Isuzu NNR vs Mini Aceman

What's the difference?

A truck like the NPR (or any other truck, really) is never going to replace a dual-cab ute in terms of its duality. While the latter can tend to weekday chores and be quickly reconfigured for weekend fun, the light truck has no such facility. Nope, it’s a workhorse. Period.

You need a fair bit of real estate just to park the Isuzu overnight and it certainly won’t fit in the typical supermarket car space. It’s hardly sporty to drive, either, although the latest upgrades have made it more user friendly in a total sense and safer than ever before.

But what it does do that a dual-cab ute can’t often do, is tackle bigger, heavier jobs with a fair bit of bandwidth still up its sleeve. And if the nine-to-five side of things is where you need to be, then a vehicle like this has to be worth a look. And if you consistently find that you’re sailing close to the wind in terms of exceeding a ute’s legal payload, towing capacity or GCM, then the extra bigness of a light truck could make a huge difference.

That’s especially so given the price tag. Okay, you’re not buying a lot of high tech for your money, but you are getting some seriously stout engineering and an expectation that you won’t be working the thing to death anytime soon.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

In many ways - range, performance and purchase price, for instance - the Mini Aceman is decent value, somewhat par for the course and would give its logical competition a proper marketplace run. But it’s better than that. The car’s big point of difference is its retro charm and the fact that it’s been tuned to be a fun drive rather than the non-confronting experience some carmakers strive for.

The performance is strong and the handling and steering serve up a bit of entertainment as well as giving the car a particular flavour. Which, as electric drivelines threaten to homogenise cars even further, must count for something.

Yes, some of what you’re paying goes towards that arguably nebulous notion of 'driving-spice' but once you’ve driven it, you’ll probably know what we’re talking about. A new car purchase is always special, so why not make that specialness last a bit longer with a car that will still be an entertainer long after the showroom thrill has worn off.

Meantime, it’s easy to see why Mini has already begun to run-out stocks of the cheaper E model. The SE still manages to play on that cheeky charm, but offers a more mature vehicle into the bargain. Not a bad trick, really.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

It can’t be easy to make a light truck look fashionable, but Isuzu has done a reasonable job of making the thing look, at least, current. The lighting has all been changed to LEDs now, and the bold, angular face the truck presents looks pretty modern.

But new tech has also forced some design changes. The bull-bar that is part of the Tradepack deal, for instance, has been redesigned with changes to the main hoop. That’s all to accommodate the radar units inside each headlight that inform the front cross-traffic warning system of anything in the way.

Also notable is the attention to detail of the optional (rather than the alloy tray seen here) Australian-made service body. With a choice of internal layouts, the flip-up sides reveal a proper workshop on wheels when configured that way.

It’s also nice to see that all the clips and catches on the drop-side tray can be easily replaced if damaged.

Though vaguely retro on the outside, the real nostalgia hit comes when you step inside the Aceman.

The huge, round central display that’s been associated with the Mini brand since day one, returns, but this time in 240mm, OLED screen form.

The display is also where you get to choose how the instrumentation and information looks, with configurable display incorporating a total of eight modes that alter the colours, sounds and visuals of the screen. Is it cool? Er, yes, actually.

There’s also the Mini personal assistant at your service to crank up the heat when you’re cold and switch on the air conditioning when you’re not (all voice activated) and the personal assistant can also learn stuff such as knowing particular navigation co-ordinates mean you’re at the entrance to an underground car-park, at which point the car will wind down the driver’s window so you can flash your credit card. If you think about it too hard, that’s going to be more creepy than cool for some of us.

The move to electrification, of course, is environmentally driven, so the Aceman’s ethos leans into that, too. There is, for example, a complete absence of leather or chrome, the alloy wheels contain as much as 70 per cent recycled material and are produced with renewable energy.

The floor mats, floor structure and interior surfaces are made from at least 90 per cent recycled polyester, and Mini claims a 98 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases compared with the same stuff made from leather.

