First Look: the Electric J01 MINI Cooper E With Photo Gallery
The electric J01 MINI Cooper is a watershed moment for the brand. It’s the first ever dedicated electric vehicle from MINI and one that ushers in an entirely new era of design and technology for the brand. While we’ve seen a lot of the higher-end Cooper SE, we haven’t gotten a look at the base Cooper E. Until now.
We’re looking at the all new MINI Cooper E with the Classic Trim finished in vibrant Sunny Side Yellow. In this trim level, the surfaces of the cockpit are covered with two-tone black and blue knit material. The seats are finished in Vescin and are available in gray or black with a perforated houndstooth pattern.
Cooper E Performance
As the entry point for the range, the Cooper E has a smaller 40.7 kWh (compared to the in the Cooper SE’s 54.2 kWh) which delivers 305 kilometers (190 miles) in the WLTP test cycle. This is down from the 402 km (250 miles) in the SE. Both offer the same charging speed – 28 minutes of charging with a DC output of up to 75 kW is enough to charge the MINI Cooper E battery from 10 to 80 percent.
The 135 kW/184 hp electric drive can access the maximum torque of 290 Nm at any time allowing for 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds. That’s off but not by much from the Cooper SE’s 6.7 seconds.
For an exhaustive view of the specifications of the Cooper E and how it compares with the J01 Cooper SE and the previous F56 Cooper SE, check out our exclusive look at specifications below.
| Models | J01 Cooper E | J01 Cooper SE | F56 Cooper SE | J05 Aceman SE |
| Power | 184 hp | 218 hp | 181 hp | 218 hp |
| Torque | 214 lb-ft | 243 lb-ft | 199 lb-ft | 243 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 1 speed | 1 speed | 1 speed | 1 speed |
| 0-100 kp/h or 0-60 mph | 7.3 sec (0-62 mph) | 6.7 sec (0-62 mph) | 7.2 sec (0-60 mph) | TBA |
| Range | 190 miles | 250 miles | 140 miles | TBA |
| Battery Size | 40.7 kWh | 54.2 kWh | 32.6 kWh | 54.2 kWh |
| Length (mm/inches) | 3858 mm / 151.8 in | 3858 mm / 151.8 in | 3850 mm / 151.5 in | 4079 mm / 161 in |
| Width w/o Mirros (mm/inches) | 1756 mm / 69 in | 1756 mm / 69 in | 1727 mm / 68 in | 1754 mm / 69 in |
| Height (mm) | 1460 mm / 57 in | 1460 mm / 57 in | 1432 mm / 56.4 in | 1514 mm / 59.6 in |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2526 mm / 99 in | 2526 mm / 99 in | 2495 mm / 98.2 in | 2606 mm / 102.6 in |
| Curb weight (kg/lbs) | 1540 kg / 3395 lbs | 1605 kg / 3,538 lbs | 1440 kg / 3175 lbs | 1710 kg / 3,770 lbs |
| Weight distribution (Front/Rear) | F 58% / R 42% | F 57% / R 43% | F 54% / R 46% | TBD |
| Front Overhang | 746 mm / 29.3 in | 746 mm / 29.3 in | 757 mm / 29.8 | 756 mm / 29.8 in |
| Rear Overhang | 586 mm / 23 in | 586 mm / 23 in | 681 mm / 26.8 in | 717 mm / 28.2 in |
| Luggage capacity (seats up/seats down | 210 / 800 L | 210 / 800 L | 211 / 941 L | 450 / 1450 L |
The Cooper E starts at €32,900 in Germany or £30,000 in the UK. The first reviews should hit in April with sales beginning in May.
You could tell a Cooper from a Cooper S certain visual cues… whether there was a hood scoop, single or dual exhaust, the grill styling, etc. Are there going to be any similar visual differences between the Cooper S and Cooper SE (beyond configuration options like exclusive colors), or will it now all be “under the hood”?
Is it just me or does it look like the Cooper is slowly morphing into a 2016 VW Beetle Sport (at least from the front)? It’s the revenge of the German bubble cars from the 1950’s! Maybe it’s the yellow color?
I like that shade of yellow. It’s nice and vibrant, not washed out and pastel. Not a color I would pay for, as I prefer BRG, Chili Red, Blazing Blue, or Melting Silver, but I’m glad it’s available.
It’s seems strange that the height, width, and wheelbase of the new MINI Cooper E and SE are all slightly greater than the old SE (front and rear overhangs notwithstanding), but the boot/trunk spaces are significantly smaller at 800L vs 941L.
I thought if you made an EV from the ground up it would maximize the space because of the removal of transmission tunnel. These newer EVs don’t have froots/frunks, do they? Maybe all of the space was added to the passenger area or to make way for larger batteries?
I still very much dislike the armrest. I notice they fixed it in the F66, centered it, made it not just added onto the side of the drivers seat. It’s very very odd that it would be different between the two as the seats look nearly identical except for that. Maybe my eye deceive me and it’s the same, bit it’s still a bad design in my book.
I go over this in one of the videos. The F66 has the U25 Countryman’s seats and center console layout due to the dimensional similarities.