KGM Musso Ev vs Mini Aceman

What's the difference?

Despite having the Musso name, this electric ute is a completely different beast which is much more lifestyle-oriented than the older and unrelated turbo-diesel Musso workhorse.

There really isn’t much competition out there right now in the electric ute space but this makes a compelling case, especially for those looking in the fleet space. It has an appealing price, adequate range, SUV-like comfort and decent payload capacity.

The Aceman could be the perfect Mini - bigger than a Cooper, smaller than a Countryman. It’s also surprisingly spacious and practical. The price is about right compared to rivals, and so is the battery size and range.

What the Mini has that others don’t is its unique and playful design and ‘attitude’. True to the Mini ethos it's not a restrained car, it’s whimsical in its design but serious in its ability. It's a great car to drive both dynamically and in terms of comfort.

You’ll either love or hate the exterior design of this ute. I’m not the biggest fan as the front is busy and likely won’t age well.

Regardless, you can’t deny that it stands out, especially with the yellow paint of our test car.

It’s hard to call this ute a Musso as it’s very clearly an Actyon or Torres from the B-pillar forwards. It’s like a Frankenstein as the rear tub section doesn’t look like it fits the aesthetic of this car.

Between the cabin and the tub area is a large slab of body colour with a rhino emblem, which looks tacky, plus there is an oversized grab handle section which serves no purpose.

At the back I like how ‘KGM’ is prominently embossed into the tailgate as no one will know what this vehicle is, at least for now.

However, I’m not convinced by the ‘X’ motif in the rear tail-lights. Like the split front LED headlight set-up with the full-width light bar, it looks too over-the-top for this kind of vehicle.

Inside, it's virtually identical to the Actyon and Torres.

While I like the look of the hexagonal steering wheel and the wraparound screen set-up combining the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system, the copper dashboard trim looks out of place in a work-oriented type of vehicle. Good thing this is more of a lifestyle ute than something like a HiLux.

Pair this with the large amounts of glossy piano black around the gear selector and the window switches on the door cards, it’s a recipe for fingerprints, smudges and scratches.

New Minis are all about design, sometimes, in my opinion, to a fault. The Aceman is very 'Mini' with its big googly eyes, little rectangular ‘grille’,  blob-like tail-lights and a side profile that resembles a house brick.

That’s how all new Minis look with each model having its own distinguishing characteristics. In the Aceman's case it has more triangular headlights than the Cooper and Countryman but more rounded tail-lights and black plastic cladding around the lower grille, wheel arches and side skirts.

Our test car is painted 'Blazing Blue', with a black roof.

Inside the upholstery is 'Vescin Dark Petrol', a kind of grey blue. The stitched dash is made of recycled polyester and is knitted in 'Dark Petrol' and orange fabric.

I like Mini interiors and I love the multitude of buttons for everything. It's a refreshing change in a world where physical dials and controls are disappearing from car cabins.

The circular OLED screen is pretty and a hat-tip to early Minis with their centre speedo.

Is the Aceman an SUV or hatch? I honestly don’t know and I’ve lived with it for a week. It’s officially classified as an SUV, but it looks like a four-door hatchback with a slightly raised ride height.

If anything the Aceman looks like a cross between the Cooper and the Countryman, not quite a hatch, not quite an SUV, but probably just right for most people.

The Aceman’s dimensions make this car seem small at 4070mm long, 1754mm wide and 1514mm tall, but considering the fairly diminutive exterior the inside is impressively spacious.

You sit up high in the Musso EV’s driver’s seat, allowing for a clear and commanding view of the road ahead. This is something that buyers of these kinds of vehicles seek as it provides more confidence behind the wheel.

While the hexagonal steering wheel looks cool, it can take a while to get your head around it, especially when turning quickly. Thankfully there are plenty of physical buttons on the wheel for key functions, so it doesn’t entirely reinvent the wheel (pardon the pun…)

Ahead of the driver is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster which looks clear and bright. You can cycle through a range of informative pages and while this is good, I’d love to see more customisation and configurability.

The same can be said for the central touchscreen multimedia system. It’s a rather basic system, but that’s not a bad thing because it also means that it’s easy to use. Frustratingly however, the screen takes a while to boot up when you start the ute.

Even though the touchscreen is basic, the majority of owners will likely be using smartphone mirroring for the majority of their time behind the wheel. It’s for this reason that it’s disappointing there’s only the wired form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available.

On the flip side though, the wired connection is flawless and it actually charges your phone rather than overheating it like some wireless chargers do.

I’d love to see some more physical switchgear and buttons around the screen because you’re forced to use it for a number of key functions, like the climate control and volume.

Up front the Musso EV is fairly practical. There are two cupholders, plenty of phone slots, a large open section under the centre console, as well as dual bottle holders in the doors.

Moving to the second row you can tell this is a ute that’s based on an SUV. There’s much more space and thought put into the second-row comfort.

