Mashing the throttle exiting a left turn from a traffic light, the MINI E broke its front tires loose with a delightful squeal before tearing down the roadway with a hint of torque steer.
The smiles began.
Acceleration isn't the noiseless type you’ll find in most hybrids, but instead accompanied by a notable, increasingly-pitched whine as velocity gathers. With no gears to shift, 201 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. torque available at every RPM, said gathering of velocity happens very quickly.
Aurally, the MINI E lacks the testosterone-laced gusto of a conventional piston engine, though the whining electric system sounds pretty darn cool in its own way.
Remember-- there's no gas involved here, and performance is considerably ahead of that found in your average limp-throttled hybrid car. The MINI E is as quick as a Cooper S, or, if your unfamiliar, in the same butt-hauling ballpark as a VW GTI or Volvo C30 T5.
Since the motor's torquey punch is available 100 percent of the time from any RPM, the same neck-straining power surge is on standby from virtually any speed. Only exception is right off the line, where the electronic throttle gets the MINI E rolling a little before applying full power.
Lift off, and aggressive brake-energy regeneration makes using the brake pedal almost obsolete, too.
MINI handling goodness was also present, along with the lighting-quick steering and stiff, sporty suspension that bring it all together. Air conditioning also worked like a charm.
After some 70 kilometres spent on central Ontario's winding sideroads and highways, performance from this little electric MINI had brought a smile to the face of a fossil-burning gearhead. The technology definitely works, even if it’s a little compromised in this early application.
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| The 201 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. torque available at every RPM, said gathering of velocity happens very quickly. (Photo: BMW) |
The smiles began.
Acceleration isn't the noiseless type you’ll find in most hybrids, but instead accompanied by a notable, increasingly-pitched whine as velocity gathers. With no gears to shift, 201 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. torque available at every RPM, said gathering of velocity happens very quickly.
Aurally, the MINI E lacks the testosterone-laced gusto of a conventional piston engine, though the whining electric system sounds pretty darn cool in its own way.
Remember-- there's no gas involved here, and performance is considerably ahead of that found in your average limp-throttled hybrid car. The MINI E is as quick as a Cooper S, or, if your unfamiliar, in the same butt-hauling ballpark as a VW GTI or Volvo C30 T5.
Since the motor's torquey punch is available 100 percent of the time from any RPM, the same neck-straining power surge is on standby from virtually any speed. Only exception is right off the line, where the electronic throttle gets the MINI E rolling a little before applying full power.
Lift off, and aggressive brake-energy regeneration makes using the brake pedal almost obsolete, too.
MINI handling goodness was also present, along with the lighting-quick steering and stiff, sporty suspension that bring it all together. Air conditioning also worked like a charm.
After some 70 kilometres spent on central Ontario's winding sideroads and highways, performance from this little electric MINI had brought a smile to the face of a fossil-burning gearhead. The technology definitely works, even if it’s a little compromised in this early application.
 |
| MINI handling goodness was also present, along with the lighting-quick steering and stiff, sporty suspension that bring it all together. Air conditioning also worked like a charm. (Photo: BMW) |