Why did you choose the trim level you choose?

I ordered an Iconic 2.0 because 1) the price difference between trims has shrunk considerably, 2) the techiness of the head up display appeals to me, and 3) while I don't expect SEs to hold value over time as well as many other vehicles (due to high initial purchase price and short range vs. an " appliance" ICE car), being the "top of the line" would hopefully make it easier to sell eventually.

When it was originally Signature/Signature+/Iconic, I would have ordered a Signature+ to get the moon roof, but was tempted by the Iconic due to the larger screen. Then they added that to all models, but the step-up in price to the Iconic was still too much for me until they 2.0.

 

This is SOP for me when buying new or searching for a CPO car. It’s old-school thinking, but it still holds true.

 

I think I chose the Iconic for the option of adding the lounge leather seats and for the automatic cruise, although the other upgrades were nice too. It was back in mid March, so honestly I forget exactly why. I ordered it several days before the website changed to the 2023 spec, so I actually ordered a 2022.

 

Pretty much exactly the same story here. Ordered in March, ’22 spec with ’23 body color but ’22 roof color but ’23 model but ’22 price but… I suppose I didn’t need the pano roof, but I wanted the Lounge Leather, ACC, and Power Spoke wheels. I think my car is likely fairly unique in North America, as might be many of those ordered during the model year transition.

 

I wanted the ‘22 Sig with the ACC and HUD options, but I missed the order deadline and ended up with the ‘23 Sig. I am happy to keep my money as I didn’t really need the tech options. The only thing I am bummed about is not being able to get a white roof and mirrors, but with the $4k I saved I can pay someone to fix that.

 

We were originally going to order the base Signature as we intended to only keep it a few years while we waited for a Kia EV6. Our son convinced us to upgrade to the Premier to get the HK sounds system so we did. We’re glad too as we may keep this car longer now .

 

We went with the base signature for the price as it had everything we wanted.
We could have stepped up to Signature Plus and got a glass roof but having had cars with that before, here in Texas we tend to have to keep the blind closed most of the time rendering it pointless. It also adds weight, and up top at that. So for us the benefit didn’t outweigh the negatives. I would have wanted the Plus to get the HK audio but it’s my wife’s car and she prefers to drive without the radio on so again, waste of money for us. So we kept an extra $4k in our pocket.
For me the Iconic was gilding the lily with nicer seat materials and fancier dash trim plate, plus more wheel choices. Not interested.
As a second car driven short distances it has everything we need. Stuff we would be willing to pay for, like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic detection, electric seats with memory etc are not available at any price…

 

For my 2021 SE, I had to go Iconic to get the 8.8" display, which is now standard on all levels. And I wanted the Power Spoke wheels, so it was an easy decision for me.

 

We got the 2022 Signature because it was so well equipped for the money. We got the big screen, heated wheel, etc for just over 20k with state and federal incentives. The Iconic level started to push the price closer to an ID4 which we also considered. I could not justify paying a similar amount for such lower range and space. We got lucky with the 2022 as it was very loaded. The only thing I wanted to add was ACC which I have seen on Signatures but it was not available when we order due to the chip shortages. Besides, anything I got was going to be a quantum leap in tech coming from a 35+ year old Vanagon.

 

I wanted cloth seats and island blue, but it was only available in Level 3 Electric Collection. The Nightfall Edition was too black on black for me.

 

I considered this; the ID.4 was the car towards which I was originally leaning because I didn’t even know the SE existed until my car search became more serious and I was (mistakenly) decrying the notion that nobody currently makes a small, two door EV. I googled “EVs available in Canada” and it popped up on the list, so of course I went to check it out. The more I was drawn to the L3 (Premier+ up here, Iconic in the US), the more apparent it was that the L3 would be closing in on the VW’s price. What sealed my decision — apart from really not needing a second CUV — was the fact that I could take delivery of the SE within a few months, while the VW is sold out for 2023 and preorders hadn’t opened up for the 2024 yet.

 

We had both the Mini and ID4 on order. I was getting regular updates on the status from Mini and basically zero info from VW. I just gave up and cancelled the VW.

 

My situation was different once I sold my I 3 in 11/21 I order SE from my Mini Cooper dealer the same day but perspective to wait 3-4 months make me sick .I start shopping for SE every Dealer possible.Luckily for mi I secure a car in few weeks the only request from me was BRG the rest was not important as long dealer give me car with battery and wheels .was signature trim with heated steering wheel,roof rails, 5 winter mats and no mark ups on price .Pic up a car on 1/3 2022 and for $22500 after rebate is no better bargain for new SE .As one member posted CPO SE was advertised for $42000 .

 

My SOP has generally been to

My recollection is that the step up in price from Signature+ to Iconic used to be more than the present upcharge from Signature 2.0 to Iconic 2.0. My memory may be incorrect, but that's what I meant.

 

I’m a value buyer and pretty much always have been. I bought the Signature as I consider it a better value. Time will tell if the value holds up or not. I plan to keep my SE for several years so depreciation is not really a concern for me. At $22,500 for the effective cost, the SE Sig is really hard to beat. In fact, I can’t think of any car that comes close whether ICE or hybrid or BEV.


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