The new cabin Isuzu has brewed up certainly brings the truck into the present, but it’s still very much a light truck in some respects. As in, it’s still a pretty good climb inside, although there are steps and handles to make that easier. The steering column still gets in the way as you swing your left leg inside, though.

The plastic surfaces would still make a car interior designer cringe, and the floor is vinyl and the seats cloth. But the three-abreast seating arrangement makes sense and, should you choose the dual-cab N Series option, there’s actually seven seats in all.

Cabin storage has obviously been a priority for Isuzu, and there are three large, netted overhead bins above the top of the windscreen, as well as bins and buckets across the width of the lower dashboard. Interestingly, each door has just a single, slim pocket and no bottle storage.

The centre console addresses that somewhat with a pair of cup-holders and a pen slot, while there’s also a large bin behind the seat on the bulkhead. There’s also an interior light that wouldn’t look out of place in an industrial kitchen.

The dashboard is home to a pair of USB charge-ports in the centre and the truck stuff continues with a wand for the exhaust brake and a knob near the steering column for a fast-idle setting. It’s also nice to see that even though Isuzu has adopted keyless entry and start for the N Series, the starter button resembles a conventional key and is located right where it should be in the side of the steering column.

What’s missing? Mainly a vanity mirror on either side of the cabin and a physical volume knob for the stereo. Oh, and paddle shifters would be nice too, especially when towing.

Externally, the Tradepack option gets you an aluminium drop-side tray, sturdy ladder racks, a tow bar, bull bar, toolboxes fitted below the tray between the axles and even a wash station for after-work clean ups.

The tray is fitted in Australia (many of the Ready to Work body options are also made here) and the load floor is a vast expanse of alloy with the ability to cope with small, heavy objects thanks to its high-impact materials. But the usual drop-side tray caveats apply including a high loading height, rattling from the sides and the legal requirement to lash everything down before hitting the road.

Meantime, part of the overall appeal of the Isuzu line-up is that there are something like 40 different permutations of cabin width, wheelbase, GVM, overall length and driveline.

But here’s perhaps the N Series’ greatest trick when it comes to being practical: While it’s easy to dismiss the vehicle for being too big and unwieldy, many operators would possibly find that the extra payload and real estate in the cargo area means that they might not need to tow a trailer every time they venture on to a job site. At which point, the dual-cab ute with a tandem trailer starts to look less convenient, especially if there’s any reversing or squeezing on to a tight site involved.

Oh, and if tight spaces really are an issue, the N Series’ sub-10m turning circle makes a typical dual-cab’s 12.5 metre turning circle look ridiculously ungainly. And that’s before we get to that trailer.

Typically for a vehicle like this, a full-sized spare tyre is included.

Perhaps it’s the packaging designed to play the retro card, but I can’t help feeling the door openings on this car are pretty tight. The rear doors, in particular, seem designed for someone smaller than I, and even once I’m in the news doesn’t really improve.

The Aceman’s rear pew seems tight for both foot and legroom and should you have an adult in the back seat, they’re only going to fit by having somebody smaller in the front seats. The chances of a six-footer (183cm) sitting behind a driver of similar stature are pretty slim (over a distance, anyway).

This is all to do with Mini keeping the overall length of the car to just over four metres, and stuffing a compact SUV into that space.

Perhaps that also explains the giant blind spot formed by the thick B-pillar. Either way, taller drivers will find themselves peering around it when crossing or tuning into intersections.

The seats themselves, however, are quite charming. They look a bit small with their cloth trim, but in reality, they’re comfy and supportive. The pleated John Cooper Works front seats that are standard in the SE are phenomenally good. The only thing missing is that distinct smell of leather we’d normally associate with a 60-grand car.

The traditional row of toggle switches under the central screen remains… sort of. These days, they’ve been modified to act as the starter button for the keyless start system and also the gear selector. The problem is that they’re gloss black on a black background, so they can seem a bit indistinct.

The gear selector has also been reinvented – again – with a separate Park button now to the side of the toggle. The other ergonomic glitch I noticed was every time I went for the interior door handle to leave the car, I fumbled for a second till I located it, tucked up under the armrest.

