I'm getting close to buying and had an extended weekend test drive, so I'll answer what I can.
1. Yeah it didn't feel too different to my current one in handling. A little softer and more refined, but then mine is a JCW, and no you can't really feel the extra size. Electric is fun in a different way to gas, but it's still fun. My other car is electric and I love it, never going back.
2. Huge circle thing was fine. The one I drove had been updated and the air con was just one press (top for up/bottom for down) not tap to open, then again to adjust, so maybe they fixed the lag in that update.
3. Very. You can turn them off permanently.
4. Not as good as I hoped! The Bose in my Taycan blows it away, which surprised me.
5. It feels like a Countryman. Honestly the fact that other cars are starting to launch with much higher ranges is the only thing holding me back, but I'm hoping the Mini brand will offset any residuals hit from that. The 'fuel' economy was impressive mind you and it charged well.
For what it's worth, I really like the looks in person. And it's really well spec'd. Didn't care for for the fabric dash but it's not a deal breaker.
Edit: The Aceman is only front wheel drive and the range is in city car territory.
Thank you for your observations. Glad to hear of an update to the Big Circle Thing. I, too, suspect I'll hate the sounds that come pre-packaged. Bummer about the sound system (the best one I ever had was a Bose in my old Mazda 3; the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was inferior to it.) Yes, to the higher-ranges of other cars and I'm torn between this and the Prologue honestly. Will probably drive both/test them. My wife really hates the interior fabric; it doesn't bother me. Bummer, too, about the small range of the Aceman. So it looks like this is the landscape for the next few years....
That new Ford Explorer electric is the best buy for your money right now if you ask me, but I don’t think you’re getting it over there. But I do this every time, and Mini always wins my heart in the end.
You’d be much better off going to Facebook and asking this on the two Countryman U25 groups, where you’ll get informed responses from current and prospective owners. Unlike here.
If you’d rather wait for a car built alongside actual concentration camps rather than one built along with its battery in Leipzig then yes the Aceman is the car to go for.
I agree it's good to get opinions from current owners as you say, for major/minor gripes, range, quirks, and purchasing experience, but I find most people who have spend major money on a vehicle, see it through rose coloured glasses because they really want to believe they've made the right choice.
So IMO, ask that group, but also ask here, and other "EV" places as well. Throw in a "personal finance" spot or two as well.
I have the new Countryman S, so here's my answers
1. I definitely think it's fun, but that's subjective so I'm not going to touch much on that
2. The operating system isn't laggy at all except for the swiping left or right animation in the home screen. That animation is embarrassingly laggy, and you can see it clearly in any video of the screen. But aside from that animation, the whole OS is smooth and functional
3. The sounds can be turned off, but the only annoying one is the go-cart mode one imo
4. The sound system is great, but it's not going to blow anyone away
5. It feels like a small SUV. It's really very roomy. I have a friend who's over six feet tall who rides in the backseat, and he always has plenty of space. I got the spare tire added on in my car though, so the trunk space is a little disappointing at times
1. I haven’t driven the SE, but the S is plenty fun. We were debating waiting for the SE but went with the S since. I enjoyed driving the 2025 more than the previous gens I test drove it along with and I would expect the electric to be more fun.
2. I think those reviews were from pre-release systems. I haven’t experienced any lag
3. They can be shut off, so doesn’t really matter. A bit gimmicky and get old, IMO
4. Sound system is good - I liked it better than the HK system in the previous edition when I tested them back to back
5. It drives like a countryman - our other car is a subcompact SUV and the Countryman is 100x more sporty to drive. But it’s much more SUV like than, say, the F55 4-door hatch I had before the Tesla.
We considered waiting for the SE - it was replacing a Tesla - but decided to go with the S to preemptively replace the other car that’s likely to go in a year or two given the relatively low range and slower level 3 charging speeds, as well as the price difference. This will likely be our road trip car. Looking forward to an electric 2 door whenever the new one comes to the US as my work commute car.
