Although the Countryman SUV is the biggest seller this year in the Czech Republic, many people know the Mini brand mainly because of the Cooper. Its fourth generation is now coming to the Czech market, but only the electric version is new. The “only” gasoline model has undergone a major upgrade. Aktuálně.cz editors were able to test both types of driving directly in the car’s homeland: on city streets.
It is the city that remains the natural limit for the British crab. Although it is also made with five doors, the three-door group fits the Mini historically much better. And unlike five-door, it is offered not only with gasoline, but also with electric drive. A sharp John Cooper Works version will soon get the same option. According to David Haidinger, the spokesman of the office of the Czech representative of the brand, it will arrive first before the end of the year with a gasoline engine and then at the beginning of the next year with an electric drive.
However, do not be fooled by the pictures, although the gray car is similar to the JCW version, in fact it only has an optical package (one of the three you can have a Mini). At heart, it’s a regular electric version of the Cooper SE. It is the stronger of the two offers with a power of 160 kW and also a larger battery with a usable capacity of 49.2 kWh. In addition to a longer range, up to 402 km on paper, it will also charge faster with a maximum power of 95 kW.
The basic Cooper E has 135 kW and a battery with a usable capacity of 36.6 kWh, which is enough for a range of 305 km. You can then charge with direct current with a maximum output of 70 kW, alternative current is 11 kW for both cars. The advantage of the British hatchback is still a fairly good weight by the standards of electric cars: 1615 kilos for the E version and 1680 kilos for the SE version. But the gasoline model is still significantly lighter.
Not only because it is less than 3.9 meters long, but the electric version is very suitable for city traffic. Instantaneous power supply is already an evergreen in electric cars, but the electric Mini can be controlled with a single pedal. Recovery can then be set in three different intensities, or it can be turned off completely. Single pedal control takes some getting used to, but in many situations it can be quite simple.
The internal combustion Cooper does not offer such advantages, but on the other hand, it is an advantage that you can fill it “full” in a few minutes. But when you switch directly from the electric version to gasoline, in our case the two-liter Cooper S, the differences in the behavior of city traffic are immediately visible. Trust me, you will miss the instant power boost in some situations.
At the same time, this is nothing against the Gasoline version, two-liter works better with the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic. Unlike some other Mini cars, it lacks the usual lag after pressing the gas pedal. We did not measure the consumption of one or the other version because of the shortcuts, we will focus on them in the classic weekly test.
The gasoline Mini is offered as a Cooper C with a three-cylinder engine with an output of 115 kW, or a Cooper S with a four-cylinder engine with an output of 150 kW. Both versions have the same seven-speed automatic. That said, the petrol Mini sits on the same base as its predecessor, meaning it’s slightly longer and narrower than its electric successor on a completely new platform. Although the designers tried to unify the design of the two cars, there were still some differences to be found.
The electric platform is made by BMW together with the Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall, and the car is also being shipped from China to Europe. According to Haidinger, it has no effect on prices (yet), but BMW’s position is that it does not agree with the introduction of tariffs. The gasoline Mini is made in Oxford, where the last electric one will move from 2026. It must be said that BMW decided on this long before taxes were introduced.
Although the electric version has an attractive price, the petrol Mini is still cheaper. Cooper C starts at 670,800 kroner, Cooper S at 780,000 kroner. The electric Cooper E costs 795,600 kroner, and the Cooper SE costs 904,800 kroner. It must be said that the equipment of each version is rich, the basic features include monitoring of blind spots, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, two-zone automatic air conditioning or a round screen with built-in navigation , which also replaces alarm clocks.
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2024-08-17 04:32:49
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