The clean, uncluttered dashboard means a couple of items have moved to the space between the front seats. So, there’s a pair of cupholders, a small, lidded compartments and a pair of USB charge-points all living in the real estate between the front chairs. That’s in the SE, anyway, because the cheaper E retains only the cupholders.

The luggage space is deeper than a lot of EVs manage and the rear seat folds 60/40 to open up a huge area if you don’t need the seats. With the rear seat up, there’s 300 litres of capacity and, with the seat folded, that leaps to 1005 litres.

There are three child restraint tether points, and the luggage space is served by a 12 volt socket.

There’s also a luggage cover that can be quickly removed for taller items. The tailgate is manually operated.

There are also three ISOFIX attachment points for child seats; two on the rear seat and one on the front passenger seat.

Like the electric Mini Cooper launched last year, the Aceman is available in two versions with some important technical differences beyond the usual trim and equipment stuff most carmakers rely on to locate their models on the price totem.

The E (Electric) model is the most affordable five-door Mini EV with a price-tag if $51,990, driveaway. For that you get plenty of kit including adaptive cruise control, augmented reality navigation, heated front sports seats, a panoramic sunroof, sports steering wheel, 100-watt stereo and a cabin with splashes of nostalgia and piano black in equal measures.

There are also 19-inch alloy wheels and two-tone paint which teams a metallic body colour with a black roof. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, too. So is dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, digital radio and folding exterior mirrors

The SE (Sports Electric) gets a different 19-inch alloy wheel, and adds an extra exterior colour as well as the lovely John Cooper Works front seats with electric adjustment, tinted glass, silver interior highlights, a Harman Kardon stereo upgrade and a different trim grade for the upholstery. All yours for $60,990 which sounds like quite a bit of extra money for those add-ons.

Until, that is, you realise the SE also packs a bigger punch with a bigger battery for more range and a perkier motor for better performance. Ah, so that’s where the money goes.

The catch is the E model is not long for the Australian market (I have never, till now, been invited to the launch of a car that was already in run-out). Local customers have voted with their feet and told Mini the more expensive SE is the one they want for a variety of reasons.

So, the E will continue to be sold here until stocks run out, probably around the end of 2025. And for that reason, the model we’ve driven here is the SE.

Believe it or not there’s actually a family connection between the 3.0-litre turbo diesel in the Isuzu NRL and the Isuzu D-Max dual-cab and MU-X SUV.

While the displacement of the D-Max remains, the unit in the light truck has been retuned to liberate more torque at lower engine speeds. In this case, that’s 129kW at 2860rpm and 430Nm of torque anywhere between 1450rpm and 2860rpm. That gives the engine great flexibility, but the transmission also plays a part.

That’s either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed dual-clutch unit. The latter has either manual or fully automatic shift modes, and it’s worth is backed up by the potential for lower fuel consumption thanks to the inherent efficiency in such a transmission as well as the three extra ratios.

Designed and made in-house at Isuzu, the brand says it’s confident the wet-clutch unit doesn’t carry the potential flaws of some other dual-clutch units we could name. That said, Isuzu has downgraded the towing capacity from 4.5 to four tonnes if the nine-speed is fitted.

And just like any good truck, there’s the provision for a power-take-off on the side of each transmission option, as well as an exhaust brake to help the mechanical brakes when fully laden.

Unlike many light trucks before it, the Isuzu doesn’t get stuck with a rigid front axle. Instead, you get a proper independent set-up with coil springs, while the rear end remains a live axle with leaf springs in the interests of carting lots of heavy stuff.

Things kick off the with the E model’s 135kW electric motor that also produces 290Nm of torque. That, says Mini, is enough to get it from rest to 100km/h in just under eight seconds. The motor is powered by a 38.5kWh battery living under the floor

The SE gets more battery and more power; 49.2kWh and 160kW, respectively, with 330Nm of torque on tap as well. The claimed 0-100km/h time falls almost a second to 7.1sec.

A single-speed reduction transmission is fitted and the electric motor in both models is a single one, driving the front wheels in true Mini tradition.

