MINI Cooper SE road tests

Puppethead said:
MINI made a big deal out of avoiding wheel slippage when accelerating, which apparently is not an uncommon issue with other EVs.
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Right, which mean that even with summer performance tires, the motor could overpower the front wheels if not for traction control.

Perhaps I'm wrong and at least some EV manufacturers have found the optimal combination of torque/power/efficiency/gearing? Dunno.
 
The traction control is a little overactive but I love that it’s stealthy, without annoying tire squeal.

Tesla however found a way to kill wheel spin without cutting quite as much power. RWD helps.
 
polyphonic said:
The traction control is a little overactive but I love that it’s stealthy, without annoying tire squeal.
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I totally agree--the Dynamic Traction Control contributes greatly to the stealthiness of the SE. I get a tiny loss of traction after I rocket away from a stoplight when the front tires cross rubberized pedestrian crosswalk markings. I sometimes hear a tiny chirp when the tires regain traction after the crosswalk, but that doesn't bug me because I can easily prevent it.

I have no motivation to press the Dynamic Traction Control button to try lessening (I've read it doesn't eliminate) the SE's control over wheel-spin. The Owners Manual suggests you might want to deactivate DTC in these situations:
  • When driving in slush or on uncleared, snow-covered roads
  • When driving off from deep snow or loose ground
  • When driving with snow chains
 
insightman said:
II have no motivation to press the Dynamic Traction Control button to try lessening (I've read it doesn't eliminate) the SE's control over wheel-spin. The Owners Manual suggests you might want to deactivate DTC in these situations:
  • When driving in slush or on uncleared, snow-covered roads
  • When driving off from deep snow or loose ground
  • When driving with snow chains
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I heard that there is a 4th situation (not disclosed in the Owner's Manual) when one might want to deactivate DTC:
  • When the driver wishes to permanently eject the fake hood scoop
(Just kidding!)
 
The uncertainty makes me glad I have already ordered a vehicle which will be built in Oxford. (in theory - my order is still not accepted with the current factory pause)
 
GvilleGuy said:
@insightman, is that you?? :)
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@Texas22Step had read my many posts on Inside EVs' Clarity forum and said he was selling his Clarity. I suggested he should check out a MINI Electric. By a fortunate coincidence, his local MINI dealer had an unsold SE in stock and he bought it. He, like everyone on this forum, knows about my scoop-phobia and he has a good sense of humor.
 
Overall the video is good, but the range bashing is becoming a tiresome trope. Lauding the inexpensiveness while complaining about range is silly. If the car is fun to drive and gets you around town, who needs it to go 300 miles on a charge? The reality is as the charging networks get more dense the distance is going to become less important.

I wish I knew what the range of gas-powered vehicles were throughout ICE history. They may have had big fuel tanks, but their mpg ratings were horrible. And how far do motorcycles go on a single tank of fuel?
 
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Puppethead said:
Overall the video is good, but the range bashing is becoming a tiresome trope. Lauding the inexpensiveness while complaining about range is silly. If the car is fun to drive and gets you around town, who needs it to go 300 miles on a charge? The reality is as the charging networks get more dense the distance is going to become less important.

I wish I knew what the range of gas-powered vehicles were throughout ICE history. They may have had big fuel tanks, but their mpg ratings were horrible. And how far do motorcycles go on a single tank of fuel?
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They do fill up very fast though. But I don't care about range on my car. I rarely ever do 50 miles in a day. I was considering getting a glorified golf cart. The Mini wasn't that much more in the end and much better. Soooo much fun to drive.
 
Puppethead said:
Overall the video is good, but the range bashing is becoming a tiresome trope. Lauding the inexpensiveness while complaining about range is silly. If the car is fun to drive and gets you around town, who needs it to go 300 miles on a charge? The reality is as the charging networks get more dense the distance is going to become less important.

I wish I knew what the range of gas-powered vehicles were throughout ICE history. They may have had big fuel tanks, but their mpg ratings were horrible. And how far do motorcycles go on a single tank of fuel?
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I agree completely. Batteries are large, heavy, and expensive. I am glad that they kept the battery small as it keeps the SE smaller, lighter, and cheaper than it would otherwise be.

Every motorcycle I have owned (three of them over the years) has had a range of no more than 150 miles. But after 150 miles on a sport bike, you want to stop and stretch a little.
 
I laughed at the end where the SE's acceleration was making the reviewer "unsettled in the head--not quite nauseous, but approaching that." Throughout the video he told us he was "matting" the accelerator at every opportunity, so he has only his over-exuberant right ankle to blame.

If I could pluck an advanced energy-storage device out of the future to install in my SE, I'd take lightest one that can provide the same range. As this video reports, genius racing car designer, the late Colin Chapman, said, "To add speed, add lightness." Other sources claim Chapman said, "Simplify, then add lightness," but the most important word remains the same in both quotes.
 
Lainey said:
They do fill up very fast though. But I don't care about range on my car. I rarely ever do 50 miles in a day. I was considering getting a glorified golf cart. The Mini wasn't that much more in the end and much better. Soooo much fun to drive.
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I was having a conversation with my friend today because he rarely drives his second car and was thinking about how to replace it. His big concern about an EV is he has no place to charge it.

I pointed out that if he bought an EV as a second car, range wouldn’t matter because you can always use the ICE for longer drives. And I also suggested he make his kids go take the EV to get charged. He liked the idea.
 
bldxyz said:
I was having a conversation with my friend today because he rarely drives his second car and was thinking about how to replace it. His big concern about an EV is he has no place to charge it.

I pointed out that if he bought an EV as a second car, range wouldn’t matter because you can always use the ICE for longer drives. And I also suggested he make his kids go take the EV to get charged. He liked the idea.
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If your friend replaces his rarely-driven car with a MINI Cooper SE, his kids will be spending most of their time at the charging station because the SE will not be rarely driven. I predict there will be a battle enforcing a set minimum number of miles on the GOM after the kids bring the SE home. "Dad, 13 miles is almost 80 miles! I'm too tired to go back to the charging station."
 
bldxyz said:
I was having a conversation with my friend today because he rarely drives his second car and was thinking about how to replace it. His big concern about an EV is he has no place to charge it.

I pointed out that if he bought an EV as a second car, range wouldn’t matter because you can always use the ICE for longer drives. And I also suggested he make his kids go take the EV to get charged. He liked the idea.
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This is a bad idea. He'll never get to use the car :D
 
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