After a few weeks with our Melting Silver III MINI Aceman SE, we’ve moved past the initial exterior impressions and started properly living with the interior. This is where MINI’s controversial design choices either make sense or fall apart – and spoiler alert, there’s more to like than we expected, even if it’s not perfect.
Click here to see our Exterior Showcase
The interior is where MINI has taken its biggest risk. That massive 9.4-inch circular OLED screen dominates everything, there’s barely a physical button in sight, and the whole cabin feels like it’s been designed by people who grew up with smartphones rather than traditional cars. For a brand steeped in heritage, it’s a bold move. The question is: does it work in real-world use?
Minimalist But Not Sterile
Climbing into the Aceman for the first time, you’re immediately struck by how uncluttered everything feels. The dashboard sweeps wide across the cabin, creating a sense of space that belies the car’s compact external dimensions. There’s no traditional instrument cluster ahead of the driver, no forest of buttons and switches, just that round screen and a few toggle switches below it.
It’s minimalist, yes, but there’s character here too. The knitted dashboard material adds texture and warmth, whilst the ambient lighting strips along the doors and around the panoramic glass roof create atmosphere without feeling gimmicky. MINI calls this “Charismatic Simplicity,” and for once, the marketing speak actually matches reality.
Our Aceman SE came with the vegan leather option, and they’re surprisingly pleasant. They’re soft, comfortable, and feel like they’ll age better.
Front Seats: Comfortable Territory
The front seats are genuinely comfortable for longer drives. We’ve already done a few runs from Johannesburg to Parys, and there’s been no discomfort or fidgeting. The seats offer decent support without being overly bolstered, and there’s enough adjustment range to find a good driving position regardless of your height.
What’s particularly impressive is the sense of space. Despite the Aceman being compact, you don’t feel cramped up front. The far-reaching dashboard creates an airy feel, and the lack of a transmission tunnel means your feet aren’t fighting for space with mechanical components. It’s one area where electric vehicles have a genuine advantage over combustion cars.
Storage is adequate but not exceptional. There’s a decent-sized cubby under the centre console, door pockets that’ll handle a water bottle, and a wireless charging pad that actually works reliably—something that can’t be said for every car with this feature. Our phones haven’t overheated or stopped charging mid-journey, which is refreshingly competent.
Rear Seats: Adults Welcome (But Not All of Them)
Here’s where the Aceman’s compact dimensions start to show. The rear seats are acceptable for two adults on quick journeys, though fitting three across the back would be a struggle. The outer seats are fine for adults – there’s enough legroom and headroom for people of average height, and you don’t feel like you’re sitting in a penalty box. BUT not when I’m driver, or sitting in any of the front seats. Coming in at 1.9m tall means I have to push my front seat all the way back, until no living person can sit behind me.
The middle seat, however, is less accommodating. It’s slightly higher and stiffer than the outer seats, and the central tunnel reduces legroom, particularly on longer trips. If you’re regularly carrying three adults in the back, the Aceman probably isn’t your car. For families with two kids or couples who occasionally carry friends, it’s perfectly adequate.
One saving grace is the optional panoramic glass roof fitted to our test car. It transforms the rear seat experience, flooding the cabin with light and making the space feel significantly less claustrophobic. Without it, we suspect the rear would feel considerably more confined.
The 60/40 split-folding rear seats are easy to operate and fold reasonably flat, which extends the Aceman’s versatility considerably. They’re the kind of feature you don’t appreciate until you need them, then you’re grateful they exist.
Cargo Space: Adequate But Not Class-Leading
With all seats in place, the Aceman offers 300 litres of boot space, which sounds modest on paper, and frankly, it is modest. For context, a Opel Mokka offers 310 litres, whilst competitors like the BYD Dolphin blow the Aceman away with significantly more cargo capacity.
In real-world use, though, the 300 litres proves adequate for daily life. We’ve done weekly grocery runs without issue, school drop-offs with sports bags, and even a weekend trip to Parys for two adults with luggage. The boot is well-shaped, with a square opening and minimal intrusion from the electric drivetrain components. There’s no awkward high loading lip or shallow floor—the EV architecture hasn’t compromised practicality here.
Drop the rear seats, and capacity expands to 1,005 litres, which is genuinely useful. We haven’t needed this yet, but it’s good to know the option exists for larger cargo needs. The seats fold reasonably flat, though there’s a slight step between the boot floor and the seat backs.
