how bad is cabin noise and things you don't like?

Ok, I'll try to answer your question - well all except the US specific things.

Cabin noise: Chalk and cheese when compared against an ICE version. At city speeds (60kph/40mph) it is quiet enough to carry on a conversation with someone in the back without raising your voice. I have the Harmon Kardon, so I can't tell you about the base sound system, however it is (from all accounts) still quite good.

Handling/Suspension: At normal speeds, you won't notice any difference - both feel like go karts. If you go to a track, the ICE car has more weight over the front, and the SE is more balanced with a lower center of gravity, but heavier with stiffer suspension. When top speed is removed from the equation (where the ICE wins hands down), the SE is quicker. Better neutral handling and better acceleration. The ICE probably has slightly better toe in, but again that is round a racing circuit.

Tyres: Mine came with Good Year Eagle Asymmetric 3 - a really good all round tyre. We don't really have winters here, but we can get a lot of rain. The tyres are 205/45/R17 and work really well on the SE. I don't have any complaints. Combined with the awesome traction control, booting the accelerator off the line on a drenched road results in no wheel spin and just a really rapid take off.

Deposit: no idea sorry.

What do I love about it: Everything but the useless GOM (Guess 'o' meter - range till empty). It is probably the most fun EV to drive for anyone who needs to ask the price. You would need something like a Taycan or Rimac to be more fun - I am not talking about straight line grunt, but driver engagement and fun. That is not to say the SE is a slouch in anyone's definition.

I've had mine over a year and it still gives me a smile every time I drive it.

 

You'll get a good feel for the size by test driving the Cooper S. The SE will feel a little heavier, the spring rates and ride heights are a little different. Not that different, however. You will get a pretty good idea of the sound system. It is not the quietest car, no engine noise but plenty of road noise, but quiet enough.

Mini has been offering refundable deposits, most dealers will let you inspect and test drive the car when it arrives, and refund your deposit if you don't want it. Dealers cannot get any for the lot, so it is no big deal.This may carry from state to state

Below MSRP, only if you know someone. Roof rails is a factory option. Some dealers discount accessories a little. Mini still qualifies for a Federal tax credit, where Tesla does not. California may have additional incentives.

Its a small car but a hoot to drive. Seems solidly built. Include some rough pavement and potholes in your test drive.

 

Welcome to the forum, @dotori ! The video has my complaints about the SE - all minor in nature, I think. My summer tires are the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 205/45R17. They grip the road like crazy.

 

For an experiment, more psychological than vehicle, I drove all last week with no radio. The SE is an extraordinarily quiet car (probably true of all BEVs), with even marginal road/tire noise. But there is noticeable outside noise, mostly from other vehicles going by. I swear I could almost hear people talking in the other vehicles. But the ICE cars you do hear. Not loud, but there.

As for deposit, it is fully refundable in the US. If your dealer says otherwise they're up to something.

 

You probably didn't get a chance to see the headlights at night as part of your test drive. The stock LEDs are the brightest headlights on any car I've ever owned. They're twice as bright as the wimpy LEDs on our Honda Clarity PHEV. The first night I had my SE in the driveway, I flicked the lever to see the high beams and was shocked at how bright they were. The next day the lady across the street (whose curtains were closed that night) told me she thought there had been a nearby lightning strike, but wondered why there was no ensuing thunder. The only reason to add the driving lights would be to make a fashion statement.

 

About a year ago, I did manage to get my 2021 MINI SE dealership to include window tinting of all glass (other than the windshield, of course) for no charge. Other than that, it was all MSRP, and I am thinking that may be even more rigid now given the automotive chip shortages, etc. that have impacted production of new vehicles.

 

I am content with the base sound system after I upped the bass a bit.

 

I test drove an ICE Mini Cooper and was not too impressed, but I liked the SE the moment I drove it. Wind noise is not bad at all, but I always have an audiobook or music. The base sound system is adequate, but does lack some of the low end bass. It gets plenty loud and I have tons of room to go louder if needed. The car is very comfortable for 2 adults and 2 kids or 2 adults on one child if one of the adults is very tall. I am tall and find the car to be very comfortable, but nobody could sit behind me with the way I have the seat. The deposit is refundable. It’s a tough time to get everything you want out of a vehicle.

 

NVH isn't bad at all unless you live around a lot of rough roads. If you have generally fair to good roads the experience will be quite pleasant.

I have no reservations recommending this car to anyone, so long as the range works for their needs. It's an amazing little EV.

 

The MINI SE is almost perfect in my book. I only have a couple of very small gripes.

1) The left side of the dashboard is divided up into 10% increments while the right side is divided up into 12.5% increments. Looking at this makes my head hurt every time I drive. (j/k) The right side should be 10% increments as well.

2) The mode select switch should work the same as the regen switch. Whatever mode you are in should remain the same on startup.

3) Run flat tires should be an option. The factory obviously has RF tires in the correct size in stock, so making them an option should be simple enough.





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Jim,
The right side is like a gas gauge, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 that's 12.5%
The left side is how we look at power, 10%, 20%.
Do you really want my wife to reconfigure her brain, and tell me there is 20 or 30% charge left when for years she tells me ther is a quarter tank left, get gas on my way home?

 

In that case, marking the right side of the dash, the ‘fuel gauge’, in fractions would be even better.


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Nobody has ever measured battery that way, so it's a terrible anachronism for the SE. Particularly since the true battery percentage is shown below.

 

I would even be happy if they kept the skeuomorphic design but added 100 LEDs, each representing a battery % point. That would look pretty cool.
Yes, more expensive, but also way more premium looking and it wouldn't require a complete re-imagining of the universal MINI cluster.

At the end of the day, at least we do have the option to display battery %. Not all EVs have that ability, as crazy as it sounds!

 

Just be glad it's not like the 2nd generation MINIs, which is divided into ninths.

 

Maybe everybody else is wrong?
or
Maybe the gas gauge in our cars has been wrong for so long.
An hour is in twelfths, quarters, and halves
A battery is in tenths
A gas gage is in eights, quarters and halves
A dollar is in halves (like each of the above), quarters (like the gas tank), tenths (like everyone's battery), twentieths, and hundredths (like someone recommended). I guess we should be glad it isn't broken down into twentieths. Nobody likes the nickel anyway.

 

I just checked my 2014 S Clubman, it is ninths! Although when you get down to the 9th indicator the car gets serious about running out of fuel, and it turns red. So it's almost "past empty". But normally you can't tell it's different from the other eight indicators.