MINI Cooper SE road tests

Discussion in 'Cooper SE' started by insightman, Jan 16, 2020.

To remove this ad click here.

  1. DucRider

    DucRider Well-Known Member

    I've driven nearly all the EV's available on the market, and the mini will definitely get up and scoot. It is well managed acceleration that carries well past the 30-40 mph zone that some EV's seem to taper after. Feels very similar to the i3 (no surprise) or the 2014 Spark EV (the 15+ changed drive ratios and motor configuration). Vehicles like the I-pace and Teslas tend to be a bit more instantaneous, where the mini seems to build a bit. That should make it a bit easier on the tires. Without consciously doing so, I was judging against other EVs. ICE vehicles (that I can afford) can't touch an electric power trains response - particularly at the low end.

    Choppiness wasn't terrible, and I haven't driven a lot of Minis as comparison - it is supposedly similar in character. Felt a bit like our Fit EV, but tuned for a "sportier" ride (fairly stiff with less travel - probably great for tossing around on a twisty road, but not so much as a commuter over expansion joints, etc). I'm fairly certain my wife would not like it (she loved the Fit EV, but really appreciates the ride characteristics of the Clarity). Cabin noise level seemed good, but not any real freeway driving.

    1) I may have extrapolated - he showed the nav on the screen and talked about Car Play. I guess I also assumed Android Auto.
    2) It most definitely had a touch screen. It is smaller than the higher trim. As a side note, played with the touch screen on the Taycan at the show and haptic feedback is a huge improvement and feels very much like you are pressing buttons. VW uses this on most of their line up (e-tron, etc). Every maker should as it requires significantly less "eyes off the road" time to accomplish tasks.
    3) Sorry, didn't look closer, but I know they were Hankook
    4) Didn't remember to look. Meant to but didn't happen. Sorry.
    5) Dealer had 15 orders before the show, 5 at the Show itself and 5 more in the 3 days after. I believe they are quoting for their April allocation?
    6) They can get a test drive unit by not selling one of the units they get allocated :). They were originally going to hold it for 30 days for test drives, but decided to keep it indefinitely for that purpose. The GM recognized that it was likely that none of the after show orders would have happened without a test drive. One of the things I stopped in to talk about was our Drive Electric Earth Day event in April, and they will be there with the Mini doing test drives.

    They also had not signed up with Oregon DEQ to offer the rebate as a point of sale discount, so connected them with the program manager to get them set up. Customers much prefer not having to apply separately and wait for a check.

    Bottom line - if you like Minis and how they look, ride, and handle you will love the electric. If not - nothing to see here, move along.
     
  2. To remove this ad click here.

  3. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    So you were able to secure one of the 200 random 2020 MINI Cooper SEs that the company supposedly put on the boat for March delivery? And now you're being told that even though one of those random cars matched the color combination you wanted, it won't be available until April?

    I wonder if there was more than one boat-load of random 2020 SEs (meaning manufactured in 2019) sent across the pond?

    Last month I, too, was able to submit a $500 deposit to secure an order on the MINI website. However, two days later my dealer called to tell me I'd have to accept a color combo other than what I wanted to get one of those cars. I decided to pass on one of the 2020s. Instead, I will get the model and colors I want (gray Iconic w/black top) manufactured this year (making it a 2021 model).

    My dealer hasn't received any confirmation of a delivery date, but my saleslady is speculating May. With all the SEs @DucRider is saying are promised to customers in Oregon, I have to wonder how many more than that are reserved for California, the obvious hot-spot for this car. I hope my fly-over, non-ZEV state won't be forgotten.

    I wish I could reserve the personalized license plate I've picked out (which, of course, I cannot divulge on this public forum until I can post a photo of it mounted on my SE--I'm not one of those people afraid to show off my plate AFTER I get it).

    As I often tell people, waiting for a new car is one of the few ways we can slow the passage of time. Time is creeping.

    I'm going to create a new Delivery Stories thread and repeat my post there.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2020
  4. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    The Driving Electric website based in the UK has an extensive review of the MINI Cooper SE, or "MINI Electric" as MINI calls the car in its home country. The review's subhead reads, "The MINI Electric is a fun, fast electric car, but the relatively modest range may put some buyers off."

    Being a British website that respects the WLTP's numbers, this review reports the MINI Electric can go 140-145 miles on a charge, rather than the EPA's pessimistic (realistic?) 110 miles. I hope MINI lets automotive journalists get a crack at testing the MINI Electric's range before the cold weather abates. Supposedly, the MINI Electric incorporates advanced methods of preserving cold-weather range and we need to know how well those methods work.

