There aren’t many sub-compact fully electric crossover vehicles you can buy right now in the U.S. In fact, you have the Chevy Bolt EUV and not much else. The regular Bolt EV isn’t a crossover, while the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, while somewhat sub-compact, is still a larger vehicle compared to this upcoming Aceman from Mini.
The Aceman is actually about the same size as a Chevy Bolt EV, believe it or not. About 160 inches in length, with a 102.5-inch-long wheelbase. It’s exactly the same size as the Bolt EV, albeit not as tall. That’s where the similarities end though, because the Aceman features a completely different body style and design philosophy, and it’s a premium product, unlike the Chevy.
America doesn’t really do small cars all that well, which reflects in how buyers tend to approach their purchases. If it wasn’t for Japanese carmakers and their imports back in the day, the public would have probably never even considered anything smaller than a Taurus. Still, the likes of the Corolla, Civic and the MX-5 Miata made it cool to be small – and if not cool, then at least acceptable.
With that in mind, I reckon that the 2025 Mini Aceman will be at least that (acceptable) if not more. It features clever packaging solutions (four doors, large tailgate, room for 5 passengers) and a 54.2 kWh battery, same as the 2025 Mini Cooper SE electric hot hatch.
This means we can expect 215 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque on tap, to go with a sub-7-second 0-60 time and a range of about 250 miles – probably a little less for the Aceman seeing as how it’s larger and heavier than the Cooper SE.
As for what we can ascertain in terms of styling, well, this rendering by Kolesa does a great job capturing what’s likely to be found underneath the Aceman’s heavy camouflage. The headlight/taillight design is final, and the overall design language seems to be legit.
Photo: Kolesa
I’m actually worried the real product won’t look as good as this rendering, but that all depends on the vertical design line that goes from behind the headlight to the bottom of the front splitter. It gives the Aceman a sort of rugged appearance when viewed from a front ¾ angle. If the production-ready car won’t feature this design element, then it will look a little less aggressive and therefore less appealing.
Wait a minute, did you say 250 miles of range?
Oh, I’m sorry, you’re right. I definitely glossed over the range issue by immediately moving on to discuss the styling.
No matter how pretty the production-spec Aceman ends up being, the fact remains that 250 miles of range (if that) is not a lot. Add cold weather to the mix, and maybe some spirited driving from time to time, and you end up with an A to B type of vehicle best suited for touring the city. Maybe a solid Uber driver’s car.
I don’t think that’s what Mini intends though, and they might be caught off-guard by the demand, or lack thereof, if the range does indeed prove to be insufficient.
The thing is, at the end of the day the Tesla Model 3 is just too reasonably priced, has better range and isn’t too big a car for those who feel the need to drive something that isn’t intimidating size-wise. Let’s wish Mini the best of luck on this one.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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