Munich. Let’s be honest, the driver and co-driver
were super keyed up and extremely excited when they got into their
electric MINI Cooper SE (combined fuel consumption: 0.0 l/100 km;
combined electricity consumption: 16.8 – 14.8 kWh/100 km; combined
CO2 emissions: 0 g/km) in Căpățânenii Ungureni, an idyllic
little village in Romania. The three-door automobile emits a
characteristically synthetic murmur to signal the readiness of its
systems and the invisible T-shaped rechargeable battery located in the
floor of the car permits a range of “250 kilometres” according to the
charge level indicator. Really? Here, on the steepest ascent to a pass
in Romania? Eccentric English automobile maniac Jeremy Clarkson from
England calls the Transfăgărăşan “the best road in the world” in the
cult automobile series “Top Gear” – and overcomes the difference in
altitude of more than 1400 metres with a maximum gradient of 8.6
percent in a powerful super sports car. But now the electric cult
small car is following in the tracks of the gang from Top Gear – does
it have what it takes?
Absolutely! The Transfăgărăşan mountain road in Romania that winds
through the Transylvanian Alps for 90 kilometres is just the job for
the battery-powered MINI Cooper SE – just presented to a public
audience at the IAA Frankfurt 2019. The fact is that electric cars and
high-altitude mountains are a perfect fit, like mountains and valleys.
The perfect road-holding of the MINI Cooper SE combines with an almost
ideal weight distribution of 54:46, and its low centre of gravity
thanks to the underfloor rechargeable batteries transforms the battle
of the curves on innumerable spectacular hairpin bends into a
veritable pleasure garden.
Furthermore, the electric motor provides ultimate traction by
applying its 135 kW/184 hp directly to the road through the front
wheels thanks to the automatic transmission and model-specific torque
of 270 Nm. This is already obvious to the crew immediately after the
first few curves. And it becomes even more evident as time goes on.
The Transfăgărăşan road unfolds second by second, becoming wilder and
ever more dramatic. The car hurtles over viaducts and through tunnels,
hurries past waterfalls and jagged scree-covered slopes.
After the first 30 kilometres of road with scenic panoramas and
thrilling dynamic driving, it’s time for a break. Not for the MINI –
but for the crew! They take a detour from the smooth road surface into
a quaint mountain village. This is where the tracks become typically
Eastern European and virtually impassable – undoubtedly a problem for
some cars designed in Western Europe but all cool for the MINI Cooper
SE. In spite of the battery units, the car is only 145 kilograms
heavier than a MINI Cooper S, thanks to the significantly lower weight
of an electric motor by comparison with a petrol power plant.
Are the cows along the side of the road likely to be impressed? This
is an area where horse-drawn carts are still common and superannuated
tractors make fast cornering into a slalom artform. Such a performance
is indeed a rarity in this region – and the four-legged spectators
stare after the MINI with an inquiring curiosity.
In one hairpin bend, the MINI Cooper SE passes a flock of sheep
within stroking distance. The engine purrs so quietly that you can
hear the baas of the woolly sheep. Any worries that one of them will
suddenly bump into the SE’s yellow front trim? No chance, the
outstanding manoeuvrability and the braking assistant are absolutely
trustworthy. If one of the animals happens to become bold as brass, we
are at the ready – human and machine in rare harmony.
There are plenty of parking spaces in the car park by the barrage
wall of the Vidraru Dam, and the scenery presents an invitation to
chill out. The crew gets a picnic basket out of the boot – just as
spacious as its petrol relatives with capacity of between 235 and 731
litres (when the back seats are folded down) – and produces some
memorable photos capturing the mountain panorama with mist rising up –
in fact of course made up of clouds. Not for nothing is the
Transfăgărăşan called the “road in the clouds”.
Shortly before the top of the pass at an altitude of 2042 metres, the
outside thermometer of the MINI Cooper SE shows a temperature of just
a few degrees above zero – a good reason for care or to drive slowly?
Not likely, there’s no risk at all, even if you floor the accelerator.
The actuator-operated wheel-slip limiter reliably prevents the front
of the car from swerving if the drive wheels start spinning.
Inside the poorly lit Bâlea Tunnel, it’s gloomier than Dracula’s
coffin but the daylight LED headlamps of the MINI Cooper SE banish any
ghosts and dark thoughts. After crossing over the pass, spectacular
downhill slopes mean that recuperation is so robust that the battery
is almost fully charged by the time they reach the valley. This is
because most of the electricity used for the ascents can be
recuperated on the descent. The driver is able to decide how much is
recuperated because the driver can toggle a button in overrun mode
with two settings to define the strength of recuperation and hence the
effect of the brakes during recuperation – an innovative feature that
is typical and exclusively MINI.
When the MINI Cooper SE reaches the romantic city of Sibiu, formerly
Hermannstadt, it’s time to turn back after more than 90 kilometres of
challenging journey up hill and down dale. The battery isn’t even half
empty and after it has been fully charged, the crew sets out on the
return trip to enjoy lots of driving fun. One thing has become obvious
to the team in the car. A trip over this distance was easy peasy for
the MINI Cooper SE. Other return trips easily within its range would
include Hamburg-Travemünde (81 km), Munich-Chiemsee (87 km) and
Frankfurt-Heidelberg (90 km). It could also accommodate popular tours
like Hamburg-Warnemünde (192 km), Cologne-Frankfurt (190 km),
Stuttgart-Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance (206 km), Munich-Passau
(192 km) or Berlin-Dresden (192 km) in one go.