Our cars Aiming for the double-ton Longer trips and more efficiency for our Mini Aceman. Mini Aceman Sport SE
P11D £39,745 Price as tested £42,900 Official range 244 miles Our average consumption 3.0 miles/kWh Mileage 1,820
chunky-styled B-segment crossover. I wonder if the performance John Cooper Works model will pique interest? I was still asked a couple of questions on the day – mostly from other Mini owners about it. Anyway, we all had a fun time looking at the feast of exotic and rarely-seen cars on show inside the event. My son found that this Mini’s boot lip also makes a good seat whilst eating lunch, but we were all tired by then and decided to head for home early afternoon – with no issues on the way back.
Martyn Collins
I’m a Mini fan, but I don’t just like current models like our Aceman SE – I like the early models that reestablished the brand, such as the first R50 hatch, launched in the summer of 2001.
I feel I’m lucky to own one of the earliest Coopers and like to get out and show it when I can. However, sadly it has been plagued with electrical gremlins this year. I booked my first show of 2025 a while back, the Bicester Sunday Scramble, and was hoping that after lots of work it would still be able to make the trip to Oxford in late
April. Sadly, when alternator issues sidelined my car, the only alternative if I wanted to travel in a Mini, was to take the Aceman. A quick wash removed all the pollen and dust, restoring the Legend Grey paint to its best, the night before. Then, after a cool night on my Ohme charger, the result was 180 miles - still short of its WLTP figure, but more than enough for the 94-mile round trip. While the sun was out, it was a surprisingly cold, early start for a
Why we’re running it
To see how Mini’s mid-size crossover works for fleet.
Sunday when I twisted the Aceman SE’s starter. The heated steering wheel and seat presets still being welcomed by my son and me. By flicking to ‘Efficiency’ mode, this Mini surprised me by increasing to 184 miles, which was welcome. Despite having to wait longer than I’d have liked for my children -– who aren’t used to early starts on a Sunday, I was still able to make the most of the range, and quiet Sunday morning roads.
My son and I were able to enjoy the comfort of the sports seats in the front, and the punchy performance of the Harman Kardon stereo that’s included in the Level 3 pack fitted to our car. Meanwhile, my daughter had enough space to stretch out in the back, and was able to capture some extra needed sleep.
An hour-and-a-half, and no dramas later, the Aceman rolled into Bicester Heritage’s sprawling estate, and parked with the other wide and varied selection of cars whose owners were attending the Scramble. I was pleased with the efficiency, as we still had over 150 miles of range left.
Could this be the only Aceman at the Scramble? Well, despite seeing more on my travels, I couldn’t find any more of the
44 | May/June 2025 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
One other Aceman styling observation, is this Mini’s flat and vertical nose, like the windscreen, seems to be a magnet for flies in hot weather – we shall have to watch this as we head into the summer months. With most of my other trips being local, because I took some holiday to DIY at home, the Mini’s other longest trip this month has been an airport run. I was pleased, and surprised, to see a 192-mile range. I think it was mostly the result of a mini heatwave (excuse the pun!) at the end of April in the UK, as I was beginning to think late-180 mile figures were all the Aceman was capable of! With the weather hopefully warming up in the last three months with us, I’m keen to see how much more range this Mini will be capable of.
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