At a leggy 182cm I have plenty of room behind my own driving position. In the default position it’s a comfortable spot to be, however you can recline the backrest even further, although you sacrifice legroom as a result. You don’t get features like this in every ute.

In terms of second-row amenities there are two USB-C ports and air vents on the back of the centre console, a fold-down armrest with cupholders, as well as lots of seat-back pockets and bottle holders in the doors.

The tub of the Musso EV is where things get interesting. There’s a damped tailgate with two gas struts that allows for effortless opening and closing.

Once the tailgate is open, the space is decent but not standout for a dual-cab ute. The tub area measures in at 1345mm long, 1515mm wide (1100mm between the arches) and 510mmmm tall. This notably means a standard Australia pallet is a bit too wide for the tub.

Payload in the 2WD is up to 905kg which isn’t too bad for a dual-cab ute, however it drops to 805kg in the AWD.

Towing capacity is where this electric ute suffers the most. It has a braked towing capacity of only 1800kg, which is down considerably over the benchmark 3500kg many of its top-selling rivals can do. There’s also only a maximum towball down load of 180kg, which is limiting.

While this isn’t great, electric utes typically aren’t the most efficient for towing rigs. As a result this limits the Musso EV to more light-duty and lifestyle applications.

Disappointingly there’s no spare wheel at all in this ute. Instead you have to rely on a tyre repair kit which isn’t helpful if you have a proper puncture and not a slow leak.

OK, the moment I typed the word 'spacious’ in that previous section on Design I had a concern. You might think the Aceman is somehow huge on the inside, but it’s not. What it is, however, is cleverly designed so as to maximise the available space and at 188cm tall I’m a good test for this.

Space up front for me in the driver’s seat is excellent, and that goes for head, elbow and legroom. The second row is cramped for me and I can’t sit behind my driving position, but my children were happy back there - one almost a teenager and the other in a child seat.

Storage is good with door pockets, a tray for rear passengers with USB ports, cupholders up front and a wireless charging nook, plus a small box with a lid between the front seats.

The boot has a 300-litre cargo capacity which isn't bad given the car’s size.

Where is the Mini Aceman made? Yes, as I said in the intro the Aceman is made in China as a joint venture between GWM and BMW.

You knew BMW owns Mini right? Of course you did.

But as for being made in China, don’t let that put you off. Some of the best electric cars I've driven all come from China and the worst… not from China.

Shortly after the Aceman launched around a year ago Mini dropped the base E grade, leaving the SE and spicy JCW as the only grades left.

The Aceman SE lists for $60,990 before on-road costs. Another five grand will get you into the high-performance Aceman JCW.

Frankly, the SE feels plenty powerful and sporty and the features list is also plentiful.

Standard gear includes 19-inch alloy wheels, proximity unlocking, panoramic glass roof, black roof rails, JCW bucket-style sport seats, a Harman Kardon sound system, 240mm circular OLED central media display, digital radio, head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, sat nav, ambient lighting, LED headlights and tail-lights.

The interior fabrics and colour styling show in the images are all standard, too.

The value is good considering the Mini Aceman is a prestige car, and you’ll pay a similar amount for entry-grade rivals such as Alfa Romeo's Junior, Volvo’s EX30 and the Zeekr X.

Two-wheel-drive versions of the Musso EV are powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 152kW and 339Nm. Yes, that makes this ute front-wheel drive.

It’s worth noting this is the exact same set-up as the KGM Torres EVX which has also just launched in Australia.

The all-wheel-drive version adds a second electric motor to the rear axle, bumping up total system outputs to 266kW and 630Nm.

The Mini Aceman is fully electric and while there is talk of a combustion version coming in the future, whether that happens or not is yet to be confirmed. Besides, an electric powertrain is perfect for the Aceman.

In the SE grade the single electric motor drives the front wheels and makes 160kW and 330Nm which is enough to fling the little rectangular beastie from 0-100km/h in 7.1 seconds.

Just as a comparison the five-door Mini Cooper S has a combustion engine that makes 150kW and 300Nm and 0-100km/h comes in 6.8 seconds.

All KGM Musso EVs have a BYD-sourced 80.6kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

It allows for up to 420km of claimed range in the 2WD and up to 380km of claimed range in the AWD, both according to WLTP testing.

The official energy consumption is 23kWh/100m in the 2WD and 26kWh/100km in the AWD. However, in our largely unladen urban testing of the 2WD we saw an average of 20kWh/100km, which is fairly decent for a larger EV, but not outstanding.

Using this, the Musso EV 2WD has a theoretical range of 403km.

The Type 2 CCS combination charge port is on the passenger-side front wheel arch, which is great because it’s kerbside.

Maximum DC charging is 120kW, allowing for a quick charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 36 minutes, whereas maximum AC charging is 10.5kW, allowing for a 0-100 per cent charge in 10.5 hours.