    In their PRO column, Driving Electric lists Sharp handling, Adequate performance, and As practical as petrol model. Their CON column lists No cable storage (but what about the trunk's under-floor compartment?), No five-door model, and Relatively short range (contradicting "As practical as petrol model" in the PRO column).

    Here are a few entries from Driving Electric's extensive multi-page report:

    But, as with most MINIs, the Electric model shines on the road. It feels agile and responsive; acceleration is brisk, and the steering is sharp and heavy, if lacking the more organic and intuitive feel (or tiny turning circle) of the Honda e.

    There's no option of a longer-range version and MINI has no plans to add a bigger battery at a later stage.

    Our drive in the UK suggested that you can expect roughly 120 miles in everyday driving, or 100 in colder weather with some faster A-roads thrown in.

    The MINI Electric offers impressive performance for a car of this type. Around town, instant shove allows you to dart into gaps in traffic that you’d think twice about seizing in a petrol car, while the direct steering and sharp handling give it agility often missing in small hatchbacks.

    With no gear ratios – like all electric cars, you just point and shoot as you would in a conventional automatic – it feels far faster. The electric motor’s instant torque fires the car off the line, but it never seems to run out of puff; it’ll rocket from 50-75mph in just 4.6 seconds.

    The MINI Electric is quiet and refined at 70mph, with little in the way of wind or road noise.

    It's got a really keen, sharp turn-in that makes it feel darty and agile in equal measure, although the steering does feel rather fake and overly-assisted compared to the more natural-feeling steering in the Honda e.

    The ride is a little firm on UK roads, but you’d never describe the MINI as uncomfortable; it does occasionally thud into potholes, and faster compressions and undulations reveal how stiffly sprung the body is, but the structure doesn’t shake and shimmy so it always feels composed and accomplished. Refinement is good, too.

    The MINI’s dashboard is not without appeal. After all, it’s simple to operate and there’s genuine functionality in the iDrive-style infotainment controller. It’s just that alongside more modern rivals like the Honda e, it feels a little dated inside. Quality is good, however; the MINI’s cabin seems built to last.

    MINI still refuses to offer its cars with Android Auto, however, which feels somewhat restrictive in this day and age.

    For comparison’s sake, it’s worth mentioning that the Honda e’s 171-litre boot is smaller than the MINI’s, although the Japanese car's five-door layout makes it much easier to get into the back.

    There's no room for a space saver tyre, though, as is the case with all of the MINI's rivals.

    Wait, I haven't read that the MINI Electric's most direct rival, the Honda e, hasspare tire. Driving Electric notes the tighter turning circle the Honda e offers, but doesn't appear to remember that car has no spare tire, er, tyre. When it comes to choosing between a larger battery or a spare tire, Honda's current thinking (see Honda Clarity) seems to favor the battery.

    Here's an interesting tidbit from Driving Electric's review of the Honda e, which has a larger battery: "Go for that entry-level car with its 16-inch wheels and the official range is 136 miles, while the Advance with its optional 17-inch wheels (16s are standard) drops the range to 127 miles." So, assuming Honda is using WLTP range estimates, the MINI Electric appears to go further on a charge than the Honda e, despite the quicker MINI's smaller battery. I wonder how much the MINI Electric's range varies with wheel size?

    Another interesting comparison is the charging time. The Honda e offers 100 kW FCDC charging vs the MINI Electric's 50 kW maximum, but both cars take about the same time to charge on DC because the 100 kW rate lasts for only the first few minutes of charging before the Honda slows the rate to preserve its battery. The MINI Electric appears to have a higher-capacity built-in Level 2 AC charger than the Honda e, so the MINI Electric can actually charge faster at home.

    Remind me again, which car--the Honda e or the MINI Electric--is the clean-sheet design for a compact BEV?
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  5. T.C.

    T.C. Member

    No boats or ponds involved in my order. Mine was the very first order my dealer in the UK received, on the initial day of pre-ordering being available.
     
  6. T.C.

    T.C. Member

    No boats or ponds involved in my order. Mine was the very first order the dealer in the UK received,
     
    insightman likes this.
  7. To remove this ad click here.

  8. T.C.

    T.C. Member

    Yet another seems to have been given MY Mini!
     
  9. T.C.

    T.C. Member

    A step nearer.
    Wednesday this week is my first opportunity to drive the electric Mini.
    I collect it from my chosen dealership at 10am, to use for the day.
    I am promised the vehicle will be fully charged and awaiting my collection.
     