The Controversial Screen: Better Than Expected
Right, let’s address the the circle in the room. That 9.4-inch circular OLED touchscreen is the most divisive aspect of the Aceman’s interior. It houses all the car’s controls, runs MINI Operating System 9, and replaces what would traditionally be an instrument cluster and infotainment system.
We’ll be honest: we were sceptical. Circular screens feel gimmicky, and touchscreen-only interfaces often frustrate more than they help. But after a few weeks with the Aceman, we’ve been pleasantly surprised.
The screen itself is gorgeous. It’s a high-resolution OLED display with smartphone-like responsiveness, and there’s zero lag when switching between functions. Touch something, and it responds instantly—no waiting, no stuttering, no frustration. In an automotive landscape littered with laggy touchscreens, this alone is noteworthy.
The layout is intuitive. Commonly used features like navigation, media, telephone, and climate settings are accessible from a bar along the bottom, just like a smartphone home screen. Speed and battery state of charge are always visible at the top of the screen, so you’re never hunting for critical information. Widgets on each side let you quickly jump between functions.
What really works is the customisation. You can arrange your favourite features into a “toolbelt” that swipes up from the bottom, choose your own wallpaper to match the ambient lighting, and generally make the interface feel personal. It’s the kind of flexibility you expect from a smartphone but rarely get in a car.
The circular shape, which seemed like it would be a hindrance, actually doesn’t matter. Your eyes adapt quickly, and the screen is positioned perfectly within reach and sight. We haven’t found ourselves wishing it were rectangular—the round format works fine once you’re used to it.
MINI Operating System 9: Smartphone Familiarity
The software running on that screen is MINI Operating System 9, developed in-house by BMW and based on an Android open-source software stack with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. For users, what this means is an interface that feels familiar if you’ve ever used a smartphone—which is to say, everyone.
There are eight MINI Experience Modes to choose from: Core, Green, Go-Kart, Personal, Balance, Timeless, and Vivid. Each mode changes the screen graphics and ambient lighting to create different atmospheres. Personal mode lets you set your own wallpaper, whilst Go-Kart mode gives everything a sportier, more aggressive look.
Are these modes necessary? Probably not. But they’re fun, they give the interior personality, and they make the car feel less like an appliance and more like something with character. We’ve found ourselves sticking mostly to Personal mode with a custom wallpaper, but it’s nice to have options.
The system includes 5G data connection as standard, which means navigation is always up-to-date, and over-the-air updates keep the software current. It’s the kind of connectivity we’re starting to expect from modern EVs, and MINI delivers it competently.
Phone connectivity is seamless. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and they connect instantly when you start the car. No fiddling with cables, no pairing headaches—it just works. This is one of those things that sounds trivial until you experience a car where it doesn’t work, at which point you realise how important it is.
The AI Assistant: Meet Spike
One of the more unusual features is Spike, MINI’s Intelligent Personal Assistant that takes the form of an animated dog jumping around on the screen. Say “Hey MINI” or press the button on the steering wheel, and Spike springs to life, ready to help with navigation, media, climate, and phone functions.
The system understands conversational requests—you can tell it you’re hungry or craving coffee, and it’ll suggest nearby options. It’s more sophisticated than the basic voice commands in many cars, though whether you’ll actually use it regularly is another question.
We’ve found ourselves using it occasionally for changing media or adjusting climate settings whilst driving, but it’s not revolutionary. What is nice is that it adds character to the car. Spike bouncing around the screen feels very MINI—quirky, playful, slightly unnecessary, but charming nonetheless. Your passengers will either love it or think it’s ridiculous, probably depending on their age.
Ambient Lighting: Subtle But Effective
The ambient lighting in the Aceman deserves specific mention. Rather than the garish RGB strips you find in some cars, MINI’s approach is more sophisticated. Two projector units emit various illuminated patterns that complement the selected Experience Mode, creating atmosphere without being distracting.
The lighting runs along the door panels and around the panoramic glass roof, and it’s adjustable in intensity and colour. At night, it transforms the cabin from functional to atmospheric, making longer drives feel more special. It’s the kind of detail that elevates the interior without shouting about it.
Key Interior Specs:
- Seating: 5 seats (comfortable for 4 adults)
- Boot space: 300 litres (seats up), 1,005 litres (seats down)
- Screen: 9.4-inch circular OLED touchscreen
- Operating system: MINI Operating System 9
- Connectivity: Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
- Head-up display: Standard on Aceman SE
- Materials: Recycled polyester, textile or Vescin upholstery
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