Vehicle-to-load (V2L) is available through the use of an accessory which plugs into the charge port. This allows you to use the ute’s battery to power household appliances, among other things.

The Aceman has a 49.2kWh battery which sounds small and it is compared with larger cars, but is the same size as similar vehicles such as the Volvo EX30 (49kWh) and Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica (51kWh).

The DC charge rate of 95kW is disappointingly slow. The EX30 has up to 153kW. The AC charging speed is a standard 11kW.

Charging from 10-80 per cent using a DC charger takes 31 minutes.

Energy consumption is 14.4kWh/100km over combined driving conditions which is neither excessive nor super efficient. My own driving saw 15.4kWh, according to the trip computer.

Range is up to 406km, which also is close to rivals but could be better.

As previously mentioned, the Musso EV we tested is a front-wheel drive. Its electric motor doesn’t have the highest outputs, although like all electric motors, peak torque comes on tap from a standstill.

In everyday traffic the acceleration is decent, yet does not stand out when unladen. Load the ute up with stuff in the tub or hook a trailer on the back and it might struggle. Thankfully if you’re after more oomph there’s the all-wheel drive.

There are two drive modes available – Eco and Sport. The former dramatically nerfs initial acceleration to make progression feel naturally tapered and to ensure there’s no front-wheel slip, but as a result it can feel a little sluggish. The latter however gives you everything and can create some light front-tyre spin if you’re too eager with the throttle.

You’re able to select from a number of different regenerative braking modes which feeds kinetic energy back into the battery pack. None of them offer a one-pedal driving mode, meaning you’ll still need to use the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

This mimics the braking experience of a hybrid vehicle, which likely feels more comfortable and natural for drivers of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Once you get your head around the hexagonal steering wheel, the steering feel itself is on the lighter side, but it still feels direct. As a result, it’s fun to chuck this ute around.

However, you can’t escape just how big this ute is, especially when parking and doing three-point turns. It measures almost 5.2m long, which is slightly shorter than a Ranger but still not compact.

Unlike many traditional dual-cab utes, this electric ute is based on a monocoque chassis, rather than a body-on-frame chassis. Additionally, the rear suspension is a multi-link set-up rather than a leaf spring set-up.

As a result, this makes the driving experience more like an SUV that prioritises passenger comfort than a ute that prioritises outright payload and towing capacity.

Around town the ride is supple but still has a firm edge, especially over the rear, even when unladen.

Smaller-than-average 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in chunky tyres with thick sidewalls smooth out some bigger bumps.

A nifty feature this ute has is self-leveling rear shock absorbers. It’s able to pump up the rear end when you’ve got a heavy load in the tub, or if you're towing a trailer, in order to create a flat ride height. This is great as you won’t be dazzling oncoming cars with your headlights.

From a noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) standpoint, this ute is largely quiet around town. Despite this, there’s an annoying pedestrian warning sound that plays under 33km/h and can intrude into the cabin.

At higher speeds there is a fair bit of road noise which is amplified by the lack of ambient engine noise. There can also be occasional wind noise buffeting from the bonnet flourishes.

There’s not a Mini model I haven’t driven in the past 15 years and the Aceman lives up to the sporty and engaging feel that makes these little cars fun to pilot, even if it’s just down the road to get milk.

Good, instant acceleration, quick steering that’s a little on the heavy side and a comfortable suspension tune that can handle quick corners while keeping the car flat makes the Aceman a liveable and enjoyable car.

A range of noises - Mini calls it a 'Sonic Universe' - provides a soundtrack to your driving and while they’re all a bit embarrassing, only one can be heard outside the vehicle and it’s not too cringeworthy.

The Mini Aceman drives like a small, sporty prestige car, meaning there’s a solid, planted feel with good handling and comfort to go with it.

And its tiny proportions makes it super easy to pilot through tight laneways and park in impossibly small places.

The Mini Aceman was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2025. The safety equipment list is vast and includes tech from auto emergency braking (AEB), lane keeping assistance and blind spot warning to rear cross-traffic alert with braking, exit warning and auto parking.

The Aceman has a puncture repair kit in the place of a spare tyre.

For child seats there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor points.

The Musso EV is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty as standard, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered by a 10-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

KGM is yet to confirm servicing intervals or pricing.

There are 66 KGM dealers and service centres around Australia. The majority are spread over the eastern seaboard, however, there is generous coverage in many regional areas.

Mini covers the Aceman with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and while that's the standard for prestige makers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, it falls short of mainstream coverage with some brands now offering seven years or more of coverage.

The Aceman’s battery is covered by an eight-year/100,000km warranty, which is the norm right across the industry.

Mini has conditions-based servicing so rather than a specific schedule, the car's computer will tell you when it is due for a service.

Mini offers owners pre-paid service packages priced from $1575 for four years and $2360 for six years.