Hi, wondering if anyone would be interested in letting me "test drive" the SE. I'm new to EVs and MINIs and didn't want to order until I drove one.
The lead time is at least 6 months now. If you are not sure if you need one, just leave the allocation to others.
I'm in the same boat... my salesman in Utah basically just laughed when I asked if I could test drive one. I think you're basically stuck test driving a standard gasoline powered mini just to see the dimensions and ride height but.. I might be blind ordering as well. Crazy market (also no car alarm or heated steering wheel now I believe)
As a previous owner of a 2015 Hardtop S, I can say if you test-drive an ICE MINI the general experience is the same but the SE is better in every way. I did order my SE blind and have zero regrets. In addition, you can actually decline it at delivery time so you could do your test drive just before buying it.
There are cancelled orders from time to time. That’s how I got my SE. Also ordered blind after testing the Cooper S. If you like the gas model, you’ll love the EV.
If you lived in Ann Arbor, we could work something out. If you don't find a buddy, you may need to order without getting a test drive. Your time is running out if you want a UK-built SE, so read this entire forum quickly and then place your order. I ordered mine months before production began and waited 51 weeks for delivery. It's the best car I've ever owned.
I did not test drive an SE nor ever driven a gasoline Mini. I ordered one just because time is running out for a made mini and mini is a car that I wanted! I am sure the future generation one would be as good but I just hope to get one that is made in the original mini plant. I own a Scion XA so I sort of know how’s driving a small go kart like car would be like (everyone drove my xa before said it was like driving a go kart anyways). The only thing that I can imagine is driving a Mini would be much more fun than a scion XA! There are couple of fun YouTube videos to watch and some of those videos totally sold SE to me.
Two things from that video that came to mind for me: The Power Spoke wheels look great spinning at high speed (see 9:16). I never get to see mine. For maximum track handling, should the SE be in high or low regen mode? I wonder what MINI used on their brakeless Nürburgring run. (I also love the detail in the Nürburgring article that low regen is 0.11 g deceleration, high is 0.19 g.)
If you come to Montrose, I'd be glad to. PM me your phone number and a scan of your TXDL. I'm free this afternoon.
I have driven both. The only difference to me was using one pedal driving on the SE, which is way better! Of course if like to dash and crash it is the same!!
Agree with all responses. I would only add that you really DO need to try out an ICE MINI just for the space. If you are driving this puppy with 1-2 passengers every day, it's FABULOUS, and you need not look any further. If you will routinely have more adults in the room, just try it out in the back. I drove for the first time with backseat 5'10 passengers, and their only complaint was the ingress/egress. They were very impressed with the comfort while driving, especially with the moon roof. I think one of them crapped themselves while getting out after dinner, but I didn't want to say anything. This is a truly enjoyable car, at a great price, and despite the possible wait you will love it.
Austin mini has one available for test drive that they are not selling if you are willing to make the trip.
Loving this community, with all the helpful replies. @F14Scott I'll definitely hit you up of I don't have any luck with the dealership. Currently I've reached out to momentum mini. But will also reach out to clear lake and woodlands and maybe even Austin if no luck with markups/add-ons here.
Like many others, I ordered my SE without test driving it. I did test drive an ICE MINI 2-door to get a sense of the ergonomics, roominess, and sight lines. The SE is the same except it’s quiet and has more low end torque. What’s not to like?
I was lucky and got to test drive an SE. The local(ish) Mini dealer (White Plaines, NY) keeps one for test drives. I believe it's a '22 Iconic trim. I'd call every Mini dealer that is reasonably close to see if they do a similar thing.
The S understeers a lot more than the SE and the suspension is softer when pushed hard. The S does make more fun noises though. I also test drove a BMW i3 to get a sense of the power delivery and one pedal driving. It basically feels the same as the SE except the i3 wanders a lot on the road with the super narrow tires and it is RWD. The i3 is very quiet and so is the SE. So test drive a Cooper S and a BMW i3. Add it together and you get an SE.
Very generous of you to offer, @F14Scott, and welcome, @zedzag! In addition to scouting MINI dealers, you might want to go on a site like autotrader.com and search for used SEs for sale — that’s how I test drove an SE at a Dodge/Ram/Jeep dealer in month three of my four-month factory order (because the battery was almost empty I had hardly any time behind the wheel — not nearly enough to make a buying decision, but the taste it gave me made me feel like I probably hadn’t made a mistake ordering one ) — and you could also try Turo (it’s like Airbnb, but for cars) to see if you could rent an SE from an owner in your area for anywhere from a couple hours to several days.
