Mini Cooper VS Holden Commodore

After all the excitement of the all-new electrified architecture and pared-back design, would the Mini Cooper Electric also impress from behind the wheel, particularly as it now hails from China rather than the UK?

We needn’t have worried - at least, not as far as the more-expensive Copper SE is concerned, as BMW did not have a base E for us to test.

First off, remember how comfortable the JCW seats are? Combined with the intuitiveness of the ergonomics, they set the driver up for an immersive and fun experience.

With 160kW, the single-motor/front-drive electric powertrain will not keep up with Tesla Model 3s costing similar money, but the Cooper SE is still tuned to feel fast off the line, responsive to your right foot inputs on the go, and rapid when you really need to leap ahead, especially in Sport mode. The latter is part of seven settings ranging from lazy cruisy to ultra-alertness. All maintain the Mini’s can-do charm.

But, as with all great super-minis in history, it's the chassis underneath that brings the electric Cooper to life.

Yes, it is heavy at 1.6 tonnes - though not for an EV with this sized battery. And, yes, the lack of a manual, integral to hot hatches for some drivers, is a drawback.

But the Mini is a taut, reactive and agile little runabout, with sharp steering that’s totally on-brand, tenacious grip (in teeming rain, too) and a level of tautness and control that just makes you feel part of the dynamic experience. Tight, alert and athletic. It’s what we expect from a Cooper and the charming, charismatic SE delivers.

Boasting such moves whilst still capable of offering a sufficiently supple ride on the standard 18-inch alloys is just as much of a joy for folks who need to commute in a Mini. The old brittle hardness of most earlier Cooper S’ has been exorcised in this affable little beauty.

We cannot tell you how quiet or otherwise the SE is on freeways as there was just too much water on the road (tyre roar is a typical German car bugbear), but the lively chassis, strong performance and impressive overall refinement are the hallmarks of the electric Mini made in China.

And, speaking of China, the handy driver-assist tech breaks from tradition by not interfering abruptly, highlighting the nuanced level of tuning BMW has performed on its petitie English patient.

Foibles? Over our two hours, we found those thick side pillars do impede vision to an alarming degree, so be grateful for the blind-spot alert. While the brakes worked magnificently, as you’d expect, we’d like some broader adjustability for the off-pedal regen braking. As it stands, it doesn’t quite bring the car to a full stop, single-pedal style. Paddle shifters to facilitate that might be nice, too.

Note, too, that another test car with two larger occupants garnered some criticism for riding too firmly. All our driving was performed with just the driver on board.

But what a drive it turned out to be. Even in high winds and torrential rain over slippery roads, the new Cooper Electric SE proved to be an irresistibly fun drive, yet with a newfound maturity that makes us impatient to get back behind that natty little wheel.

The Commodore we know and most of us love is just as famous for its quality driving experience as its local production and motorsport successes. So, the ZB has some big shoes to fill in this area. 

At the ZB’s media launch, we drove everything aside from the base LT or any diesel variant, over several hundred kilometres of pretty much every road condition. 

I’ll cut to the chase. There’s a genuine quality to the way they handle Australian road conditions. We drove them back to back with a UK-spec model at Lang Lang, and while you’d expect the local car to excel at its own test facility, the rear and front suspension work in harmony to handle mid-corner bumps with far greater stability than the alternative. The electric power steering weighting was also lighter, but it didn’t seem to lose any precision. 

You probably wouldn’t notice it driving to the shops every day or cruising on the highway, but this on-limit controllability could easily be the difference between life and death in an emergency. 

The turbo four is a surprisingly capable and refined package, and would honestly be my pick if I were in the market. It’s smoother and more tractable than the V6, so feels like it would deliver speed more readily than the bigger engine unless you were going flat out. 

Holden isn’t quoting official 0-100km/h acceleration figures, but we hear the petrol four is good for a 7.0 second-ish time, and the V6 will manage just over 6.0sec. So there’s really not much in it outright. 

Therefore it’s a shame you can’t get the Tourer with the petrol four, but because the combination is available in Europe, Holden could shift the line-up if there’s enough demand. 

The nine-speed auto does a pretty good job with either engine, and its electronic brain does a slick job of seamlessly adjusting its shift behaviour to your driving style. 

Holden isn’t quoting ground clearance figures, but all have enough to handle dirt roads, and while the 17-inch wheel equipped models match the VF II’s 11.4m turning circle, be aware that the 18-inch wheel variants blow out to 11.7m, the 19s are 12.7m, and Holden doesn’t quote a figure for the 20-inch equipped Calais-V Liftback and VXR.   

The only other surprise among the group we drove is the Calais-V Liftback, which is likely to be a bit too sharp in its ride for some luxury buyers on its big 20-inch alloy wheels. The Calais or one of the Tourers would be your best bet for comfort.  

The VXR performance flagship is a completely different personality to the SS models of the past. It’s nowhere near as fast, but is more of a grownup package that’s easier to get the best out of. 

Its more demure than the brash final VF IIs, and the V6 does make a pretty sweet note, even if half of it is coming from the speakers.

Nothing was ever going to replicate the romance and pride of the last SS, but all is not lost for fans of fast Holdens.