Here's two interesting articles in today's news you might be interested in... New Mini Concept - first thing I spotted was no back seat. Americans Always Buy Too Much Car - I've been saying this for a long time.
I think it does have back seats, it's the cargo space that's gone. Hard to say for sure from the concept drawings, but it looks like the back seats are sideways and double as a cargo area. As fun as it is, it seems to be some design concept from someone not associated with MINI. But no fake hood scoop, @insightman's got to like that.
I think that concept is a 3 seater. It appears to have a 3rd seat behind the driver and a parcel shelf to the right of the 3rd seat. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Will the design include a racing HANS (head and neck restraint system) device for the occupant of the sideways seat? I think these devices require a helmet.
I bought an SE as most of my driving is daily 40 miles of commuting. I rarely do long trips. I'm seeing how it goes. I still have my R53 while I do. I may or may not upgrade to the Chinese 2024 Mini in a few years. My long term average is at 4.0 mi/kWh. I can still drive at 70+ and beat that by over 10%, if I sit behind a semi truck. I have a possible 600 +600 mile trip coming up. That'll need at least 4 charging stops, which would likely make it 2 days each way. I want to get some more trips under my belt and work out what the optimum speed to cover long distances is. Drive faster, spend a higher proportion of time charging...
The distance between charging stations will affect your calculations: Drive 65 mph and make it vs drive 80 mph and call a flatbed. Then you have to factor in HVAC use.
I have my back seat permanently down to accommodate packages etc. I find this no hardship. I wish Weathertech or Mini would provide a waterproof liner for this configuration. I protect this area with a standard carpet ($25 from walmart) cut to shape and a cardboard overprotection cut to shape. I have heard people use yoga mats for the same purpose although they are quite expensive. The issue of battery size is interesting. Obviously larger cars can accommodate bigger batteries and have higher range. I charge my Mini once a week, in offpeak times. Once again no hardship. Very happy with my 2022 BRG mini SE Iconic.
Quorn, I am awaiting my BRG Iconic and also have a front customized plate that I want to put on. How did you affix yours?
Welcome to the forum! There's a long thread on the forum about front license plates: Front license plate on your MINI?
My "faux" english plate is from a custom bumper sticker company. So it is stick on, remove with a hair dryer if needed. In addition I have a stubby antenna, I have "blacked out" the chrome beltline using vinyl electricians tape, I have rubber floor mats from Walmart trimmed to fit. As mentioned above I bought a black floor rug from Walmart and trimmed to fit my mini with the seats folded down. I have a fresnel lens on the front windshield to solve the problem of US traffic lights being obscured by the roof line.
You found a competent company to make your faux English license plate--it looks really good! Michigan created retro license plates with a color scheme I really like, but in the 60s our license plates had 6 large characters, which means my 7-letter ELEKTRO text won't fit. I've wondered if there's a company that would make me a metal 7-letter license plate with the retro color scheme. Then, of course, I wondered if the authorities would notice my license plate wasn't state-issued and send me to jail.
I saw this in the first article. "Designer: Roman Ignatowski" He must be related to Jim!! insightdude - draft what you want using the computer art tools, have one of the sticker places make it, and replace your front with it. don't be afraid of jail. If you or your wife's cooking is anything like my mom's was, it may be a welcome change for a few days.
Michigan doesn't require front license plates, so the beautiful (scoopless) front of my 2021 SE remains unblemished. I guess I could try repainting my metal plate with the color scheme I like from Michigan's retro plates and see what happens. Fortunately, my wife's cooking makes my life wonderful, so jail food would be a big step down.
