Next generation (J01) MINI Cooper revealed

After seeing the new F66 side by side with the J01, it really highlights how much worse the J01 looks.

 

Completely the opposite for me, the shape and design of the J01 looks much better. That said the F66 looks a lot better than I thought it would.

 

3538 lbs in this article:

https://www.motoringfile.com/2024/03/15/the-j05-mini-aceman-vs-j01-mini-cooper-ev-are-almost-the-same-car/

 

Now $19.3-20.8 and $23.4-$25.5, respectively. Seems pretty normal given that the car is now 1 y "older"?

 

There are too many typos, errors and inconsistencies on that MF piece to take any of it seriously.

 

Typos, errors, and inconsistencies are a MotoringFile staple. Just wouldn't be the same without them.

 

Thanks for pointing that out. So, if the US-spec J01 weighs the same as the one in the chart, the long-in-coming-to-NA J01 will be only 394 lbs (3,538-3,144) heavier than an Oxford SE. Unfortunately, the US-spec J01 will get heavier if the NHTSA requires changes (NHTSA never rules "add lightness").

I wonder what a J01 SE would weigh with a 114-mile battery? The J01 SEL (L for "light") could be the basis for the cars running in the NXT Gen Cup Touring Series rather than the out-of-production Oxford SE. MINI customers who take their cars to the track would love to have the lightest, most powerful SE, too. If I was going to replace my SE with a J01 (unlikely), I'd want such a lightweight option, too.

 

Motoring File has collected a bunch of video reviews of the J01. Frustratingly, none of the reviews I've watched measured either the acceleration or the weight of the J01. They just quote MINI's numbers.

I suspect this is what MINI said to the reviewers: "If you dare use a stopwatch or scales in your review, this will be the last time we give you a call."

The sounds the J01 pipes into the cockpit are terrible IMO. I hope that once you turn the sounds off, they stay off forever (or that Bimmercode can eliminate them permanently).

 

If I recall there weren't any real-world acceleration numbers on the SE until it got into customers' hands.

 

Do any of them do a comparison of the driving experience with the F56 SE?

 

Here's a very interesting review by Henry in the UK, who's been driving an Oxford SE for 3 years. He doesn't feel the J01 SE is quicker than the Oxford SE. Also, he doesn't feel the J01's traction control is as good as the Oxford SE's traction control: "it scrabbles for grip."

Henry is clearly not blown away by the J01 (Quick! Watch it before MINI makes him take it down!):
"I think with the extra power, it kinda makes up for the extra weight. This is a heavier car than the F56 and [long pause] I wouldn't say this is a better car to drive. I feel that when I get back in my MINI electric F56 after this, I'm not going to miss the way that this drives. I'm not going to say this drives badly, but if you've ordered one of these, or looking to order one of these, and you're expecting a leap forward in the way it drives, in the last hour and a half I've had with this car, I wouldn't say it's blown me away, or we went 'Wow'.

"I've not fallen in love with it the way I did 3 years ago when I test drove the original MINI Electric, when I was like 'Wow!' That being said, if you haven't driven a MINI like it before, and you're coming into this from, say, an E28 or something more mundane, then you will like the way this drives and I would say this is a nice car to drive, but if you were expecting a leap forward over the current MINI electric, it's not this. It's not."

Henry discusses how the center display can show the turn signals flashing on the outside of an image of the car, but no report on if it can show you when the regen activates the brake lights (in my SE, I added an LED that's visible in the rear-view mirror so I can tell when regen is signaling to other cars I'm braking).

 

Having only seen pictures of either (and aware of the "it really looks better IRL than in pics" thing), I'm having trouble nailing down exactly why the F56-based F66 looks better than the J01.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MINI/s/M7CD2DtsA9

 

That one has the clamshell hood, doesn't it? I think that's at least part of why it looks better and more like the F56. My problem is more with the rear lights, however, although I think I would get used to them.

 

I notice there are no air curtain slits in the front. So the iconic fog light look is lost, and nothing of value to replace them. At least the headlights keep the round shape.

I wonder if it's the different stance that makes it seem different from the F56? To me it almost looks like the front end has a slight upward tilt. I think the overall body style is a decent evolution, and I really like the scoopless look.

 

For me, it's a combination of the windshield angle, the plastic arch trim, and the clamshell hood. The J01 looks like a MINI knockoff to my eyes, whereas the F66 looks familiar yet different.

 

Here's a walk-around + POV drive video I found:

 

J01 looks like a baby U06 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. The UKL2 platform has certainly grown in size (see U11 BMW X1 & U25 Countryman).

 

0-100 kph in 6.7 s is, what, about 6.5 s to get to 60 mph?

Early days still, but the impression that I am forming is that the J01 is a lot like an F56 SE with somewhat more range and a lot different interior/controls. IOW, mostly evolution rather than revolution.

 

Remember, this is what MINI promises for the F56 SE:



But when testing the 2023 SE, Car and Driver reported, "We also saw it sprint to 60 mph in a tidy 6.1 seconds," so we're left to wonder if MINI is sandbagging when specifying the J01's acceleration the way they did the F56 SE. If they are sandbagging to the same degree with the J01, it should get to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds.

I guess we'll have to wait for Car and Driver to tell us how quick the J01 is.

 

Man, that 2'er is hideous, even somehow makes the awful F66 look decent. BMW can't seem to trip over a non-awful limp of styling for their own brand right now, hope the Neue Klasse fixes that.