We get the first local drive of the hatch that is priced from $59,900 and now has a waiting list.

When Mini decided to create a fully electric vehicle it made perfect sense to pick the hatch over the likes of the Countryman because the three-door is quintessentially the best of ‘British’ when it comes to style, inside and out. Launched earlier this year in Europe, with a delay due to COVID, the Mini electric hatch has just arrived in New Zealand for a price from $59,900 making it one of the cheapest new EVs. Technically it’s called the Mini Cooper SE, is badged Cooper S but let’s just call it what it is: Mini electric hatch. It has a 32.6kWh lithium-ion battery, it has 135kW of power and 270Nm of torque, with a range of 233km and 0-100km in 7.3 seconds. It has a one gear transmission, giving it a go-kart feel because as you take your foot off the accelerator it automatically brakes. It has four driving modes: Sport, Mid, Green and Green+, and two levels of brake engine recovery.

Sport, as the name suggests, is great on the motorway though it drains the battery, Mid is suitable for everyday driving while Green and Green+ help add kms back to the range though there’s not a lot of difference between the two Greens.

When Mini NZ announced in May that the electric hatch was heading here, the first shipment sold out and due to the popularity of the car, there is now a six-month wait for it. But as this is bound to be the second car in the garage, the fans are fine to wait. 

Built at Mini’s Oxford plant alongside the likes of the Clubman, JCW and Countryman, the electric hatch had some technological help from its parent, BMW Group, when it came to the battery pack.

The Mini electric benefits from the BMW i3’s use of its 32.6kWh lithium-ion battery. The Mini’s battery pack is smaller than the i3's because it's arranged in a T-shape beneath the floor. The top of the T goes across the rear axle, the straight part along the spine of the floorpan.

The Mini also gets the sporty i3 S power electronics and 135kW electric motor, produced by BMW at its Landshut plant. These components are usually located at the rear of the i3 S, but they're slotted under the Mini's bonnet, cradled in a frame that even uses the existing three engine mounting points.

The interior isn’t affected by the placement of the battery, instead, some foam is removed from the rear two-seater bench at the hip point. 

To the untrained eye (and eagle-eyed Nissan Leaf owners) it looks like the typical Mini Cooper S, but designer Oliver Heilmer decided to include some important and aesthetically pleasing features that set it apart. First,  mandatory details include the yellow electric badge and filled-in grille (as it doesn’t need to be cooled like a regular ICE model) while the retro alloys that are shaped like three-pin plug sockets and the yellow side mirrors are optional.

The suspension is tuned to give a similar feel to a petrol Cooper S, but the physics are quite different. It's raised 18mm compared with a petrol Cooper S to give the battery more clearance, but the centre of gravity is lower because more mass is concentrated lower down.

Inside the cabin is similar to Cooper hatchbacks with the round infotainment screen but it gets the futuristic elements of a new gear lever, yellow colour accents in the dash, a yellow starter button, and an all-new digital instrument display in front of the driver.

Standard equipment is impressive including the head-up display screen, wireless Apple CarPlay, leather sports seats, city crash mitigation with pedestrian detection, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera and a Harman Kardon stereo system.

Our test model had the extra of a $2000 panoramic electric sunroof and if I were to buy an electric Mini I’d tick that box as it makes the hatch feel roomier and lets in extra light.

Last week we were one of the first to test the Porsche Taycan electric sports car, this week we were the first in New Zealand to review the Mini hatch, and they couldn’t be more different vehicles. 

First, there’s the range, the price and also the functionality. But both are important vehicles in the electric highway for Kiwis.

While technically the Mini electric has a range of 233km, when I picked it up from Auckland Mini Garage it was topped up to 100 per cent but had a range of 152km. To help optimise my range, I turned off the air-con and opened the sunroof. 

On the North-Western motorway, the Mini electric surprised many other drivers with its speeds and apt overtaking as it zipped between lanes. I then opted for a winding country road route to Parihoa, where I toggled the car into Sport mode and gave it a work out as I weaved around inclined and declined corners to test the Mini’s famous go-kart-like driving ability.

A Leaf driver gave me an accusatory look as I backed my Mini hatch into a charging station, and he was about ready to step out of his car to tell me to move when I pushed the ‘petrol’ flap and plugged in the Type 2 charger.

The battery information came upon the driver’s screen and it stated that it would take 35 minutes to charge me up to 100 per cent. That would be plenty of time to do a supermarket shop or have some lunch if you were using a public charger.

Back into Auckland city, I took a long route to get back to Auckland Mini Garage in Newmarket, and this is where the electric hatch came to the fore. It’s zippy enough to navigate the narrow side roads around Parnell, is a breeze to park thanks to reversing camera plus front and rear sensors, plus is great off the mark at traffic lights due to the electric energy. 

It’s suitable as your second family car, or ideal for empty nesters (please, please let this be me in 2021!). The two rear seats have enough space for two adults, while the boot can fit the supermarket shop. If needs be you can fold down the rear seats that are split 60:40, to fit in any large items or if you are planning a weekend away.

But remember, with that range, you need to plot where the public charging stations are, and take some sandwiches and nibbles with you as you wait for the Mini electric to charge!