Is anyone holding out for the new version?

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Jeanette said:
I just ordered a 2023 se knowing that the new one is coming for the 2024 model year because I trust the reliability of the current model since it's based on two platforms that have been around for a long time and have been proven to be reliable. The bmw i3 has been around since 2013 and the 3rd generation mini cooper has been around since 2014. I work as a mini cooper dealership technician and the only times I see the se in the shop is for tires. Also with where used car prices are I'd pay about the same for a new se as a used one so it seems more worthwhile to get a new one and I'm afraid that I may not like the new model when it comes out then being stuck having to get the current one used. I'm also afraid of what reliability the new one will have since it usually takes a couple model years for the bugs to be worked out. If the next generation electric mini proves to be a wonderful car then I'll trade in and upgrade in a few years while saving money not paying for gas in the meantime.
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Honestly, I came up with a lot of the same points.

While I can see there being improvement in the incoming model in range; I am always hesitant to be an early adopter of a new model, from a new manufacturing facility, that's a whole new platform. The Mini's got its own form of feel and personality, and I'm sure it'll be different at the very least.

This is a commuter car for me. I intend to drive the wheels off it... So I want something I know I'll want to drive! I wasn't willing to wait and roll the dice on a new model.
 
I already have my 2021 SE, so I’m not holding out. However, I hear the next platform may have a convertible option, so I am eagerly waiting to hear details. In the meantime, I will keep enjoying my SE!

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They showed this “Superleggera” concept a few years back. Looks like a cross between a Mini and a Fiat spider. I would consider trading my SE for one, although the more classic Mini convertible is more practical, with a back seat.


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A friend has a 9 year old leaf. At a breakfast with someone who'se lease on a leaf is coming up there was a discussion about EVs. My buddy spoke highly about the leaf's acceleration, then about the handling. That's when I bit my tongue again. A few months ago I offered him a drive in the SE, and he told me he knows how an EV handles. That was the first time I bit my tongue.

Ignorance is bliss. The great wall EV should be a winner based on looks alone.
 
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Tommm said:
A friend has a 9 year old leaf. At a breakfast with someone who'se lease on a leaf is coming up there was a discussion about EVs. My buddy spoke highly about the leaf's acceleration, then about the handling. That's when I bit my tongue again. A few months ago I offered him a drive in the SE, and he told me he knows how an EV handles. That was the first time I bit my tongue.

Ignorance is bliss. The great wall EV should be a winner based on looks alone.
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Good on you for not spoiling his fun. I had a 2012 Leaf and I enjoyed it for what it was. But handling was never its strength. I am grateful for my SE!


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GetOffYourGas said:
Good on you for not spoiling his fun. I had a 2012 Leaf and I enjoyed it for what it was. But handling was never its strength. I am grateful for my SE!
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I had a 2015 Leaf. It certainly wasn't fast, but it felt quick around town because of the instant torque and quietness. In that 15-40 mph range around town, it felt zippy. I think I drove it harder than the other (faster) vehicles I had at the time because of that, and the low cost of charging.
 
Puppethead said:
Well, here's the next-gen MINI electric without camouflage, and it's um...not great in my opinion. The backend looks like it has wide "hips", but the interior is really awful with the missing display behind the steering wheel and the pointless circular Tesla-like center display.
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Those photos showed up December 10, 2021 on Twitter, and there have not been any other photos of the 2024 SE since then. So there's a chance this could be an early design and there's still time left to make it look better. Then again, MINI's head designer, Oliver Heilmer, may believe this does look better.
 
insightman said:
Those photos showed up December 10, 2021 on Twitter, and there have not been any other photos of the 2024 SE since then.
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I actually saw some others recently. They showed one of the cars in a garage w/ the hood up, still wearing the psychedelic camouflage, with another parked closely behind. They didn't really reveal anything new, though.
 
Puppethead said:
Well, here's the next-gen MINI electric without camouflage, and it's um...not great in my opinion. The backend looks like it has wide "hips", but the interior is really awful with the missing display behind the steering wheel and the pointless circular Tesla-like center display.
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Personally, I like the hips. Until recently, though, I wasn't a fan of the idea of moving most of the controls to the vanity-mirror-esque touch screen. (Thankfully, they retained a number of toggle switches below it.) Seeing a number of other EVs lately (esp. the Kia and Hyundai), however, I am warming to a more futuristic look.
 
F14Scott said:
I'm still holding out wishful hope that it is RWD. FWD is completely an artifact of ICE architecture, IMO.
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Very true, although some BEVs have motors on both axles (or even each wheel, for example Rivian).

Based on the discussion of the RWD in the i3 in another thread, there's limited space in the back of the SE since it's a hatch. I suppose they could have filled the front with batteries and put the motor in the back (where the gas tank space is) in the SE, but then the weight distribution would probably have been weird.

Maybe the FAAR platform will provide more flexibility, but as long as MINI keeps making a shared BEV/ICE platform they'll probably stick with FWD.
 
F14Scott said:
FWD is completely an artifact of ICE architecture, IMO.
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If I recall correctly, the Mini was FWD because that allowed more passenger space. The motive power could have been rubber bands. Just sayin'. For me, my first Mini was my first FWD. It took me a while to get used to that, but that's what Mini's were.
 
revorg said:
If I recall correctly, the Mini was FWD because that allowed more passenger space. The motive power could have been rubber bands. Just sayin'. For me, my first Mini was my first FWD. It took me a while to get used to that, but that's what Mini's were.
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Alec Issigonis was an automotive packaging genius. An electric MINI with the motor in the rear and a small frunk might be sportier, but it wouldn't offer the same practical interior space to exterior dimensions ratio.

I'm sure the current MINI and BMW design staffs consider the MINI Superleggera Vision water under the bridge, but BMW should turn it into a great RWD electric sports car (the i-Zero?). MINI could then continue to honor Issigonis' legacy.

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insightman said:
Alec Issigonis was an automotive packaging genius. An electric MINI with the motor in the rear and a small frunk might be sportier, but it wouldn't offer the same practical interior space to exterior dimensions ratio.
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That's true for ICE but there are pretty much no FWD packaging advantages with an EV. The current MINI actually has a gigantic empty space under the trunk area that's just being used (wasted) by the rear pedestrian noise maker.

That space could easily fit an electric motor without any changes to the shape or interior
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Carsten Haase said:
That's true for ICE but there are pretty much no FWD packaging advantages with an EV. The current MINI actually has a gigantic empty space under the trunk area that's just being used (wasted) by the rear pedestrian noise maker.

That space could easily fit an electric motor without any changes to the shape or interior
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The realities of the production line and the goal of creating the most affordable EV MINI possible precluded a RWD SE from being built at Plant Oxford. Although RWD could offer superior performance in a clean-sheet design, I believe packaging efficiency and safety issues still favor putting the motor up front. Hopefully, the i3 won't be the last small RWD EV, but no manufacturers are hinting they'll follow its lead. It's too bad there's no empty space large enough for batteries in a Miata!
 
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