Johannesburg - The all-electric Mini Cooper SE is expected to touch down in South Africa before the end of this year, but the company has already detailed the pricing and specifications on its website.
According to the latest price list, Mini’s first electric car will cost R642 000 in ‘Trim S’ form, while the flagship ‘Trim L’ will set you back R722 000.
Both Cooper SE models are powered by a front-mounted electric motor that produces 135kW and 270Nm. It is fed by 12 lithium ion batteries mounted in the vehicle’s floor, and to prevent them from intruding on passenger and boot space, they’re mounted beneath the front and rear seats. Despite the extra weight of the batteries (and they can be really heavy) the Cooper SE weighs just 145kg more than the Cooper S equivalent.
In performance terms this is of course no Tesla rival, but Mini does claim a rather decent 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.3 seconds, and remember that the motor’s torque is available instantly.
How far between charges? Here Mini claims a driving range of 217km.
What spec do you get for your money?
In spec terms, the base Trim S comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, striped cloth seats, automatic air conditioning, cruise control, multifunction steering wheel and rear park distance control. Infotainment comes in the form of Mini’s 16.5cm ‘Connected Navigation’ touchscreen system with CarPlay connectivity and ConnectedDrive services.
The Trim L brings fancier infotainment in the form of Mini’s ‘Connected Navigation Plus’ system with a 22.3cm screen, 12-speaker harman/kardon premium sound system and wireless phone charging.
The flagship model also gains 17-inch ‘Power Stroke’ alloy wheels, leather seats, head-up display, Driving Assistant, Parking Assistant, cruise control with brake function, front park distance control, reverse camera, Comfort Access and front armrests.
Both models are sold with a five-year/100 000km Motorplan maintenance contract, although with electric motors you’re not going to need much in the way of maintenance.