  10. interestedinEV

    interestedinEV Well-Known Member

    Let us know how you feel about
     
  11. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Jonny Smith, formerly with Robert Llewellyn and Fully Charged has posted his Carpervert review of the MINI Electric in Oxfordshire, UK. Jonny's video actually shows more views of the electric MINI being constructed at the factory than Fully Charged's "Exclusive Factory Tour" video. Jonny says, "As a driver's car, I love it. It's fabulous."
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2020
  12. To remove this ad click here.

  13. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Petrol Ped in the UK has presented another good video review of the MINI Electric. This video also includes a factory tour, but this tour includes a close-up look at the factory's cut-away MINI Electric. Especially interesting are views of the batteries stuffed into the central tunnel and under the rear seat.

    Petrol Ped's only complaint is--no, not the limited range--that the MINI's controls seem to be getting a little dated. He says MINI doesn't need to go all the way to a single display controlling everything, like Tesla did, but he would like the MINI's controls to be "a little more electric."

    [Insightman's geezer opinion: Instead of having everything controlled by menus and "buttons" on a screen, I prefer having switches and knobs that I can find and operate without taking my eyes off the road. In fact, I'm such a geezer that I never tried to learn how to use a screen for texting while driving.]

    Petrol Ped's verdict:
    "My final impressions of the car: I knew that this would be a good little car, but I never realized it would be quite as good. It has all the attributes I love from a MINI: The looks, the interior styling, the go-kart feel, the driveability. But it's an electric car and I think the combination of that along with a relatively achievable purchase price, not that different from a standard Cooper S. Hats off to you, MINI, I think you're going to sell lots of these."
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2020
  14. T.C.

    T.C. Member

    Sorry. I can't add any drone footage.
    What I can report however is, I have the electric Mini demonstrator in my garage.
    I collected it about 10am today and have driven the car from a practically fully charged state on a mixture of roads. Mainly 60mph speed limit, but with a few sections of 30mph thrown in there too. The battery status indicates that after about 50 miles of motoring there is an indicated 60% battery remaining.
    This of course includes the mandatory acceleration tests that a demonstrator demands. In this respect the Mini is not found wanting. The car performs beautifully to throttle application. Acceleration is instant and powerful. In fact all three passengers I have taken out in the car separately today, have responded in the same manner. Wow!
    It feels far faster than the figures announced promise. Overtakes on 60mph roads were a breeze.
    The regenerative braking does require some adjustment for my driving. It is far more aggressive than that of my 330E. I do know it can me adjusted, but I left it in maximum regen mode to experience the one pedal driving. Once the driver is recalibrated, it seems to work well.
    In the interest of forum members I have just returned from a night time drive and can report the LED headlights are very, very good. In both dipped and main beam they performed excellently.
    Tomorrow I am going to have a play with the drivers seat, in an effort to see if I can set it for a little more driver comfort, before I take the car back.
    That has been my only gripe. Not acutely uncomfortable. But certainly not on par with my current BMW 330E m sport seating.
    To put the battery range into perspective, it was 3C when I collected the car from the dealer. It rose to about 8C later in the day.
     
    insightman likes this.
  15. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    What trim level (1, 2, or 3) is your demo SE? I was wondering if you are sitting on cloth, leatherette, or leather and if that makes any difference in the comfort factor. Please tell us how tall you are, what made the seat uncomfortable, and what you changed if you are able to achieve a comfortable setting. What make, model, and size are the tires, er, tyres on your demo car? Do you think the suspension is overly stiff compared to your 330E? Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2020
  16. T.C.

    T.C. Member

    Trim level 2, as per my pre-order.
    Despite attempts this morning, I was unable to gain a fully comfortable seat position. My issue was the seat squab was angled up at the front and pressed into the underside of my thighs. Not an acute pain, but discomfort, that was amplified by time.
    I spoke with one of the sales staff at the dealership when I retuned the car this morning. He advises me that none of the Mini derivatives have an angle adjustable seat base. We tried all available settings to try to achieve a comfortable setting to no avail.
    Sorry, the demo car was back before I read your post, so I can't advise on tyre fitment. The ride comfort is definitely inferior to that of my 330E M sport.
    It's firm, but certainly not ludicrously so. 6' and 195lbs. (or if my wife reads this 175lbs!)
     
    insightman likes this.
  17. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Tim Rodie of DriveTribe has posted a video review of the MINI Electric on YouTube. He frames his review by trying to predict what a more famous DriveTribe reviewer, James May of Top Gear fame, would say about the MINI Electric. Here's the intro to Rodie's video review:

    > The first electric Mini is probably going to become an incredibly important
    > car as the world shifts to electrification. But James May made that plunge
    > years ago when he bought a BMW i3. So can Tim convince him that he
    > should 'upgrade' to the Mini E?

    upload_2020-3-7_23-44-45.png

    Sadly, James May was completely turned off by the car's retro styling--so much so that nothing good about the way the car drives could make up for the car's retro design.

