If you want to gauge just how agile a car is and how controllable it is in sudden manoeuvres, then subjecting it to the industry standard moose test yields clear irrefutable results. It highlights how heavier cars or ones with a higher centre of gravity don’t perform as well as lighter, better balanced cars.
What’s even more interesting is that it shows differences between the same car fitted with either a traditional petrol power plant or an electric (or electrified) powertrain. A great example of how this can really differ based on what powers a car is the Mini three-door hatchback which was recently launched as the all-electric Cooper SE.
Reviewers have said it’s undeniably fun to drive, and that it retains the characteristic Mini handling. However, based on Km77’s findings, it’s clear that it’s not quite as good through the corners as the petrol-burning Mini.
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The Spanish outlet tested the Mini Cooper five-door model a few years back, and its maximum speed was 80 km/h (49.7 mph); chances are, if they had tested the lighter three-door Mini Cooper it could have been even faster. The recently tested Cooper SE only managed a maximum speed through the manoeuvre of 77 km/h (48 mph).
This is due to the SE’s higher overall mass - it’s around 200 kg (440 pounds) heavier than a comparable three-door Cooper S and this does have a negative effect on the way it handles. That’s why even the slightly larger and heavier five-door Cooper S still beat it in the moose test.
And since the Cooper SE shares its motor with the i3S, it’s worth noting that the BMW was able to complete the moose test at 79 km/h (49 mph). Not quite as good as the petrol-burning Cooper S, but better than the Cooper SE, probably due to its better-balanced rear-wheel drive chassis.
