What this is, then, is a city runabout for the minted who have other things elsewhere. And on that front, it does exactly what you would want it to. With nearly 100bhp, it has a claimed 0-62mph time of 8.5sec. Driving the car exclusively in London, I didn’t get to test that, but it sounds pretty reasonable to me.
The nice thing, as with lots of EVs, is that bold smooth torque delivery from rest, and it’s very linear. Fellten says that the original throttle pedal is much like a switch, so this is way more graded and progressive. There’s predictable retardation too, with regeneration optimising the range and good brake pedal feel. Regular handbrake. Gearlever in the same position as usual, about the same height, but with just forward and reverse positions.
Otherwise, it drives much like I remember a classic Mini, as well it might because, given the battery size, it comes in at virtually the same weight as the original. As some people tell us, you can make an EV as light as an ICE car, but it means a small battery and most likely no fast charging.
Minis got a little heavier over the years, and various official bits of paperwork said they were anything between 580kg early on and 700kg towards the turn of the millennium. DBA claims a weight of 640kg for this one, which is very much naff all by modern standards, so it turns, steers and stops with the same sort of ease as most quadricycles, rather than cars.