First Look: 2024 MINI Cooper EV And MINI Countryman EV

Here's your first look at the next-gen 2024 MINI Cooper EV hatch and 2024 MINI Countryman EV crossover.

BMW Group has finally taken the wraps off the upcoming all-electric (EV) iterations of the new generation MINI Cooper hatch and its MINI Countryman lifted crossover twin. Both were revealed online today ahead of their scheduled public debut at next week’s IAA Munich show.

It's a mix of classic and new touches with the exterior design, notably with the deletion of blacked-out wheel arch surrounds.

Starting with the iconic hatchback first, the new MINI Cooper electric sees two version available initially – Cooper E and Cooper SE. Both sport the MINI brand’s latest design ethos featuring circular all-LED headlight, distinct octagonal grille, as well as flush taillights.

As per spyshots we’ve seen prior, the new MINI Cooper ditches its predecessor’s black-painted wheel arch surrounds for a sleeker and more minimalist stance. Moreover, the LED forward and rear lighting mentioned features multi-mode adjustable light signatures too.

On board, multi-textile patterned upholstery is a neat new motif. Note the new all-in-one 9.44-inch central display powered by the new MINI Operating System 9.

On board, the minimalist approach continues with the cabin design. The de-cluttered dash boasts a large 9.44-inch all-in-one round central display that runs the new MINI Operating System 9 developed in-house using an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) project stack.

Below said screen sits a redesigned toggle bar with integrated parking brake, gear selector, start/stop key, experience mode selector, and volume control switches. At the back, the boot has a more practical 200-litre capacity with the rear seats up. This raises to 800-litre thanks to the latter’s 60:40 split-folding feature.

Four trim options – Essential, Classic, Favoured, and John Cooper Works (JCW) – are available, each boasting distinct and different personalisation. Highlights include sport seats with classic 2D knitted textile surfaces (Essential), two-tone houndstooth pattern on the knitted-textile instrument panel (Favoured), and multi-coloured textile with black synthetic leather and red stitching in the JCW.

As standard, the boot now has a 200-litre capacity with the seats up. 60:40 split-folding abilities sees the latter expand that figure up to 800-litre when needed.

Sports seats are available in Essential and JCW trims - two of four available in total.

Underpinning the Spotlight EV platform co-developed by BMW Group and China’s Great Wall Motor (GWM), the new MINI Cooper sees a floor-mounted 40.7 kWh (E) and 54.2 kWh (SE) batteries setup juicing a front-mounted motor outputting 181 HP and 290 NM or 214 HP and 330 NM respectively to drive the front wheels.

0-100 KM/H is despatched in 7.3 seconds (E) and 6.7 seconds (SE), but the most crucial figures are range, and MINI puts forth claimed WLTP figures of 305 KM and 402 KM respectively. As for charging both models accept 11 kW AC input, as well as rapid DC charging inputs of 75 kW (E) and 95 kW (SE).

All-new design touches includes the front grille, multi-mode all-LED forward and rear lighting, striking C-pillar with trimline-specific motifs, as well as 20-inch wheels.

Moving to the lifted new MINI Countryman EV crossover SUV, this is now a larger car than the outgoing model, sitting 130 MM longer at 4,433 MM, as well as 60 MM taller at 1,656 MM. Like its hatchback twin, it comes in two variants – Countryman E and Countryman SE ALL4.

In terms of design, the new Countryman sports a similarly new, minimalistic ethos as the Cooper hatchback. There’s a new octagonal front grille, distinct and configurable multi-mode all-LED headlights and flush taillights, striking new C-pillar design with distinct trimline-based shapes, and 20-inch wheels.

On board, the new-gen Countryman mirrors the Cooper hatch here with a similarly minimalist outlook and rich use of multi-textile patterned upholstery. Note the same 9.44-inch all-in-one central display too.

On board, the Countryman mirrors in Cooper twin here yet again with a minimalist and uncluttered cabin layout. It also sports the same 9.44-inch all-in-one round display module that runs on the aforementioned new MINI Operating System 9.

The cabin seats five occupants and can be specified with a panoramic glass roof. Also, the rear seats can be adjusted by up to 130 MM to either increase passenger legroom or cargo space. Speaking of the latter, there’s 460-litres available from the get go, and  expandable to 1,450-litres with the rear sears down.

Standard 460-litre boot space can be expanded to 1,450-litre thanks to split-folding rear seats.

Rear seats can be adjusted by 130 MM to increase either passenger or cargo space.

Again, the four aptly-named and self-serving trims from the Cooper hatch are available too. Highlights include black sports seats covered in patterned multitone textile (Essential), three-spoke steering design – instead of two – with a textile strap (Classic), as well as Dark Petrol-treated dash and door trims with sports seats dressed in accent stitching and embroidered MINI logos (Favoured).

Trim-specific sports seats with bolstered lateral support dressed in multi-coloured knitted textile upholstery and black faux-leather with red stitching, on the other hand, are all hallmarks of the sporty JCW trim option.

Apart from 22 kW AC, the Countryman EV also accept DC fast-charge inputs as high as 130 kW.

MINI did not revealed detailed mechanical specs of the new all-electric Countryman, but past teasers did indicate the base Countryman E adopting a 54 kWh battery whilst the up-specced Countryman SE ALL4 gets a larger 64 kWh pack instead. Both accepts 22 kW AC charging inputs, as well as DC rapid-charging inputs as high as 130 KW.

Aptly, the base Countryman E harness a front-mounted single-motor and front-wheel-drive setup, and boasts a claimed WLTP range of 462 KM. The dual-motor and all-wheel-driven SE ALL4, on the other hand, gets a slightly lower 433 KM WLTP range figure instead.

Respectively, the single-motor E variant has 201 HP and 250 NM, whilst the dual-motor SE ALL4 twin has 308 HP and 494 NM instead. 0-100 KM/H takes 8.6 seconds and 5.6 seconds respectively too.

Production begins in both China and Germany later this year for the new MINI Cooper and Countryman EVs respectively. Upcoming Aceman will join them following its planned April 2024 debut.

Unlike the MINI Cooper EV hatch, which will be produced in China, the MINI Countryman EV will instead roll off the line in Leipzig, Germany, both starting later this year before sales commence just after. Both models are set to be joined by the smaller Aceman crossover too, which will bow in April 2024.

What do you folks think of the new MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman EVs then?