also gets the same dashboard that we first saw on the new Countryman, which is marked out by its sustainable design, as well as three key components: A sporty steering wheel, a toggle-switch bar, and a rounded speedometer in the form of a circular OLED touch display 

The Cooper Electric also comes with the same interior that we first saw on the new Countryman, which revolves around three main elements that pay direct homage to Sir Alec Issigonis' Mini: A sporty steering wheel, a toggle-switch bar, and of course, a rounded speedometer.

The latter takes the form of a revolutionary, 240mm rounded OLED touch display, which runs MINI Operating System 9 and supports eight 'Experience Modes' - including three proper Driving Modes - each of which changes up the driving experience.

Elsewhere in the interior, the focus on sustainability has led MINI to incorporate a recycled, knitted material into the dashboard surface. With various patterns interwoven, extra visual depth is created without having to complicate production processes with too many required materials. An optional light projector on the dash also promises to give the cabin extra sparkle at night.

The more powerful, and longer-range Cooper SE is capable of 215bhp and 330Nm of torque, and can go up to 405km on a full charge by the WLTP cycle 

Returning now to the power figures, two variants of the Cooper Electric are on offer, both of which are driven by their front wheels by a single motor.

The lineup starts with the Cooper E, whose motor is capable of 181bhp and 290Nm of torque, allowing it to complete the century sprint in 7.3s. Powered by a 40.7kWh battery, the Cooper E also gets a WLTP-rated range of 305km - significantly more than the 235km managed by the MINI Electric.

Stepping up, the Cooper SE gets a more powerful motor producing 215bhp and 330Nm of torque - which thus also helps to go from 0 to 100km/h in a brisker 6.7s. The hatch also gets a larger 54.2kWh battery, giving it an even better WLTP-rated range of 402km.

Due to their varying battery sizes, the Cooper E and Cooper SE support DC charging at varying ceilings - at 75kW and 95kW respectively - although it's worth noting that at these speeds, both cars will see their batteries recharged from 10 to 80% in under 30 minutes. Notably, too, this is an improvement over the maximum of 50kW that the MINI Electric could support.

MINI also gave members of the media a firsthand experience of its freshly-unveiled tech, MINI Mixed Reality 

On the sidelines of the media drives, MINI also took the chance in Sitges to show off its freshly-announced 'MINI Mixed Reality' to visitors.

As the name suggests, the technology mixes both elements of virtual and physical reality, and allows drivers to navigate a virtual world - dreamt up by its own designers - while behind the wheel of a moving MINI Cooper Electric. For now, the brand states that MINI Mixed Reality "opens doors to exciting possibilities, from gaming integrations to potential partnerships", and is even being used for "test and validation purposes, including user studies for automated driving" at the larger BMW Group.

Both the Cooper E and Cooper SE are set to reach Singapore by the earlier part of Q3 this year. While the volatility of COE premiums makes predicting the future hard, Sgcarmart also understands that the starting prices for the model are likely to fall within similar territory of that for the outgoing MINI Electric.