TEST: MINI Aceman JCW E: The hidden ace up his sleeve

The Aceman fills the gap between the smaller Cooper and the larger Countryman in Mini's range, both in terms of price and size, and this time we tested it in the most potent version, which proudly bears the badge of John Cooper's former workshop - JCW.

Base price: €46.250
Price of the test vehicle: €50.701

In its not-so-distant history, Mini has already tried to fill the gap in its range with the Clubman and Paceman models – the latter of which you may not even know about due to its disappointing sales results, while the Clubman received a bit more love from fans of the brand. Enough love that it lived to see its second generation, and Mini only stopped its assembly lines last year. This created a space on the market for a Mini that is no longer so mini – and thus the Aceman was born, which we had the opportunity to meet this time.

Unlike previous Mini attempts in this segment, the Aceman engineers have taken a much less radical approach, without reinventing the wheel in terms of doors – by which we mean the Clubman’s gullwing tailgate and the Paceman’s SUV/coupe design. The Aceman has none of the aforementioned, but it still stands out visually in the Mini model range as well as among virtually all the cars on our roads – especially in the black and red color combination of our test sample. Despite the fact that the Aceman is basically a rather angular car, it will still visually give the impression that it is quite dynamic – and the appearance does not deceive, but we will get to that later. The boxy base is also complemented by 19-inch wheels, which are exclusive to the JCW version of the Aceman, and add an additional sporty impression to the whole.

Inside, the story is similar to other Mini models, but here the German-Chinese-English engineers have made some changes, especially in the area of ​​ergonomics. The most obvious change will become noticeable after the first closing or opening of the doors - the Aceman has large, vertical "bumps" on the door panels, which serve as handles for easier opening and closing of the doors. A rather pleasant solution that pleasantly diversify the interior, but a slightly less pleasant solution is the position of the door handles themselves, which are placed a little too low (below the knee). We were also confused by the position of the projection screen, which does not project information into the driver's field of vision, but rather displays the information on the top of the dashboard. But these are things that you get used to after a few days of driving. As we are used to with Mini, the interior is full of interesting details - everything from the fabric strip on the steering wheel to the retro switch for starting the vehicle.

One of the key elements of the interior is, of course, the 8,4-inch round screen, through which the driver controls virtually the entire vehicle. The interface itself does require some getting used to due to the huge amount of information, and during our test we encountered some responsiveness issues. This surprised us, as we know from experience that the processor unit in other Mini models is fast enough that such problems usually do not occur. Here, however, we can turn a blind eye and assume that the problem is only in the software and can be fixed with an update.

The Aceman is the first Mini model to be built on an all-electric platform, giving it a special status in the model range. To achieve this goal, the Bavarian-English engineers joined forces with the largest powerhouse in the field of electromobility – China. Despite the fact that each of the listed nations is known for its technological achievements, the Aceman as their fruit is not as impressive, at least in terms of the powertrain, as you would expect from the giants involved. 250 horsepower and 330 Nm of torque may sound like quite impressive figures for a car that measures just under four meters in length, but when we take into account the 1.725-kilogram weight of the car, we soon realize that the Aceman JCW E is a fast machine, but it is not brutal in any sense of the word. To "release all the horses", however, you need to press the "boost" pedal on the steering wheel, which leaves the electric shepherd open for 10 seconds, at which point the Aceman will launch to a hundred in 6,4 seconds. The "boost" function is always easy and fun to use, which are the main reasons why I used it more times during the gathering than I would like to admit.

The battery pack with a net capacity of 49,2 kWh ensures that all the horses can be fed, which is quite modest for today's electric car market. Optimists will say that Mini has managed to achieve a total vehicle weight that is not extremely high with a small battery, which is basically true, but pessimists will claim that this results in a (too) big compromise in terms of range, which is unfortunately also true. In the test, we achieved a consumption of around twenty kilowatt hours per hundred kilometers, which is enough for a range of just under 250 km - if you regularly drive on the motorway or have adopted a rather heavy right leg after a miserable day at work, you will have to count on a good 200 kilometers. The relatively small battery nevertheless allows for a relatively small impact on charging speeds, despite the relatively weak charging power. The Aceman charges with direct current at a maximum speed of 95 kW, which is quite low for a car in this price range, but still enough to charge from 20 to 80 percent in just under half an hour. This is achieved, among other things, thanks to the surprisingly favorable charging power curve, as the Aceman charges with 70 kW of power even when the battery is 70 percent full. Charging with alternating current is completely standard with 11 kW of power.

Since we are testing the most potent version of the Aceman, which bears the checkered flag with the inscription "John Cooper Works" in several places on the exterior, a few more words should also be devoted to how the car performs where it was designed to be - in bends. And here we can actually only praise the road position - the firm, sporty suspension combined with a low center of gravity ensures that the Aceman enters bends extremely confidently and easily, without any tilting. We have to admit that we enjoyed the bends with it more than with the Cooper, although those conservative motorists will disagree with me here. Nevertheless, it turns out that all the power that the Aceman has at its disposal is quite a big bite for the front axle. In practice, it often happens that 330 Nm of instant torque is simply too much for the front axle, as a result, the nose of the car dances a lot when you confidently apply the gas, and the steering wheel is pulled out of the driver's hands. Fortunately, the powertrain allows for very smooth power delivery, which can greatly limit the aforementioned dancing, but this requires a bit of driving knowledge and good old-fashioned feel. The steering mechanism itself is precise, but still more indirect than the one in the smaller (and cheaper) Cooper, and it also offers less feedback. Sportiness often takes its toll on comfort, where the Aceman JCW E also had to dig quite deep into its pocket. It soon becomes clear that in cities or even on poorer side roads, the chassis feels much too firm, and bumps – especially those in short succession – are transmitted to the interior a bit too directly.

The Aceman is a step up from the Cooper, so it should be more useful – and it is, although we must not forget that we are still talking about a Mini. The trunk, at 300 liters, is 90 liters larger than the three-door and 25 liters larger than the five-door Cooper, and the relatively large opening of the correct shape also helps, but the loading lip is (too) high. There is not much head or legroom in the back seat, but the situation there is still better than in the five-door Cooper. I myself had problems with getting in and out of the back seat with my rather large feet, because the short rear doors quickly turn getting in and out of it into a not very watchable gymnastic exercise.

It's crystal clear that the Aceman is not a car for everyone. With its angular yet cute looks and typical Mini-like playful interior combined with playful driving characteristics, it seems perfect for more extroverted people who want a car that is a statement of their personality in itself. Whether it will follow in similar footsteps to the Paceman and Clubman that it replaces, only time will tell, but the fact remains that the Aceman in the JCW E version is a damn powerful machine, which also has its quirks. One of the quirks is the price - with our test specimen with all possible additional equipment, the price rises to €50.701, but if you can do without some of the goodies of our test specimen, the Aceman JCW E can be yours for €46.250.

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