New Mini SE drive

From the linked MF article:

You need bigger brakes for more power regen? What?

 

Carscoops: 2025 MINI Cooper Electric Coming With More Power And Longer Range

Not sure what to make of this:

The new MINI Cooper E and SE will be manufactured in Leipzig, Germany, alongside the next generation of the MINI Countryman. Production will commence in November 2023.​

 

"Gone is the digital display cluster behind the wheel. In its place is a circular OLED display that houses most functions."
["In its place" is not literally correct because its place has been vacated.]
"Like in a Tesla, you quickly get used to looking slightly right for the speed, plus a head-up display is optional."

It appears Elon couldn't convince MINI to abandon its HUD. I'm not interested in getting used to looking slightly right for the speed. I rarely look down at my SE's instrument panel because viewing the HUD is so quick and convenient. For me, the HUD would be essential in this MINI w/o an instrument panel (by my definition, an instrument panel is in front of the driver).

 

It's funny, in the R50/R53 era you had to look at the middle analog speedometer because there was no digital readout above the steering wheel. When they added the digital readout in the second gen, I was initially annoyed, but quickly got used to it and preferred it to the analog speedo in the middle of the car. Having the speed right in front of you definitely makes more sense vs looking in the middle of the car.

Between the center speedo and the turn key start, what's old is new again, I guess.

 

My mid-70s Alfetta GT had a big rev-counter behind the wheel, and the speedo and other gauges sat at the top of the center stack (where our iDrive display sits). In theory, it makes sense: to an “Italian” driver, engine speed is more important than vehicle speed. I guess Alfa Romeo saw the future, some 40+ years ahead of everybody else.



FWIW, an owner prior to me changed the lovely wood steering wheel to a gross, rubberized 12” Momo. An original wheel was on my shopping list, but never made it into the car before it rusted to hell and left for the scrap yard on the back of a flatbed.

 

The original Mini inks had a center mounted speedometer. It’s not a big deal.
But the articles are certainly poorly written…

 

Conflicting info there, too. Crowley? Or Leipzig? We’ve heard it’ll be built at both now.

 

Everything about the interior sounds downscaled.

 

Ah OK I thought we had already seen reporting that says the EV will also be produced at Oxford.

 

From an Autocar article:

"Typically for a BMW Group EV, the level of regenerative braking is set in a menu and there’s no coasting mode..."​

Ugh. =(

-------

In the future, but not right away.
A headline from CAR magazine confused the issue a while back, but it's an outlier in a sea of "probably not until the 2027 LCI refresh" reporting.

 

Here's another interesting first drive review.

In this one, you can make out some of what's on the center display (the cover is mesh, not solid). In the "go kart" mode there's apparently fake engine noise and even what sounds like burble/chatter when you come off the power (3:53 timestamp). And toward the end he mentions it will have a maximum charging speed of around 130 kW.

 

Bimmercode: Fake sounds...OFF! (or would it be abschalten?)

 

Looks like someone misread the (admittedly poorly) written press release.

Together with the MINI Countryman to be produced at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig from November 2023, the new MINI Cooper Electric is all set and ready to go for the all-electric future of MINI.

Countryman only is Leipzig, but I see how that could be read as implying the 3 door being built there too.

 

Show me the Aceman!

 

Apparently under the camouflage, the car is a lemony yellow (inside of charge port cover, anyway).

 

You know you're driving a MINI properly when the passenger is using the "Oh Jesus" handle...

 

Car & Driver article on their first drive:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a43623557/2025-mini-cooper-ev-prototype-drive/

Interesting nuggets:

• Deactivate dynamic stability control (DSC) and brace yourself for an ample measure of liftoff oversteer enhanced by a device known as GMV, short for yaw moment enhancer. ... the Cooper SE keeps on drifting through every corner it can find with the tail-out antics actively supported by the aforementioned GMV, which is a welcome addition.
  
• The top speed, which in today's Mini EV is restricted to 94 mph, reportedly will be increased to 125 mph in the new SE.
  
• Acceleration from zero to 62 mph is a claimed 6.7 seconds, which suggests the new one won't be substantially quicker than the last Cooper SE, a 2020 model, we tested. But there is more grunt to come, starting with the dual-motor 313-hp All4 (including 14 additional horses summoned by an overboost function), followed by a fully electric John Cooper Works edition.
  
• In addition to the three Driving Experiences, the powertrain and steering can be locked into Comfort or Sport.
• As far as the stability-control system goes, the spiciness scale ranges from Sport to Sport Plus to DSC Off. Customers also can choose from four different wheel sizes and opt for a sportier suspension setting.
  
• And there's more to come, including over-the-air updates, third-party app integration, additional experience modes, on-dash projections from your private image library, a wide variety of sound and light stagings, automatic radar-trap warnings, multiple user profiles, bespoke ambiance variations, digital personalization—you name it.
  
• In addition to four different new trim levels, Mini is going to introduce at least three mood settings provisionally named Calm, Heritage, and Vivid, which are supported by 3-D technicolor orchestration.

 

For the current SE going 0-60 mph, MINI claims 6.9 seconds and the magazine recorded 6.2 seconds. Does MINI's 6.7-second 0-62 claim for the Z01 suggest it actually gets to 60 in 6 seconds flat? If the 6.7-second number is accurate, it leads me to believe the Z01 SE must be heavier than the F56 SE.