Of course, the other aspect of a Mini’s driving experience is its go-kart handling. To that end, the Mini EV is tuned for handling and response and features a MacPherson strut front end and a multi-link suspension arrangement at the rear. Potentially offsetting that sidestep, however, is the car’s heft which, at 1.6 tonnes, is very un-Mini.

This is a cursed subject in the truck segment, because there’s just no standard pattern of usage, nor a typical loading scenario. Some trucks will spend their whole lives heavily loaded going from red light to red light, others will be less burdened and driven between regional towns.

But what we can tell you is that unladen and driven sensibly, this truck should be able to return fuel consumption figures in the low teens per 100km. Throw the full payload and a trailer on the back and head for hilly country and you could easily double that and then some.

As such, the range from the 100-litre fuel tank is going to vary enormously, but should be somewhere between 500 and 800km.

The other thing to bear in mind is that the upgrade to this model has brought the Isuzus in line with Euro 6 emissions or their Japanese equivalent. So they now need AdBLue and there’s a 14-litre tank for that.

Mini claims a power consumption figure of 14kWh per 100km for the E and 14.4 for the SE. Theoretically, that should give the E a (WLPT) range of 310km and the SE a claimed maximum of 406km.

In reality, you’ll be looking for a power-point before that, because those are both maximum range projections and, in highway conditions, without the regeneration potential of suburban running, you’ll use more power per 100km travelled.

Both version of the Mini EV can use fast chargers, the E model capable of 75kW DC charging, and the SE’s bigger battery able to handle 95kW. Charging at home on an 11kW AC outlet is also possible but, obviously, takes a lot longer to reach full charge.

For DC charging, the Mini uses a CCS Type 2 charging plug.

Speaking of which, on that 75kW fast charger, the E’s battery will go from 10 to 80 per cent charged in 28 minutes, while the bigger battery in the SE will take 31 minutes, its faster charging offset by its larger battery capacity.

At 11kW AC, the Aceman E can go from discharged to fully charged in four hours, 15 minutes, while the SE will take five-and-a-half hours.

Actually climbing aboard the Isuzu is job one, and you’ll need the handles and step to do it safely. Then again, it’s probably no more testing than getting into a really low sports car in a degree of difficulty sense.

With that accomplished, you’re met with two things; the view out and the very un-car-like driving position. The first is fantastic for forward vision. And it’s not just the height advantage over other traffic. The cab-over-engine layout also means you’re almost at the very front of the truck, meaning you can see a lot more of what’s directly in front of you, even if it’s almost under your nose. Jumping back into a dual-cab ute for comparison emphasises the point enormously.

The driving position, meanwhile, might take more getting used to. The steering wheel is almost flat and you tend to sit pretty upright. Long-distance drivers will tell you this is actually great for long stints at the helm, and it honestly feels pretty natural after just a few minutes. But the steering column placement means there’s no chance of left-foot braking which some drivers (this one included) prefer.

Once you’re rolling, the dual-clutch transmission starts to feel pretty handy with short, sharp upshifts and a calibration that sees it keen to downshift on deceleration to help balance the vehicle, take the stress off the brakes and ensure that the engine is in its power band for when you next throttle on.

Speaking of which, the engine is not exactly overpowering, but it does produce the meat of its muscle in the right places, helped no end by having nine ratios to play with. And here’s an interesting point: The way the engine is installed in the NPR – and despite the fact that you’re sitting pretty much right on top of it – there’s less noise and vibration from the 3.0-litre than in an Isuzu D-Max ute. Obviously, low vibrations and less noise are factors in staving off driver fatigue, and clearly Isuzu knows how to achieve this.

Ride quality will vary hugely depending on what’s on board. We tried the NPR with a full load of gear on the tray, taking it almost to its payload limit. At that point, the ride was actually quite compliant, and the only odd sensation is that of having your backside right over the front axle.

The other mantra held dear by fleet managers is that the best way to reduce breakdowns is to take the driver out of the equation as much as possible. That explains the dual-clutch transmission, for one, but it also perhaps explains why the NPR is set up to be actually very easy and simple to drive. It’s definitely scarier to look at than to pilot. And that turning circle is something else!

