MINI IS UNDERGOING ITS BIGGEST transformation since the turn of the millennium. Its future will be electric, and heavy investment is being pumped into new-gen models that will see the entire Mini range revamped by the end of this year. There's a buzz around the brand and it all sounds promising - until you read the spec sheet of the new Cooper SE hatchback. 215bhp, 243lb ft, 250 miles of range, 1605kg... sorry, what? A three-door supermini that weighs almost as much as an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio? That must be a typo.
It isn't. Despite being built on a brand-new EV platform, the Cooper SE has piled on 240kg over its Mini Electric predecessor, giving it what must be one of the worst size-to-weight ratios of any new car. The flip side is that some of that mass comes from a substantially larger, 49.2kWh battery pack, which makes the new model (quite literally) miles more useable than the old one ever was with its puny 145-mile WLTP range. That's now been extended to 250 miles, while 95kW charging capability means a 10-80 per cent topup takes half an hour.
There's more power than before too. The SE still has a single electric motor mounted at the front, but its outputs have increased by 34bhp and 44lb ft. The resulting totals are on a par with those of Alpine's A290, which is shaping up to be a real contender in the electric hot hatch space judging by our early drive in a prototype (evo 320). However, being 126kg lighter the Alpine is the quicker of the pair, beating the Mini's 6.7sec 0-62mph time by three tenths.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
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The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
