25 Nov 08
Press the pedal to the metal on your first acquaintance with the Mini E and there is no way that you will have the bottle to keep it there for more than a couple of seconds. The seamless and stepless acceleration is like that of a jet airliner, and the total lack of engine noise casts you into a wonder world; you wonder what in the world there is that can stop this thing accelerating.
The electric Mini takes 8.5 seconds to get to 60mph which is faster than the Cooper S petrol. The fun stops at 95mph where the limiter warns you that you are spinning at the maximum 12,500 revs. There has to be a limiter. With no gearbox, there is no natural end until the spinning things start exploding out through the sheet metal at the front where the motor is kept.
When you do lift off, there is another surprise. Instead of coasting to a halt, the car appears to be under the influence of engine braking. This is quite clever; BMW reckons that if you take your foot off the go pedal you probably want at least a little bit of stop. So the regenerative braking is imposed to top up the batteries while you consider what's next. If you are slowing for the lights, you will now slow progressively as if you were applying normal braking pressure. It's a convenience for the driver. He has one fewer thing to do. But it is strange and takes getting used to.
