Mini Aceman vs Infiniti Q60

What's the difference?

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.

Beautiful looks, good handling, but the driving experience of the Q60 GT is let down by a numbness and disconnection relative to what's happening under you. Refinement isn't on the same level as its BMW and Benz rivals, but the GT is a perfect match for the RC 200t, while remaining good value for money. If you have your heart set on an Infiniti Q60 then I'd skip straight to the top and opt for the Red Sport.

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 Q60 GT is a head turner – literally. Whenever I was driving slow enough to notice, people were rubbernecking to look at the long, low-slung coupe. I'm sure most had no idea what brand of car it was, but in its 'Iridium Blue' paint the Q60 looked amazing with its curvy, sleek profile.

There's only one small issue – the RC 200t and Q60 GT are way too similar looking, right down to their 'signature' shaped c-pillars. I prefer the grille of the Lexus but the rear of the Q60. While there might be a bit of copy-catting going on, both are prettier than their BMW or Benz rivals.

The Q60 GT feels fairly large to drive and the dimensions don't lie – 4690mm end-to-end, 2052mm across with the wing mirrors unfurled, but low at 1395mm.

The cabin treatment is just as emotional as the exterior, with its dual screens, swoopy dashboard and sectioned off driver and passenger cells.

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.

The short answer is not very practical - but then no two-door sports car really is. So while the front two seats are roomy (although the optional sunroof restricts headroom) the same can't be said for the back seats – at 191cm tall, not only can I not sit up straight (because of the sloping roofline), I can't fit my legs in behind my driving position.

While those large doors open wide the roofline and the lack of rear doors means trying to insert a toddler into his car seat was painful and involved kneeling in the street, there were days we took our much less fancy SUV just because it was easier.

This is a four seater – with two cupholders in between the rear seats and two more cupholders up front. Storage elsewhere is limited, with tiny pockets in the front doors and a small centre console bin to hide your phone and wallet.

The boot is also on the small side at 341 litres – don't compare this to the 423 litre of cargo capacity in the RC 200t which is measured in VDA litres. That said, there was more than enough room for our weekly shop which fitted in snugly, although you have to hoist your shopping bags high to clear that boot lip.

The Q60 GT has a list price of $62,900, undercutting the Lexus RC 200t by $2000, but what you might find surprising is that the Benz C200 Coupe is only $3500 more than the Infiniti, while the BMW 420i in the Luxury grade lists for $69,900. Depending on how you look at it, either the Germans are affordable or the Japanese are expensive. Perhaps a bit of both.

It's not bad value for money, but it would be good to see other features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto added.

What's for sure is that the Q60 GT's standard features list is substantial. There's 8.0-inch and 7.0-inch 'double-decker' screens, sat nav, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, six-speaker stereo, LED head- and fog lights, proximity unlocking, heated and power adjustable front seats and leather upholstery.

It's not bad value for money, but it would be good to see other features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto added along with adaptive cruise control.

The Q60 Sport Premium is the next grade up from the GT and lists for $70,900, while the Red Sport is $88,900.

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.

The Q60 GT has a 155kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with drive being sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission. The same engine is also in the Q60 Sport Premium, while the Red Sport packs a twin-turbo V6.

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.

An official combined fuel consumption figure of 7.7L/100km is fairly optimistic and our combination of urban, city and highway running saw the trip computer reporting back to us with 9.1L/100km. Still, that's not too bad considering how much time was spent in city traffic.

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.

I had a feeling this would happen - the GT was disappointing to drive after the Red Sport with the latter's twin-turbo V6, sports suspension, better steering and excellent Sport + drive mode. There's lots to like about the GT, though – the grip is great from the wide Dunlop SP rubber (235 40 R19 front and 255 40 R19 rear), the chassis feels taught, acceleration is good and it's a gorgeous looking car.

But there's a sense of disconnection from the driving experience I couldn't get past, such as the numb feeling in the steering which needed constant re-adjustment. I also think the suspension felt over sprung and lacked composure over small bumps in the road.

The GT and all Q60s don't have the same level of refinement as the C200 Coupe or 420i, evident from the clunky feel of the door handles to the road noise intruding into the cabin.

That 2.0-litre engine is great, but the transmission is a mood killer with it wanting to change up gears quickly to save fuel.

I'm not a fan of the cockpit. Sure it's brave and expressively designed, but the double-deck screens are confusing, there's one for nav, while the other's for media... I think. Then there are things you don't need, such as a digital compass – actually there are two, one on the display and another in the instrument cluster, but there's no digital speedo.

That 2.0-litre engine is great, but the transmission is a mood killer with it wanting to change up gears quickly to save fuel, even in 'Sport' mode.

Here's a curve ball call for you – I've just stepped out of a, Alfa Giulia Super. Close in price to the Infiniti, same sized engine, but infinitely more rewarding and fun to drive – plus you get an extra two doors.

The Q60 is yet to be rated by ANCAP, although it's good to see AEB with pedestrian detection is standard, even on the base grade GT. That said, it would be good to see blind spot warning and lane keeping assistance fitted as standard (as you'll find on the Benz C200 Coupe). It's not a lot to ask considering these comes standard on higher grades of the Nissan X-Trail.

There are two ISOFIX mounts in the back and two top tether anchor points.

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.

The Q60 GT is covered by Infiniti's four-year/100,000km warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months/25,000km. Servicing is capped at $538 for the first, then $643 and then $849 for the third.