MINI Cooper SE road tests

I enjoyed that video a lot! Made me wish we had legitimate choices here for electric cars. I would still pick the Mini for me as I am hooked with my current Mini. But for a longer range car I wish we had real choices. I was impressed with the range on the Mini knowing these were done on motorways. Maybe they got mileage while it was cold and a bit lead footed?
 
Interesting the German-engineered cars (MINI and VW) were the only ones that exceeded their claimed range, with MINI on top. And yikes, so many of the other cars seriously underperformed on range.
 
Underpromise and overdeliver seems to be Mini's marketing strategy.

Here is what puzzles me, though: what is it about the Mini SE that it more frequently seems to exceed the range derived from standardized testing (e.g., EPA), whereas some other brands routinely fall short? Regardless of how "real world" such tests are supposed to be, at least at first blush you would assume that all EVs would be impacted similarly. It therefore appears that there is some interaction between the test parameters and the SE's characteristics... weight and/or aero drag, perhaps?
 
CuriousGeorge said:
Underpromise and overdeliver seems to be Mini's marketing strategy.

Here is what puzzles me, though: what is it about the Mini SE that it more frequently seems to exceed the range derived from standardized testing (e.g., EPA), whereas some other brands routinely fall short? Regardless of how "real world" such tests are supposed to be, at least at first blush you would assume that all EVs would be impacted similarly. It therefore appears that there is some interaction between the test parameters and the SE's characteristics... weight and/or aero drag, perhaps?
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Typically, the car companies run the EPA test suites themselves and the EPA spot-checks those tests. The EPA has a web page where they list companies that have had to revise their over-optimistic fuel-economy estimates. Earlier MINIs are on this list, so perhaps BMW/MINI decided to publish conservative range estimates for the SE to ensure it didn't also get called out.
 
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CuriousGeorge said:
Underpromise and overdeliver seems to be Mini's marketing strategy.

Here is what puzzles me, though: what is it about the Mini SE that it more frequently seems to exceed the range derived from standardized testing (e.g., EPA), whereas some other brands routinely fall short? Regardless of how "real world" such tests are supposed to be, at least at first blush you would assume that all EVs would be impacted similarly. It therefore appears that there is some interaction between the test parameters and the SE's characteristics... weight and/or aero drag, perhaps?
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This is pure conjecture, but I wonder. Many vehicles - EVs in particular - are designed for the test. It's not cheating, per se, but they do things that increase efficiency in the test environment that don't necessarily translate to the real world. Mini, by contrast, is designed for the road. They didn't seem to care what range the test would net when they designed the car; Mini wanted this thing to excel in the actual real world.

Again, just conjecture. I base this off of experience, but offer no proof.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
This is pure conjecture, but I wonder. Many vehicles - EVs in particular - are designed for the test. It's not cheating, per se, but they do things that increase efficiency in the test environment that don't necessarily translate to the real world. Mini, by contrast, is designed for the road. They didn't seem to care what range the test would net when they designed the car; Mini wanted this thing to excel in the actual real world.

Again, just conjecture. I base this off of experience, but offer no proof.
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MINI's use of performance tires rather than hard, eco tires, and their willingness to sacrifice aerodynamics for appearances (hood scoop) bear out your conjecture.
 
Puppethead said:
Interesting the German-engineered cars (MINI and VW) were the only ones that exceeded their claimed range, with MINI on top. And yikes, so many of the other cars seriously underperformed on range.
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I have an e-tron and it's about 20% down at highways speeds. About 11% down with my average mixed driving -and I am driving with about half the intensity of my MINI, which is to say not hard at all. This is including some HVAC, but no heat so far. I'll give them credit for including heat/AC and idling in the efficiency readout.

The MINI can definitely exceed it easily.
 
When you keep in mind the carwow test was at freeway speeds (70 mph) and with AC running the whole time, the numbers look even better. That's got to be the least-efficient general driving.
 
Puppethead said:
When you keep in mind the carwow test was at freeway speeds (70 mph) and with AC running the whole time, the numbers look even better. That's got to be the least-efficient general driving.
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I believe driving at expressway speeds in weather too cold for the heat-pump, requiring the resistance heater, would be more energy-intensive than driving with the AC.

