► Mini’s smallest e-SUV gets JCW’d
► 258hp in boost mode
► Punishing ride
It would appear the hot compact electric SUV is a thing now, and the Mini John Cooper Works Aceman has arrived at just the right time for an almighty scrap.
The Aceman JCW shares its motor and battery with the three-door JCW Electric that was released at the same time. It’s by no means the fastest thing in the class, that honour goes to the wild twin motor Volvo EX30, but the JCW is half a second down on the Abarth 600e and Alfa Junior Veloce twins.
Straight line speed has never really been Mini’s thing, so perhaps more importantly the chassis gets a tickle. Sadly, there’s no traction-boosting slippy diff as the Aceman JCW remains front-wheel drive.
Is there enough Mini magic to trouble the class best, or is it another unyielding skateboard like the JCW Electric? I’ve spent a few days with an Aceman JCW to find out. If you want to know more about CAR’s testing processes, have a look at our how we test page.
At a glance
Pros: Brisk performance, agile on sports tyres, appealing-looking interior
Cons: Bouncy ride, small boot, armfuls of torquesteer
What’s new?
Much like the three-door JCW Electric, the Aceman gets a tough-looking JCW body kit, bigger 19-inch wheels, liberal JCW badging, and a red roof, mirror caps and brake calipers as standard. Inside are black knitted fabric inserts on the dash and doors with a chequered flag pattern, and black sports seats. You’ll be hard pressed to tell it apart from a regular Aceman in Sport trim, though.
Crucially, there’s a more powerful electric motor that gets its own boost paddle on the back of the steering wheel. This boosts power by 27bhp and gives you the headline power figure you’ll see splashed all over the advertising material with a small asterisk next to it. The suspension has also been given the John Cooper Works makeover, and you get the choice of eco-biased tyres for range, or sports tyres for keener handling.
What are the specs?
Power climbs by about 40bhp compared to a regular Aceman SE, giving the JCW 254bhp and 250Ib ft of torque if you’ve pulled the boost paddle. 0-62mph takes a respectable 6.4 seconds and it runs out of puff at 124mph.
There’s no small battery version of the JCW, so total capacity sits at 54.2kWh with an official combined WLTP range of up to 242 miles. Neither the Abarth or the Alfa will go as far officially, although expect around 200 miles in the real world. 95kW is your maximum rapid charging rate, giving a 10-80% time of 31 minutes.
The maximum AC charging rate is 11kW giving a five and a half hour charge time. Add a couple more for a typical 7.4kW wallbox.
What’s it like to drive?
Unless you’ve just got out of the diabolically firm JCW Electric hatch, the Aceman JCW feels very stiffly sprung. Previously Minis have got away with firm springing thanks to deft damping, but it just comes across as bouncy here. especially on the crumbling urban roads Acemans should be perfect for.
Things improve with speed, just not enough. You’re always aware of the car fidgeting beneath you and the raised seating position exacerbates noticeable head toss both side to side and front to back. I know it’s supposed to be sporty, but a Porsche 911 GT3 shouldn’t be more comfortable than a lightly spiced electric crossover.
Despite having no limited-slip differential and power being obviously throttled if you hammer it from a standstill, torquesteer is plentiful and requires a firm hand on the wheel at times. Surprisingly, there’s less in the Abarth or Alfa despite those SUVs having far superior LSD-supplied traction, and things only get worse in the JCW if you flick the boost paddle.
As the Aceman JCW isn’t a big fan of mid-corner bumps, you’ll need to find some smooth squiggly bits to really explore what the chassis is capable of. Despite weighing over 1800kg with someone behind the wheel, some fun can be had thanks to a neutral balance and good grip from the sports tyres of my test car.
The steering isn’t quite as comically heavy as other Minis I’ve tried, giving reassuring weight that seems appropriate for the size of car, and the rack is pleasingly quick whilst providing a little bit of feel. Coupled to brakes that don’t feel as unpleasant as some botched attempts at blending regen and friction, and this could be quite a fun little SUV.
As for range, I’ve been averaging 3.7 miles per kWh over a couple of hundred miles including a long motorway, dual carriageway and national speed limit run. That’s a calculated summer range of 182 miles on roads that don’t suit EVs, so over 200 on slower roads should be easy. That puts it usefully ahead of the Abarth 600e.
What’s it like inside?
The interior is lifted almost wholesale from the JCW Electric, just with a much loftier roofline that suits the higher driving position an underfloor battery forces. I like the pin sharp circular touchscreen with its responsive software and appealing animations, but there are just not enough buttons and switches for things like the heating.
Space is much better than in a Mini hatch, but that’s not saying much. The boot is a piffling 300 litres, and rear seat space is much tighter than in other compact e-SUVs such as the Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq. Perhaps the Aceman’s biggest selling point is that it’s the only way to get a compact electric Mini with five doors.
If you’d like to know more about the variable quality and disappointing smartphone mirroring, have a look at our main Mini Aceman review.
Before you buy
You’ll pay an extra £2,000 over the three-door JCW hatch to get the bigger but ultimately slower Aceman JCW. Like the hatch, the normally optional Level 1 pack is standard, giving you adaptive LED headlights, keyless entry, heated front seats, and crucially a head-up display so your speed is displayed in front of you.
Level 2 adds a panoramic sunroof and a stereo upgrade to the mix, but the real luxury items like electric seats, semi-autonomous driving, and parking assistance plus are part of the near-£4k Level 3 pack. At least you get a choice of wheel designs as standard, and stripes are included, too. Even so, you can easily spend over £40k on an Aceman JCW.
Verdict
We were not blown away by the regular Aceman, and we find this one even harder to recommend. The extra pace creates way too much torquesteer compared to the already brisk regular Aceman SE, and it’s not like the JCW is loads more fun despite the uncompromising ride.
Personally, I’d be looking at an Abarth 600e for its bigger boot, more liveable ride and better traction, although you certainly won’t be getting a premium interior there. It’s still tight in the back, so I’d recommend waiting for the Skoda Elroq vRS. Hopefully that’ll offer the right blend of space, pace and everyday pleasantness.