Dealer just informed me that no more 2022 Mini Cooper SE are being produced

That's not a problem for Tesla buyers--they're willing to wait for their cars and pay MSRP when they get 'em, but I wouldn't trade my SE for a Tesla. For many of us who love driving our SEs, there's no alternative at any price--all other EVs are just big, heavy cars, crossovers (or, soon pickups). Of course, the tax credit made my SE easier to afford, but I would have bought it w/o the government hand-out. It's the best and most fun car I've ever driven.

 

Same price as an ICE MINI, and still cheaper than just about any other EV.

 

I saw a Rivian out on the road around Christmas, which got me to idly perusing stories about it (and other forthcoming EV pickups) even though I have no interest in owning one. The conclusion that I came to is that such vehicles are in no way 'green'...not only do they require huge battery packs and more material to build, their enormous weight means more rapid degradation of tires (2nd-largest source of vehicle pollution) and roads. Rather than a tax credit, I think they should be saddled with a luxury tax, to dissuade people from buying them.

 

I posted this last week https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/cant-order-an-se-after-yesterday-will-new-one-be-all-new.12785/#post-156805

The wire for my Signature was sent yesterday. Should hit tomorrow, and I am debating between ordering a 23 or waiting for the all new made in China one that I suspect will be a 24. The range on the Great Wall one should be double. But, if they offer island blue as a regular Sig + without the fancy roof or stripes, I think my wife will "suggest" i order one of those.

 

Yeah, but you get a realistic range. Torque v Range: Lets drop the green flag and let the bench racing begin.

Our daughter goes to U of MN. When she came home a few weeks ago she drove the Mini, and asked if she could take it to school. I told her about the range, 930 miles to school. Two minutes later she said she will take the old Volvo next year when she gets and apartment. College taught her something!

 

Personally I'd say get one as soon as you can, you can always trade in for a future model. You never know what kind of delays may happen. What you think will be the 2024 model might not be, or it might be but be constrained for a long time due to who knows why.

Don't miss out on a year or more of SE enjoyment waiting for the next model.

 

I second that. I should have bought the 2022 6 months ago when I inquired about it. Now, I have the uncertainty of the tax credits and the delays.

I also believe that the resale value of the Mini SE will be high and can easily recoup the money spent on it if you are able to claim all of the tax credit. The inventory is so tightly controlled for this model that the demand will always be there. It might change a little bit based on what they release for the new model and how well it is received.

 

Range would not be double. The car is not big enough to accommodate that kind of a battery. I have a feeling that they might put LFP batteries in the next one. The range would be 150 ish and I would be surprised if the range hits 180 and that would be a hell of car and huge hit provided it they price it right.

 

Disagree. Check out the Great Wall Ora Good Cat - 400-500KM Range.

I am guessing this is the platform for the BMW - Great Wall joint venture.
https://cnevpost.com/2021/10/30/great-wall-motors-ora-good-cat-officially-launched-in-thailand-priced-from-about-29700/

 

Tesla is totally different, there are so many other things going for it. Mini SE is strictly a second car, a typical household can not totally rely on this single car. It is not a family car.

I have a tesla Model Y, this will be strictly a city car. I WFH 100%. This car will satisfy our needs to drop the kid, grocery runs and typical errands. For long trips and other practical purposes, tesla will be there.

 

we cannot compare Asian car to the US/European cars, they wont translate very well. The weight of cars built for Asia will be substantially different than the one's built for US/Europe. Can you believe that some of the Asian countries don't even have Air Bags mandatory rules.

one other hint is, look at the cars that are available now, the range you are wishing is only on the cars which are substantially bigger than Mini SE.

I would love to be wrong and hope they will bring that kind of range but I highly doubt it.

 

The Ora good cat is coming to Europe so not an Asia only car.

Retrofit EVs like the MINI have generally poor battery and component packaging with a lot of wasted space. Not saying the SE is bad, they did great for an existing chassis but fitting 200mi of batteries in a MINI sized EV would not be difficult with an EV specific chassis design.

 

Agreed. I don’t consider the tax credit when I’m buying because I’m signing up to pay for something I think it worth it. I like Tesla’s advances, however, for the price I’d have to mod/add too many things (Model Y: cargo cover, sunshade, no apple CarPlay, speedo screen, etc.). The only thing Mini needed to add was lane keeping assist. I had reserved a tesla but with panel gaps, wind noise, and a list of many other things, decided to pass. Fell in love with Mini as a kid and now things have aligned for me to buy it. Found one on a lot that someone had pre-ordered and didn’t take. Hoping I can get it shipped to me, if not I’ll drive 120mi and take my first road trip.

 

Weird. I placed my order in November. Was told that it would not start building till January. It is build and currently waiting at the port... It's been there for almost three weeks :-/

 

you placed your order vs not taking orders after a few weeks ago. Will start taking 2023 orders in a few weeks.

 

I guess it depends who you are and what size family you have. For us, our SE has become our primary car, and I absolutely consider it a family car. We have two kids 5 and under, and both fit great with the car seats in the back. We take the SE everywhere, and have even taken it to the beach (120 mile round trip), without having to charge. My wife and I both use the SE for work (we alternate going to work and working from home), so our ICE car is now only used to pick up kids from school when the SE is not available, or for long trips (which we are not really taking right now anyways).

Couldn't be happier with our MINI!

 

This very much depends on where you live. For me, I'd have to agree that my MINI would only work as a second car due to the current lack of charging infrastructure in central Oregon.

The only trip I can take that is out of the MINIs range just happens to be west to the MINI dealer and realistically I can only make that trip in the summer. All chargers to the north, east, and south are 150mi or more away.

Due to the amount of open space and speed limits, 60-80mi trips for hiking/biking/etc on the weekends are not uncommon either which would be risky or impossible with no backup charging options

 

There's no way the SE could be our only car either. I live in the American Southwest, and everything is spread out. I could theoretically make it to Santa Fe (~50 miles), though with a speed limit of 75 for most of the way, I'm not sure if we could make it back without charging.

The SE has become our primary car for sure when in town, but out of town we take the Clubman.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the informative thread! Were you able to order your SE at MSRP? Weighing whether or not to pay a $2500-5000 premium that dealerships are charging for in stock inventory right now or if I would be better off just waiting until 2023 ordering is allowed even if there is a slight bump in MSRP due to inflation, etc.