    After Tim Rodie's 8:47-long review, James May responds. He decides the MINI Electric is for old people:

    > Is it youthful, the MINI? No, I think it's for old people who wish they were
    > still in the 60's with Twiggy or Peter Sellers or whatever. I'm not convinced
    > it's actually youthful. I think the i3 is more youthful because it's more
    > contemporary, it's more forward-looking. It's not hung up on the past.
    >
    > That's what annoys me about retro styling. They've made cars that are more
    > technically modern--I mean this one is now electric, they've been saying they
    > were going to do electric for a long time. The Alpine's [the Alpine A110 is May's
    > favorite of the cars in his collection] very own message: Low weight, low size,
    > small power--downsize but great handling, great feel. They did all that and
    > then they dressed it up like something from the 60's, as if acknowledging that
    > people can't move on and I do find that a little bit annoying."

    James May continues but just can't get past the MINI Electric's retro styling. I believe his criticisms are unfair because he's ignoring the MINI Electric's bang for the buck. The BMW i3's clean-sheet design costs more than $50K and May never compares the handling of his tall, skinny-tired i3 to the MINI Electric.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2020
  18. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Newer photos are now showing Hankook tires rather than the Goodyears mounted on the Miami intro cars.
     
  19. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Automobile Magazine had a week-long road-test experience with the MINI Cooper SE. They liked it a lot.

    > Automotive enthusiasts especially seem to find many reasons
    > to stay away from EVs, but the lack of fun-to-drive options in
    > the lower end of the EV segment is likely a predominant motivation.
    > The 2020 Mini Cooper SE might just make that a moot point.
    .
    .
    .
    > Flip the drive mode rocker switch on the center console to Sport,
    > and the car really wakes up with snap-your-head-back acceleration
    > from a standstill that tapers off gradually as speed increases.
    .
    .
    .
    > On one of the better local roads, the Cooper SE almost felt like
    > driving a heavy, fully enclosed electric go-kart; its short, nimble
    > 98-inch wheelbase eagerly divebombed apex after apex, and the
    > rear end happily slipped gently sideways with a bit of provocation.
    > Fun to drive? Check.
     
    SmartElectric likes this.
  20. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Two Autoblog editors compare notes on the MINI Cooper SE. Autoblog's Managing Editor Greg Rasa in Seattle and News Editor Joel Stocksdale in Detroit each spent a week with the MINI Electric. Greg begins, "Fun car. Way fun." Joel responds, "So much fun! I took it out for pleasure cruises at least every other day just because it was such a blast."

    The editors discuss acceleration (it decreases as the speed increases), range (restrained driving can take you further than the EPA-rated 110 miles), gauges (Greg wishes for it showed exact % of remaining battery power), the asymmetric Corona Spoke wheels (both like them), the sporty, low seating position (Joel doesn't like the way other BEVs' slab-style batteries raise the seats), the menu structure (which doesn't suit Greg), and the expected reliability of an electric car.

    Their final thoughts:

    JS: I really love this little car. It's pretty much the electric car I've been waiting for, even if the range is a touch shorter than I'd like. It's an affordable EV that's actually fun to drive and stylish. Up until now, almost every truly affordable EV, no matter how good to drive, has been a staid or frumpy machine, or an uninspired compliance car. This is actually something exciting that combines the inherent advantages of EV powertrains with a fun chassis, and again, it doesn't require luxury car money. I hope this is just the first of many fun little EVs.

    GR: Once people drive it, they'll discover that the range will work for them a lot better than they thought. I'm with you right down the line. It was great fun.
     
    Domenick and SmartElectric like this.
  21. SmartElectric

    SmartElectric Member

    ^^ THIS! I really can't stand that kind of driving dynamic, which is why I exclusively have driven RWD or AWD cars now.

    I've owned a lot of performance cars, including a 6 speed manual dual cam 7500 RPM gas car (FWD), and the quintessential RWD muscle car, a Camaro Z28.
    Our Tesla is most like the Camaro, torque for ages, wiggly rear end under power, lots of fun.

    I want to like the Mini, but the FWD kills it for me.
     
    insightman likes this.
  22. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    If you have to have RWD, the MINI isn't for you. I have to have a small, sporty car and I want a BEV. The MINI is the only compact, sporty BEV. It will be interesting to see which wheels propel the rumored Tesla Model 2.

