2020 MINI Cooper SE pre-order now open in Malaysia – estimated pricing from RM220k to below RM230k - Latest Car News, Bike news & Reviews, Auto News

MINI Malaysia has officially started order taking for the MINI Cooper SE, which is set to make its launch debut here on August 26. The all-electric hatchback (also known as the MINI Electric in some markets) was first revealed back in July last year, and is based on the existing F56 MINI 3 Door.

Final pricing will only be revealed in a few days’ time, as all we have now is an estimated figure. That number, or at least part of it, is RM22X,XXX, so below RM230,000 then. If you’re interested, you’ll want to head on over to MINI Malaysia’s dedicated pre-order page and lay down the RM1,000 booking fee because there are limited units.

It’s interesting to note that the Cooper SE will be cheaper than the BMW i3s, which is where it gets its powertrain from, but more on that later. The i3s, with the current SST exemption, currently retails at RM268,823.96 until the end of the year, making the MINI EV about RM40,000 or so cheaper.

This situation is similar to what you’ll find in Germany, where the Cooper SE is cheaper than the i3s, although given the more complex construction that the latter requires – carbon-fibre chassis and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) body – this is to be expected.

For what the company plans to charge customers, you’ll get a familiar MINI 3 Door body but with plenty of unique touches to set it apart from the petrol-powered model. These include a smaller front grille, yellow accents, and MINI Electric badging. The yellow theme is applied to the interior too, with hints of it seen on the steering wheel, gear lever, push start button and infotainment controller.

Based on the photo posted on the pre-order page, it also appears we will get the Cooper SE with the 17-inch “Power Spoke” wheels (or “Electric Spoke” as it is known in the United Kingdom), which were renamed not too long ago because “Corona Spoke” doesn’t sit well in today’s world.

As for the powertrain, while the Cooper SE adopts the i3s’ electric powertrain, it has been repackaged for front-wheel drive application rather than rear-wheel drive. This sees the use of a new T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack that takes up the space vacated by the exhaust system. The battery has an energy capacity rated at 32.6 kWh, which is less than the i3s we get here (42.2 kWh) – and provides up to 270 km of range based on the WLTP test cycle.

Drive comes from a front-mounted electric motor that provides 184 PS (181 hp) and 270 Nm of torque, allowing the Cooper SE to get from zero to 60 km/h in 3.9 seconds, or 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, and hit a top speed of 150 km/h.

The MINI EV comes with an 11-kW onboard AC charger and a Type 2 charging port. With a 7.4-kW MINI Electric Wallbox and a single-phase AC outlet, a full charge takes 4.2 hours (or 3.2 hours to 80%), while with a more powerful 11-kW, three-phase wallbox, this is shortened to 3.5 hours (or 2.5 hours to 80%).

For fast charging, the car also supports DC input via a CCS Combo 2 connection up to 50 kW, which will get the battery from a zero to 80% state of charge in just 35 minutes, or 1.4 hours for a full charge.

We’ll only know other details like available equipment when the Cooper SE goes on sale from August 26, so stay tuned for that. For now, what do you think of the estimated pricing for the MINI EV? Are you interested? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

GALLERY: F56 MINI Cooper SE