The Aceman, on the other hand, adopts a more à la mode SUV appearance, putting it in direct competition with one of the best-selling EVs on the market, the Ford Puma Gen-E. Both Ford and MINI are known for building small cars that are great to drive, and on first impressions the Aceman SE’s characteristically darty steering and almost startling 215bhp muscle suggest that it could prove plenty of fun on a winding rural road – I look forward to taking it for an outing.
Advertisement – Article continues below
Yet, while the Puma Gen-E manages to deliver genuine driving enjoyment alongside a comfortable ride, I only needed to drive down my own street to discover that this certainly isn’t the case with the Aceman.
My first car was a 2014 MINI One, and I’d happily concede its rather firm suspension made it feel less like a supermini and more akin to a mobile bouncy castle. The Aceman’s set-up, on the other hand, appears to have been modelled on a very different type of fortress to the one that might appear at a child’s birthday party.
Its rock-solid, uncompromising nature feels rather at odds with the mass-market segment the model occupies. Even more conflicting is the specification of our Aceman, which seems to give with one hand and take with the other when it comes to comfort and relaxation. It’s an all-bells-and-whistles Exclusive model with the Level 3 options pack, which means there’s very little equipment the MINI doesn’t have.
Of particular note are the ‘Dark Petrol’ blue vegan leather seats, which are incredibly distinctive and feel every bit worthy of this particular Aceman’s eye-watering £40,000 price tag. These are complemented by matching blue fabric on the doors, which I wish had slightly more padding for my elbow; the office chair-style armrest on the left-hand side is a lot cushier, though.
Advertisement – Article continues below