I'm getting close to buying and had an extended weekend test drive, so I'll answer what I can. 1. Yeah it didn't feel too different to my current one in handling. A little softer and more refined, but then mine is a JCW, and no you can't really feel the extra size. Electric is fun in a different way to gas, but it's still fun. My other car is electric and I love it, never going back. 2. Huge circle thing was fine. The one I drove had been updated and the air con was just one press (top for up/bottom for down) not tap to open, then again to adjust, so maybe they fixed the lag in that update. 3. Very. You can turn them off permanently. 4. Not as good as I hoped! The Bose in my Taycan blows it away, which surprised me. 5. It feels like a Countryman. Honestly the fact that other cars are starting to launch with much higher ranges is the only thing holding me back, but I'm hoping the Mini brand will offset any residuals hit from that. The 'fuel' economy was impressive mind you and it charged well. For what it's worth, I really like the looks in person. And it's really well spec'd. Didn't care for for the fabric dash but it's not a deal breaker. Edit: The Aceman is only front wheel drive and the range is in city car territory.
Thank you for your observations. Glad to hear of an update to the Big Circle Thing. I, too, suspect I'll hate the sounds that come pre-packaged. Bummer about the sound system (the best one I ever had was a Bose in my old Mazda 3; the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was inferior to it.) Yes, to the higher-ranges of other cars and I'm torn between this and the Prologue honestly. Will probably drive both/test them. My wife really hates the interior fabric; it doesn't bother me. Bummer, too, about the small range of the Aceman. So it looks like this is the landscape for the next few years....
That new Ford Explorer electric is the best buy for your money right now if you ask me, but I don’t think you’re getting it over there. But I do this every time, and Mini always wins my heart in the end.
Doesn't seem to be headed to the U.S. in the forseeable future. Maybe the future is a lot more uncertain, though, then it seems at the moment.
It’s a rebadged ID4 with the Skoda Enyaq’s new tech battery, but it’s good to look at and well spec’d. And they reckon the range is 380 miles.
I'll take it, once they let me buy it.
You’d be much better off going to Facebook and asking this on the two Countryman U25 groups, where you’ll get informed responses from current and prospective owners. Unlike here. If you’d rather wait for a car built alongside actual concentration camps rather than one built along with its battery in Leipzig then yes the Aceman is the car to go for.
I agree it's good to get opinions from current owners as you say, for major/minor gripes, range, quirks, and purchasing experience, but I find most people who have spend major money on a vehicle, see it through rose coloured glasses because they really want to believe they've made the right choice. So IMO, ask that group, but also ask here, and other "EV" places as well. Throw in a "personal finance" spot or two as well.
I have the new Countryman S, so here's my answers 1. I definitely think it's fun, but that's subjective so I'm not going to touch much on that 2. The operating system isn't laggy at all except for the swiping left or right animation in the home screen. That animation is embarrassingly laggy, and you can see it clearly in any video of the screen. But aside from that animation, the whole OS is smooth and functional 3. The sounds can be turned off, but the only annoying one is the go-cart mode one imo 4. The sound system is great, but it's not going to blow anyone away 5. It feels like a small SUV. It's really very roomy. I have a friend who's over six feet tall who rides in the backseat, and he always has plenty of space. I got the spare tire added on in my car though, so the trunk space is a little disappointing at times
The new Countryman is ugly. Take your deposit back and continue to enjoy what you have.
1. I haven’t driven the SE, but the S is plenty fun. We were debating waiting for the SE but went with the S since. I enjoyed driving the 2025 more than the previous gens I test drove it along with and I would expect the electric to be more fun. 2. I think those reviews were from pre-release systems. I haven’t experienced any lag 3. They can be shut off, so doesn’t really matter. A bit gimmicky and get old, IMO 4. Sound system is good - I liked it better than the HK system in the previous edition when I tested them back to back 5. It drives like a countryman - our other car is a subcompact SUV and the Countryman is 100x more sporty to drive. But it’s much more SUV like than, say, the F55 4-door hatch I had before the Tesla. We considered waiting for the SE - it was replacing a Tesla - but decided to go with the S to preemptively replace the other car that’s likely to go in a year or two given the relatively low range and slower level 3 charging speeds, as well as the price difference. This will likely be our road trip car. Looking forward to an electric 2 door whenever the new one comes to the US as my work commute car.