Okay, here is a confession. It is that I have never driven a go-kart. These little machines are what many a single-seater race champion claims to have cut his racing teeth on. And it is something that Mini has forever said is how their cars handle — go-karts are supposed to have superlative levels of grip and handling. Now if Mini is right, then they are the closest that I have come to experiencing go-karts. The latest one being the Mini Cooper SE electric vehicle, which was launched in India a couple of months ago in May.

THE EXTERIORS

Now the Cooper SE isn’t built on the underpinnings of an electric vehicle. It is structurally the same as the internal combustion engine (ICE) three-door Minis that has had the electric powertrain installed in it. So it looks pretty much like the ICE cars with the absence of the tailpipe and main front air intake, but there’s a small one low down.

There is a yellow ‘E’ badge on the rear hatch door. And that is pretty much it (the green reg plates too, but that’s not designed by Mini) that tells you this is an EV. Except the wheels, that is. These come with a funky asymmetrical design that is supposed to be inspired by the design of the British three-pin plug socket and is ringed by a yellow circle. Geeky.

This look of the Mini has evolved over the last two decades or so and we liked the fact that it has now moved more towards the cheeky looks of the original that that added to its sense of chutzpah rather than the more snarly looks with prominent air intakes all over the front that came about a decade or so ago. The proportions remain unmistakably Mini and the usual Union Jack tail lamps and all remain. The original SE was even less aggressive looking, but this one does pretty well too.

1. In profile, the Cooper SE is a classic Mini with funky wheels; 2. The interiors are snug and sporty and everything is where you expect them to be; 3. The rear seat is alright for children or can be folded down to create luggage space; 4. The four driving modes are differentiated by the different coloured lights around the touchscreen; 5. The digital instrument panel is clear and purposeful and gives out the readings clearly; 6. The SE comes with a panoramic sunroof: 7&8. The front seats are adjustable in many ways but all of them have to be done manually; 9. The front console still has easy-to-use switchgear but USB 2.0 and USB-C ports have been added; 10. It still has only Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto; 11. There is a wireless charger now; 12. The rear view again fits the Mini archetype

THE INTERIORS

This, too, is signature Mini. And we like the fact that so far they have not moved everything onto a touchscreen and have retained the switch and button hardware. The seats are very sporty with a lot of bolstering and support that would encourage drivers to stay in shape. It can be adjusted for height, incline, thigh support and position but everything is manual. The rear seats would be all right for children or one could fold them down to extend the luggage space, but there’s a panoramic sunroof. This is effectively a two-seater that can fit in two more at a pinch.

THE POWERTRAIN

The Cooper SE comes with a 184hp motor that delivers a maximum torque of 270Nm. That is good enough to take it from a standing start to 100 kmph in 7.3 seconds. And all this in near total silence. It has a battery that has been packed into what was designed as the ICE car’s exhaust pipe tunnel and under the rear seat and has a capacity of 32.6kWh and a driving range of up to a claimed 270km.

There are four driving modes — Sport, Mid, Green and Green+, with the first being the mode with the first one having the sharpest responses, the Mid being a sensible kind but still plenty quick, the Green being a leisurely and the Green+ conservation mode that even cuts off the aircon!

Then there are two levels of regenerative braking, Low and High (what else!). In Low, it drives more or less like an ICE car, but easier. In High, you can drive this vehicle with just the right foot if you can anticipate where you need to stop and take your foot off the accelerator in time. The car will stop on its own. Thankfully, in both modes the brake lights come on every time it goes into regen mode.

This car is a direct drive and doesn’t have a gearbox.

Charging isn’t terribly quick. With a 50 kW DC charger the battery can go to 80 per cent charge from dead in 36 minutes. With a 11kW AC charger the same takes 2.5 hours. Overnight charging is needed with a 15A AC power outlet.

THE DRIVE

One needs to remember when dealing with Indian roads is that this car is very low slung, or risk scraping the bottom on bad patches and speedbumps. Otherwise it is surprisingly nice over broken patches. We had expected it to be much less kind to our spines. The Cooper SE is excellent in the city and handles very well indeed. You can dart into and out of traffic very neatly. If you floor it, it just yanks you by your collar and hurls you forward. Very Mini we must say.

THE CALL

There are things that one must remember if buying the Cooper SE. One, the real world range is more like 150-200km if the way the charge drained is anything to go by. Two, at Rs 50.90 lakh it is pricey. Three, it works very well in the city. And it’s way more fun than a go-kart (but then I’ve never driven one of those).

Pictures by the author

The Cooper Se In Numbers

Form: Hatchback, electric vehicle with automatic transmission

LxBxH (mm): 3,845 x 1,727 x 1,414

Wheelbase (mm): 2,495

Peak power (hp): 184

Peak torque (Nm): 270

Battery (kWh): 32.6

Transmission: Direct drive

Brakes: Front disc, rear disc

Acceleration (0-100kmph): 7.3 seconds

Boot capacity (litres): 211-731

Price: Rs 50.90 lakh ex-showroom