Mini John Cooper Works Aceman review

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Mini turns up the wick on its electric-only compact SUV

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“Confident driving on unknown roads”. This message popped into the Mini Aceman JCW's head-up-display during our test. 

It’s nearly beautiful, almost like a haiku or a sonnet. Was the Mini being complimentary or a bit pass-agg? Perhaps it’s a sort of polite Britishness born of the Aceman’s Oxford roots, or maybe a case of ‘lost in translation’ from where the car is actually built, 5000 miles east of Cowley in Zhangjiagang, China.

Mini loves a pack. You’ll need to spring for at least Level 1 to get heated seats and a head-up display.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

Either way, it’s an oddly polite ode for such a little tearaway. The JCW Mini Aceman uses the same powertrain as the Mini JCW Electric.

That means a single motor, front-wheel drive and 255bhp. It can manage 0-62mph in 6.4sec, so around half a second slower than the Mini JCW but nearly a second quicker than the next quickest Aceman. 

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DESIGN & STYLING

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mini aceman jcw 002

Painted brake calipers, red, white and black (like a chequered flag) JCW logos, gloss black side skirts, diffusers, 19-inch wheels and a rear spoiler are tell-tale signs this is a JCW product.

But then again, you can make a regular Mini Aceman look like this too, with a JCW styling pack. 

Telling apart a Mini with a JCW styling pack and a proper Mini JCW is very hard.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

INTERIOR

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mini aceman jcw 015

Inside, save for the sports seats and red and black detailing, it’s very similar to the regular Aceman. 

You still sit high up and you still get a captain’s chair (very upright with a large, firm armrest). Its 24cm circular infotainment screen is bright, clear and easy to use, and it has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But it houses nearly everything, including the heating controls.

It's a lot more design-led and fun than with many of its rivals.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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mini aceman jcw 003

A Smart #1 with a motor on each axle does 0-62mph in under four seconds. But it’s just a bit, well, so what? You’d do it once then never bother again, because it isn’t actually that rewarding to drive. Whereas the Aceman is a proper piece of kit. 

New for JCW is a boost function. It’s a fun little paddle on the left-hand side of the steering wheel. You need to be in John Cooper Works mode (née Go-Kart mode), and it unleashes an additional 27bhp for 10 seconds. 

For actual fun I’d choose a rambunctious front-wheel-drive Mini over a four-wheel-drive twin-motor something-or-other any time.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

This is the only way to deploy the car’s full 255bhp. You get a fun little countdown clock, and I did notice a bit more oomph when using it, especially from low speeds. Confusingly, you can just spam the rocker switch and get the countdown forever. 

So I think you could access the car’s full power all of the time, but it would be tiresome doing so. It’s not like it’s slow without it. Speed dulls after 60mph, but you certainly wouldn’t wince at overtakes on the motorway.

RIDE & HANDLING

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mini aceman jcw 004

Squat, somewhat inelastic, a bit gauche. Its athletic gait is super-grippy on the right, smooth roads, but if you find some imperfections that grip is replaced by good old-fashioned torque steer. 

This is actually kind of endearing in a #throwwbackthursday kind of way, but I wonder if this would grate in real-life ownership. The steering just off the straight-ahead isn’t too jumpy (inherited from its slower Aceman brethren), meaning it’s good for motorway work. But once you’re past that initial movement and feed in a bit of lock it can become a bit unsteady.

Braking is strong, easy to modulate and consistent. Although the brake pedal can be a bit soft.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

Ride? This is perhaps where it gets most interesting. The heavier big-battery Aceman actually rides better than the lighter model with the small battery. And this JCW Aceman isn’t actually night-and-day worse-riding than the standard Aceman. Although that perhaps says more about that car’s harsh ride than it does about this one.

Both Mini JCW and Aceman JCW get a new suspension set-up that includes more negative camber on the front wheels. It’s very aggressive. In the three-door, it's too aggressive for my liking.

But the Aceman, with its longer suspension travel, actually works this set-up a bit better. The three-door can be a real challenge to keep on the straight and narrow, such is its hunger for almost actively seeking ruts and bumps and consequently chomping right through them. The Aceman just seems to be less drawn to the crappy bits of roads. And it is then less tied-down when it does negotiate them. 

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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A 49.2kWh (net) battery and 3.8mpkWh combine for a WLTP range of 214 miles. Max charging is 95kW for DC and 11kW for AC. 

Those numbers aren't that impressive at all, really. DC charging time from 0-80% is 31 minutes, while AC from 0-100% is five hours and 30 minutes. Its rivals offer more range and faster charging.

I averaged just over 3.0mpkWh. On short hops around town it will likely get close to the WLTP.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

VERDICT

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It turns out that the Mini’s cryptic message on the head-up display only appears when you’re pushing on. Something to do with the lane-keeping assist and ignoring it too much when cornering over white lines.

If I was to return the favour, something like ‘not enough battery, likely only to be useful as a second car’ would appear on its HUD.

A niche choice. Not bad, just niche.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

The 200-ish mile range and lack of fast charging (or 22kw charging) is something you can’t ignore. It relegates this SUV to second-car use only, which is a dangerous place to be in for something so tall and family-shaped. 

A three-door Mini you can kind of forgive as a second, fun car, but an SUV? It's a stretch. 

Which is a shame, because this JCW perhaps makes more sense than the three door. Ultimately the Aceman JCW is probably 75-80% as much fun as the three-door JCW, while also being larger, more practical and about 50% more comfortable in the real world. But it isn’t quite special enough to justify being a weekend-only car.

Murray Scullion

Murray Scullion
Title: Digital editor

Murray has been a journalist for more than a decade. During that time he’s written for magazines, newspapers and websites, but he now finds himself as Autocar’s digital editor.

He leads the output of the website and contributes to all other digital aspects, including the social media channels, podcasts and videos. During his time he has reviewed cars ranging from £50 - £500,000, including Austin Allegros and Ferrari 812 Superfasts. He has also interviewed F1 megastars, knows his PCPs from his HPs and has written, researched and experimented with behavioural surplus and driverless technology.

Murray graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in Journalism in 2014 and has previously written for Classic Car Weekly, Modern Classics Magazine, buyacar.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and CAR Magazine, as well as carmagazine.co.uk.