2022 model sneak peek

Good point! (I was thinking that there were two different shades of blue, but it appears that there is only one.)

 

Thanks, I should have drilled down deeper.

BTW, this just caught my eye (presumably it means from the factory):

BONNET STRIPES

• No hood stripes available for this type of body
  

 

Is that different from the 2021 Mini Cooper SE?

 

They apparently aren't/weren't a factory-installed option here in the US. I more just found it a bit odd that the Dutch website had to be so specific. (Maybe somewhere there is a Dutch insightman who insists that all Minis must have bonnet stripes, and they were trying to nip the uprising in the bud? )

 

In terms of the grille, I think it actually works in favor for the SE. The 2021 SE has this large swath of non-body color, not-black space to fill in, and it was done so in a neutral grey. Based upon the images we've seen so far, there are now three sections to any Mini Cooper grille:

1. Top, black, air intake for engine. On the SE, that's what needs filling in
2. Middle, body-colored bumper
3. Lower, air-curtain section.

In my opinion, having less surface area to fill in is better.

 

Based on the pictures there appear to be two different blues, but that could just be an illusion. The 4 door looks like a more traditional "starlight" blue whereas the SE with the two tone roof looks more like an "ocean" blue. A little lighter and with more green. The Dutch system seems to only have one blue, but options might be different for the US market.

 

That front end looks different than the one that I found.

 

It is. I just filled in the red 'S' with yellow.

 

Like:
- Adaptive cruise control (a big omission from the original version, imho)
- New grille on the SE
- A blue colour for the SE (whatever blue that turns out to be)

Unsure/Indifferent:
- Lane assist
- Heated steering wheel. Fine for those living in colder climates but not needed where I am.
- Multi-tone roof (looks strange in the still photo, might need to see it in real life to be sure)

Dislike:
- Manufacturing in China (don't know which models)
- Laser etching around the central display (a distracting and unnecessary flourish)
- New steering wheel buttons in gloss black
- Losing the fog lights. I rarely use them but think they give the car a sportscar/rally car aesthetic.
- No cooled seats. Would have loved some seat cooling in the Australian heat. Again, your climate may vary.

Random observation: I love how Petra says she's getting the convertible in yellow in spring while standing in waist-deep snow! That will be a great drive come next winter.

 

I liked the brief shot of Petra tooling down the autobahn at 166 km/h.

 

Thanks. So compared to the S, the SE has 1) horizontal bar or bars instead of honeycomb in top 3rd, 2) inverted trapezoid in middle 3rd, and 3) no square brake ducts in lower 3rd.

 

I find it curious the ICE version (true of current models) has the lower air intake for "brake cooling" as described in the video, but the SE does not. Do we not have friction brakes on our cars? I guess even the weak regenerative braking takes a lot away from needing to use friction brakes, thus practically eliminating heat issues.

 

I agree with you. I prefer this new look to the swath of gray.

 

I wonder how US vehicle plates work on the new front end. They're about 6 inches tall whereas European style seem to be somewhere under 5 inches tall.