Much is made by Mini of its tradition of go-kart-like handling. And fair enough, it’s one of the things that allows the Mini brand to justify a premium price-point. And the good news is that this version, electric driveline notwithstanding, continues that theme. Position the manually-adjustable steering column to the right spot and suddenly, you’re in a car that encourages you to enjoy the drive.

The steering is light but accurate and is actually one of the better calibrated modern, electrically-assisted set-ups we’ve sampled for a while.

The only thing it doesn’t do is give the feeling that you’re sitting right over the physical point in the car that it rotates around when it corners.

Instead, you get the impression of there being a fair bit of Mini nose jutting out in front of you, with the driver’s seat positioned well back in the cabin.

Given the extra length of the five-door layout, that’s not completely unexpected, but it’s something drivers of short-wheelbase Minis will perhaps note.

What that doesn’t affect is the way the car feels tied down pretty well, but never degenerates into a crashing, buck-board. Despite the flat cornering, there’s always some suspension travel left, it seems, and the damping is clearly spot on as it arrests wheel movement without interfering with the fun.

There’s plenty of grip, too, and if you play the Mini game and hustle it through a few corners, the Aceman quickly reveals its fun side, which is precisely the point here.

The instant urge of an electric drivetrain is also very much in evidence and flooring the throttle pedal results in an instant surge of Newton-metres. I could do without the Warner Brothers soundtrack (and I did, by turning it off) but the acceleration itself is pretty impressive without being confronting (as some EVs with their brutal delivery can feel).

The only other thing we’d comment on is a level of tyre and road noise that is far from best in class. Okay, so a bit of tyre roar is okay, and it’s only audible at all because silence from traditional mechanical sources is such an EV thing.

Driver assistance packages abound in the Aceman, starting with adaptive cruise-control, parking assistance, rain sensing wipers and auto headlights, lane-keeping assistance, tyre pressure monitoring and a driver-attention monitor.

There’s autonomous emergency braking that works from 5.0km/h up and can detect cyclists and pedestrians. There’s also blind-spot monitoring, cornering brake control, stability control, rear collision prevention and rear cross-traffic alert and braking.

Inside, you’ll find front, side and head airbags as well as a centre airbag to prevent head clashes in the case of a side impact. There’s also a surround view camera system and rain-sensing wipers.

The Mini Aceman hasn’t been locally crash tested, but other variants of the same platform have been tested in Europe according to Euro NCAP protocols, in which they scored the full five stars for safety.

Despite the hard life many trucks are destined to live, Isuzu offers a standard six-year/250,000km warranty on the cabin and chassis of this model. The rear RTW body (whatever form that takes) is covered for three years. There’s also a three-year warranty on genuine accessories provided they were installed by a certified fitter.

Service intervals are every 25,000km, 12 months or 5000 hours of operation, whichever comes first. There’s also six years of roadside assistance thrown in.

Isuzu offers a range of service agreements ranging from the basic package right up to a plan that covers everything including wiper blade replacement.

There are currently 84 Isuzu dealers or authorised service outlets around the country, including some pretty far flung spots, so service and parts should be less of a problem than for some other brands.

Mechanically, Isuzu has worked to reduce servicing times, including the use of sealed-for-life wheel bearings.

The Mini factory warranty was extended a couple of years ago to five years/unlimited kilometres. That’s an improvement on the three years the brand previously covered, but it’s still well short of the seven, eight and even 10 years of some competitors. In the fully electric Aceman’s case, there’s also eight years/160,000km worth of cover for the high-voltage battery. There’s also five years of roadside assistance thrown in.

There are no set service intervals for the Aceman, Mini instead preferring to use the concept of condition based servicing which involves the car telling you when its ready for maintenance. There’s capped price servicing available which costs $1371 for the first four years.

Beyond that, running costs will depend heavily on where and how your charge the car. Charging at home form a solar array will be the cheapest, while using commercial fast-chargers will inevitably ratchet up your running costs.