Mini's first electric vehicle is still gestating. (Mini doesn't count the 450 copies of the lease-only 2009 Mini E, which it referred to as a "pilot project.") The models we drove were covered in camo inside and out (with the exterior wrap festooned with plug designs, lest anyone get confused) and several of the car's features, including its various drive modes, disabled. Engineers were quick to tell us that this drive was only for first impressions, which are conveniently the only kind of impressions that can be made in half an hour on what amounts to a parking-lot autocross course.

There's a lot we can't yet know about the Mini Cooper S E EV, but Mini did provide some hard details. For one thing, Mini's first EV will share its powertrain with the BMW i3. Engineers took that model's 2018-spec 33.8-kWh battery pack and motor and shifted the electronics and the driven wheels to the front end of the car to better match the Mini Cooper S's existing architecture. That motor and battery combination is good for 114 miles of range by the EPA's reckoning—mind you, in the carbon-fiber shell of the i3. However, Mini expects similar numbers for the S E.

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Mini says the S E will weigh 284 pounds more than a base Cooper, or about 3050 pounds. It rides 0.6 inch higher and has unique dampers compared to the gasoline Cooper. It uses the springs from the Countryman and Clubman to accommodate the extra weight of the battery, which is stored in the center tunnel and in the space usually reserved for a fuel tank.

Mini says that their main concern with this first EV is that it embodies the quick handling and engagement that keep Mini fans coming back for more. Our quick trip through the grounds at BMW's Maisach, Germany, driving academy revealed little to be concerned about on that front.

Our test mules were wearing Pirelli P Zero tires, while many production hybrid and electric vehicles come from the factory with less performance-friendly rubber, and the car's tuning is not yet final. But the S E seemed largely unfettered by its extra weight, moving easily through lane-change maneuvers and a short slalom course. We experienced two regenerative braking modes, the lesser of which allows a smooth transition from accelerating to coasting, and the stronger of which essentially obviates the need for a brake pedal. Acceleration isn't exactly stunning, but with 170 horsepower coming from the i3-sourced motor, the electric Mini felt quicker (and more linear) than a Mini Hardtop with the base 134-hp turbocharged inline-three, though perhaps not quite as gutsy as the 189-hp S model.

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In rearranging the Hardtop's innards to accommodate the electric motor, the S E's engineers moved the traction control system into the main ECU, which shortened the amount of time between the wheels slipping and the system's response. After several full-power starts on a wet pad, there was no wheelslip to speak of from the S E, though it remains to be seen how a car fitted with more typical tires would fare in the same test. The major weak point of our brief drive, steering that felt at times disconnected and overboosted, was well known to engineers, who said they were waiting for the results of winter testing before retuning the system.

So, the Mini Cooper S E feels like a Mini. But does it look like one, too? After all, Union Jack Easter eggs may be as important to Mini's customer base as its clichéd go-kart-like handling. While the only non-camouflaged parts of the cars we saw were the cupholders, stuffing an electric powertrain into an existing model means that outlandish exterior design is out of the question. The main differences between electric and non-electric Coopers seem to be an enclosed grille and some EV-specific badges, like those found on the Countryman S E plug-in hybrid.

We're still a long way off from seeing S E models on public roadways. An official unveiling will likely come this summer, with production starting late this year and deliveries following early in 2020. Mini won't talk specifics yet, but it's likely that the S E's rollout in the United States will start with EV-friendly metro areas and expand as needed from there. Plans for pricing are similarly vague, but Mini says the S E will not command a dramatic premium compared to gas models.

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