    I really wanted a Honda e, but worried about its RWD in the winter. Also, it's slower and more expensive. I wrote many letters to Honda, begging for that car, but Honda took care of my angst by choosing not to sell the Honda e in North America.

    In Tesla fanatic Matt's Shumaker's YouTube video on the MINI's driving dynamics, he says, "It will corner every bit as good as a Model 3 with good tires, and better than a Model 3 with the factory 18-inch aero wheels and tires." He says more than once how much fun the MINI is for both him and his wife.

    I won't try to claim that FWD is better than RWD for sport driving, although it's definitely superior for winter driving where I live. AWD is king in the slippery stuff, but FWD is a lot closer than RWD, It's a blast having the front wheels with winter tires dragging you confidently through the snow. I love pushing it in the snow until understeer commences and then letting off slightly to have the front wheels yank the front end into its intended direction.

    There have been sporty RWD-drive cars in my distant past (Austin-Healy 100-4, Porsche 914 2.0 and Mazda RX7), so I do have experience with having one end do the steering and the other end do the pushing. The cornering of my lightweight, mid-engined Porsche was unmatched in my experience, but it took nearly 10 seconds to get to 60 mph. The MINI Cooper SE will benefit from enormously greater torque and much wider, modern-compound tires.

    I've never had a car with a limited-slip differential, so I won't miss it. Torque steer doesn't bother me because it's easy to compensate for. The MINI won't beat a Tesla to 60 and it won't corner like a 914 or a Z28, but I'm certain it will be the most fun car I've owned since my first FWD car, a 1986 Honda CRX Si (a truly amazing car).

    Although I accept your point that RWD is superior for high-speed driving, Matt's videos have reinforced my decision to wait until the MINI factory eventually resumes building cars, no matter how long it takes. Sporty, compact, BEV--all three of my key boxes are checked and I'll feel safe in the winter, when having a "wiggly rear end under power" would be a significant disadvantage on the steep hill near my house.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
    SmartElectric likes this.
  23. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Autoblog's Dan Edmunds took the MINI Cooper SE for a range test around a 105-mile loop through typical city traffic. Sometimes he got up to 60 mph, but didn't do any expressway driving. Of course, one imporant question is which of the MINI's driving modes (Sport, Mid, Green, or Green+) he used for his range test. I was under the impression from other tests that the Mid mode is the default, but Mr. Edmunds writes:

    > Here, the default mode is the "green" mode, and I’m sticking
    > with it because the SE’s driveability is totally agreeable.

    Unfortunately, Mr. Edmunds didn't drive the car until the battery was empty (required for a true range test), stopping after completing his pre-measured 105-mile loop. His results are based on the MINI's Guess-O-Meter, which claimed he still had 32 miles of range left after completing his 105-mile loop. He writes that's "25.2% better than the EPA rating."

    I was glad to learn how much juice his drive consumed:

    > My charge station’s meter also said it took 23.2
    > kilowatt-hours (kWh) to refill the Mini’s battery.
    > Divide that by 105.7 miles and you get an observed
    > consumption of 21.9 kWh per 100 miles (kWh/100).
    > The Mini SE’s rated consumption is 31 kWh/100, so
    > over this test distance it consumed 29% less than
    > its consumption rating.

    Mr. Edmunds was disappointed the MINI's Guess-O-Meter didn't alter its predictions based on his driving style, something other electrified cars do (such as my Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid).

    > The Mini’s range prediction algorithm remained pessimistic
    > to the last. It never altered its projections to reflect how I
    > was driving. If it had, my own calculations suggest the meter
    > could have rightly said that my remaining 32% charge was
    > good for 49 miles, not 32 miles. That would have put the
    > projected range north of 150 miles.

    After complaining about the lack of granularity of the 8-segment battery charge meter on the right side of the instrument panel, Mr. Edmunds reveals a very interesting discovery about which I want to learn more:
    > But the primary battery gauge only has eight chunky segments
    > and isn’t terribly helpful. I will later discover a more useful digital
    > readout good for 1% resolution after thumbing through the trip
    > computer menu.

    Now that the few MINI Cooper SEs built before the factory closed are finding their way into private hands, I'm sure it won't be long before we learn the SE's true maximum range from an experienced hypermiler following reasonable hypermiling rules (eg. ending at the starting point without overinflating the tires, without drafting, and without pausing mid-loop until the wind reverses direction).
     
    SmartElectric likes this.

Share This Page