MINI Cooper SE road tests

I even chirped the wheels of the low end Leaf I test drove which says something to me.

 

Right, which mean that even with summer performance tires, the motor could overpower the front wheels if not for traction control.

Perhaps I'm wrong and at least some EV manufacturers have found the optimal combination of torque/power/efficiency/gearing? Dunno.

 

The traction control is a little overactive but I love that it’s stealthy, without annoying tire squeal.

Tesla however found a way to kill wheel spin without cutting quite as much power. RWD helps.

 

I heard that there is a 4th situation (not disclosed in the Owner's Manual) when one might want to deactivate DTC:

• When the driver wishes to permanently eject the fake hood scoop

(Just kidding!)

 

@insightman, is that you??

 

Not a road test, but this seemed perhaps the best place to put this.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/business/british-auto-industry-brexit.html

 

The uncertainty makes me glad I have already ordered a vehicle which will be built in Oxford. (in theory - my order is still not accepted with the current factory pause)

 

Nothing really new in this video review, but worth watching the first ~2.5 minutes just to hear the reviewer's reaction the first time he pushes the accelerator to the floor.

 

If nothing else, take the time to hit thumbs down on the anti-Mini comments!

 

Overall the video is good, but the range bashing is becoming a tiresome trope. Lauding the inexpensiveness while complaining about range is silly. If the car is fun to drive and gets you around town, who needs it to go 300 miles on a charge? The reality is as the charging networks get more dense the distance is going to become less important.

I wish I knew what the range of gas-powered vehicles were throughout ICE history. They may have had big fuel tanks, but their mpg ratings were horrible. And how far do motorcycles go on a single tank of fuel?

 

They do fill up very fast though. But I don't care about range on my car. I rarely ever do 50 miles in a day. I was considering getting a glorified golf cart. The Mini wasn't that much more in the end and much better. Soooo much fun to drive.

 

Agreed. People don't just seem to realize that given the current cost and weight of batteries, at the present time you simply can't build an inexpensive, long-range, reasonably lightweight EV.

 

I agree completely. Batteries are large, heavy, and expensive. I am glad that they kept the battery small as it keeps the SE smaller, lighter, and cheaper than it would otherwise be.

Every motorcycle I have owned (three of them over the years) has had a range of no more than 150 miles. But after 150 miles on a sport bike, you want to stop and stretch a little.

 

I was having a conversation with my friend today because he rarely drives his second car and was thinking about how to replace it. His big concern about an EV is he has no place to charge it.

I pointed out that if he bought an EV as a second car, range wouldn’t matter because you can always use the ICE for longer drives. And I also suggested he make his kids go take the EV to get charged. He liked the idea.

 

This is a bad idea. He'll never get to use the car

 

You guys are funny.