I wish I knew at what temperature the heat-pump gives up. I wonder if an OBDII scanner could tell me when the resistance heater kicks in?
 
I am going on memory (and Google is of no help), but I believe that Nissan's heat pump was more efficient than resistance heating down below freezing, to about -15C or so. I too would love to know how Mini's heat pump performs. Both of my EVs thus far have only had resistance heat and it is an absolute killer to range. A/C is minimal by contrast.
 
A/C for defog in the winter is still minimal in the Bolt compared to the heater. I'd give it a shot in the Mini and let us know what you find!
 
GetOffYourGas said:
I am going on memory (and Google is of no help), but I believe that Nissan's heat pump was more efficient than resistance heating down below freezing, to about -15C or so. I too would love to know how Mini's heat pump performs. Both of my EVs thus far have only had resistance heat and it is an absolute killer to range. A/C is minimal by contrast.
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When I googled "heat pump temperature range" I got "around 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit," which jibes with your assumption, but that is not for an automotive heat pump. The MINI Cooper SE's heat pump is transferring heat from the motor, battery and electronics, rather than from the outside air, so it should work even when the ambient air temperature is lower than 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. How much lower is the question.
 
insightman said:
When I googled "heat pump temperature range" I got "around 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit," which jibes with your assumption, but that is not for an automotive heat pump. The MINI Cooper SE's heat pump is transferring heat from the motor, battery and electronics, rather than from the outside air, so it should work even when the ambient air temperature is lower than 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. How much lower is the question.
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This article mostly agrees with the 25-35 range for a VW at least. How much it drops in temps lower it doesn't state https://www.currentautomotive.com/m...-with-a-heat-pump-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal/
 
Lainey said:
This article mostly agrees with the 25-35 range for a VW at least. How much it drops in temps lower it doesn't state https://www.currentautomotive.com/m...-with-a-heat-pump-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal/
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As illustrated in that article, the Nissan and Volkswagen BEVs with air-cooled batteries have no opportunity to extract heat from the car's electrical components. Unfortunately there is almost no information about the Tesla Model Y's heat pump and at what temperatures it remains effective.

Incorporating a heat pump in a BEV with a liquid-cooled battery does make the system more complex, as this photo of the MINI Cooper SE's power plant rife with hoses emphasizes:

motor_and_plumbing400.jpg
 
insightman said:
As illustrated in that article, the Nissan and Volkswagen BEVs with air-cooled batteries have no opportunity to extract heat from the car's electrical components. Unfortunately there is almost no information about the Tesla Model Y's heat pump and at what temperatures it remains effective.

Incorporating a heat pump in a BEV with a liquid-cooled battery does make the system more complex, as this photo of the MINI Cooper SE's power plant rife with hoses emphasizes:

motor_and_plumbing400.jpg
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Teach me not to read all of the article... I just was curious and saw the temps listed.
 
This type of reviewer aggravates me - the headline does not really match their review of the vehicle, in my opinion. A summary of Sebastien's review would read "Mini Cooper ES - A great choice if you can live with the range". But he went for the click-baity headline, instead. And he did not factor in the large potential tax-credit savings when talking about its price compared to other EVs. (at least in the US)

2021 Mini Cooper SE Review: Close But No Cigar
https://www.autoguide.com/manufacturer/mini/2021-mini-cooper-se-review-close-but-no-cigar
 
GvilleGuy said:
This type of reviewer aggravates me - the headline does not really match their review of the vehicle, in my opinion. A summary of Sebastien's review would read "Mini Cooper ES - A great choice if you can live with the range". But he went for the click-baity headline, instead. And he did not factor in the large potential tax-credit savings when talking about its price compared to other EVs. (at least in the US)

2021 Mini Cooper SE Review: Close But No Cigar
https://www.autoguide.com/manufacturer/mini/2021-mini-cooper-se-review-close-but-no-cigar
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FWIW, the author of an article rarely writes their own headlines. In fact, most publications (online or otherwise) hire people specifically for the purpose of writing attention-grabbing (i.e. "click-bait") headlines. So blame Auto Guide, not Sebastien.
 
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