I don’t regret getting one as well. Mini and BMW know their customer base well. The SE while being a compliance car actually works. Many SE owners have been long time Mini owners looking to get something electric. It also appealed to first time EV/Mini owners because of cost with rebates. As I’ve said before they know it’s not getting cross shopped. It’s either you want it or don’t.
proven i3 electrical platform + proven F56 mechanical platform
Even though my 2021 SE is a "first generation" EV, because of the F56 platform and i3 motor/batteries it's actually a well-seasoned EV. I'd never call it a compliance car. Functionally it excels in its class.
I had this argument elsewhere. 99% of the general public just wants an EV. They don’t care if it’s a BEV platform or ICE converted to BEV. Yea BEV platform is nice but most OEMs have to still
I think a dedicated BEV platform may be oversold by many. The main purpose, I believe, is to minimize the space taken up by the batteries. Well MINI managed to make the SE without compromising cabin space at all, and the same with Ford and the F-150 Lightning. And I wonder what happens when the batteries in some of these "skateboard" platforms need to be replaced, whereas the SE batteries can be swapped out very easily.
Refer to a Korean brand that requires regular low conductivity battery coolant flushes and reduction gearbox oil changes (can black at 2,300 miles!). We will see if this issue will carryover to the current platform.
I occassionally stray onto one of those Korean InsideEVs forums. The stories I read there of the dreaded clicking when drive gears start to fail are scary. I thank my lucky stars BMW's engineers didn't design any mechanical weak links into their BEV drivetrains.
When the forum members' best advice is to mount a really powerful magnet on the drain plug to capture the metal shavings coming from the drive gears...
Finally got to wash the car and give it a proper bath. Installed the spacers and tinted a few bits around the car. Hopefully lowering will be next. Normal SoCal weather called for a photo dump.
Finally got to wash the car and give it a proper bath. Installed the spacers and tinted a few bits around the car. Hopefully lowering will be next. Normal SoCal weather called for a photo dump.
