Illogical stuff in the SE. It's the little things...

I'm starting to get the idea that a lot has changed with MINI since my 1968 Morris Mini Moke. Thank you for explaining.

 

They have radios now

 

When setting destination for routing, you are given the option to change the settings such as fastest/shortest/green. What drives me nuts, though, is you only get about half a millisecond to make a change. Okay, I exaggerate – I think it's almost two seconds. I'm constantly having to go back and change the setting after setting my destination.

 

My old 2012 Cooper S had this really annoying design defect that if it was raining and you opened the drivers door and didn’t get in or out really fast you’d get a bunch of heavy wet drops spilling off the roof right into the center of the doorway. Cold water on your head, down your neck, or on your thighs depending on how quick you are. I’m so pleased Mini decided to keep that design in the SE. Its like George Bailey and the broken newel post. “Ah, I’m back in a Mini.” Only a problem when it rains though so good thing I live in Oregon.


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I’m also not a fan of the BMW media interface. Dare I say it but I like my Audi media interface much better.


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That's what happens when you get a frameless window/door combo. It's sadly not just a Mini thing. Though no issues on my last one but it had frames on the windows. I have run into it with so many other cars though. Just get out quick or wear a rain coat with a hood, which I do when it rains LOL

I happen to like the idrive set up, but I had that for the last 5 years anyway. I can do everything without looking.

 

I was holding out hope that Mini would have tweaked the 2022 charging tray to accommodate larger phones. But I contacted a UK 2022 owner who has a large Samsung, and they confirmed that it will not fit in the charging tray. Oh well. I'll have to do that mod to build up the tray to charge my large iPhone.

 

That would be fantastic...mine is just a smidge too large.

 

I had an Outback that was built that way. Subaru's argument is that not having door frames but instead incorporating that material into the roof makes for a stronger/safer vehicle.

 

I am going to attempt some variation on the procedure outlined here:

https://www.mini2.com/threads/is-your-phone-too-big-for-armrest-charger-in-newer-mini.359391/

I think I might get a small sheet of 1/8" basswood and cut a 'fake' phone case that fits in the Mini charging slot and keeps it active. Then mount the "wireless charging receiver" adapter on the bottom of the wood case, and the new qi wireless charging pad on the top. That configuration is simply passing through the charge from the Mini to the qi charging pad. In theory, that amount of thickness (the wood case and the charging pad) will create a level platform where my large iphone can rest on top and charge. I imagine there will be trial and error!

 

My MINI is nearly perfect.......apart from one small niggly thing. The range indication (GOM - Guess 'o' meter) is so woefully inaccurate, that it is rendered useless. I have done trips of 30km plus and ended up with more range than I started with! It doesn't learn/adapt to your driving style or the conditions. This wouldn't be a problem (I would just ignore it and use the battery bars) but the GPS cant route properly as it believes you will run out of juice. It is more than 30% out reading 180km, when 250 is the actual value I get in the real world. Even driving like a madman I can't dip below 200km.

Fix that and the little beast is perfect in my eyes.

 

I recently discovered from other forums that other EVs have GOMs as well, and all seem to have accuracy issues. I wonder if the SE's is more variable because there is such a great range of driving capabilities in the SE. I get the impression that most EVs are pretty unremarkable driving experiences, with the exception of quick acceleration in some.

 

The GOM in our Honda Clarity PHEV sucks, too. The most remarkable thing about driving that car in EV mode is how smooth the drivetrain is. Smoother than a V-12 engine. I'd add quiet, but most large, well-appointed cars--even ICE-powered ones--are quiet. With the Clarity's 1.5-liter engine going all-out (very NOT quiet) to run the generator that supplements the power coming from the battery, the Clarity's electric motor generates 181 hp, just like the SE's motor, but the Clarity PHEV weighs half a ton more than the SE, so its acceleration is definitely unremarkable. Unsurprisingly, since the SE arrived, the Clarity is mostly sitting dormant until my wife and I again feel comfortable taking long trips.

 

Yes, I'm reviving this good ole thread to add a 2022 nit pick: I wish it would save your last active cruise control follow distance setting to the driver profile. It always defaults to the longest (4 bars) distance.

And a navigation nit pick: I still need to give it more of a chance, but, so far, the Mini nav is not as good as Apple maps for my personal preferences. The actual maps graphics are a little more difficult to glance at and "see your path" on the map, and the guidance is not as "local intuitive" as Apple in terms of not taking you to poor traffic conditions or difficult turns.

 

I've driven manual transmission cars in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and they always had the layout of R in the forward position

 

I still can't even set my home location because it doesn't think my house exists (even though the street is there...). I don't have the option of apple carplay either.

If this car had a longer range and could be used for road trips, this would be a deal breaker rather than just an annoyance. I can't understand why MINI/BMW can't get their act together and add android auto.

 

Its not like they can't get their act together. Many manufactures chose to not support android auto, not liking to be held hostage by Google, as it is a nuisance in some countries. Then there are a couple manufactures selling only android models, they sell well only in China. I hear of lots of implementation complaints.

Your radio should automatically update its maps every three months as HERE provides them to BMW and others. They used to accept comments/error reports but I don't think they do that now.

 

Yeah the lack of lighting in the charge port is the biggest head scratcher for me. I charge outside in my driveway, which is very dark. The fact that they have a status LED there, but didn't think of providing lighting to allow you to easily insert the charger and replace the plug afterward is just, well, odd.

And the fact I get to suffer this every night doesn't help. Originally tried lighting it with my phone, but that's a pain when you are fooling with the EVSE cable at the same time. Now, I try to put my hand in front of the status LED, in hopes of reflecting enough light back to the charging port to find the hole. But there is only just barely enough light to do it. Not sure if it will work later this summer once I get a tan.

The shower from the frameless window when lowering it during a storm (or getting out of the car) isn't much fun either.

But otherwise, I've really enjoyed me SE.

 

Someone on the forum posted a link to these button LEDs for the charging port area. I have not tried them because I have not had to plug in the dark yet.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0721NYMJN/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

Frameless windows is a hallmark feature of the MINI, and I love them. Even though yes, there are times when it gets very wet. If only they could improve the roof runnels.