Short History of BMW's UKL Platform for the MINI

[insightman]

Today, Gabriel Bridger posted on his MotoringFile website a nice history of the evolution of BMW's UKL platform for the MINI. I enjoyed reading how this wonderful, sporty platform for my favorite-ever car came to be.

I hope BMW creates an i1 version of its electric Neue Klasse series, because that could be turned into the next globally available (yes, including North America) MINI Cooper SE.

Let us imagine one of the MINIs in this stylish photo from the MotoringFile article is an F56 MINI Cooper SE

 

[ghost]

Good read, thanks for posting it here. My favorite part is that UKL means lower class. No wonder why I love mine so much!

 

[insightman]

I'm very glad I got my MINI before the F6X/J0X/U25 transformation. This Top Gear reviewer doesn't appreciate MINI's interior or user-interface changes--especially the "Experiences" offered by the MINI Countryman JCW.

"But a final gripe: those Experiences. There are nine of them and none of them does anything to the suspension. Yes, Go Kart adds a bit of steering weight and sharpens the throttle, but really they are not about the driving, they are about ambient lighting, calming thoughts, screen displays, on board wellness, chakras, personal mindfulness and spiritual awakening. Select one and its arrival is heralded with a whoop, birdsong, jungle beat or whale fart, interrupting my podcast and making me grind my teeth."

 

[ghost]

I've been driving in sport mode for almost since I got my SE 3.5 yr ago. I haven't used Bimmercode again to leave it in the last driving mode since the dealer did the reset. If I forget to switch it back to sport, I notice immediately the throttle and regen lag. I can't stand it and switch it back as soon as I can.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

I've been driving in sport mode for almost since I got my SE 3.5 yr ago. I haven't used Bimmercode again to leave it in the last driving mode since the dealer did the reset. If I forget to switch it back to sport, I notice immediately the throttle and regen lag. I can't stand it and switch it back as soon as I can.

Agree on the accelerator lag being annoying (even in Sport, but w/o the initial nannying the tires would be toast). However, the different modes don't affect the regenerative braking. It's always at max unless you flip the toggle.

 

[ghost]

Agree on the accelerator lag being annoying (even in Sport, but w/o the initial nannying the tires would be toast). However, the different modes don't affect the regenerative braking. It's always at max unless you flip the toggle.

I always leave it on high regen. Maybe I'm imagining it or mixing but w my wife's etron, but I panic that the car isn't stopping fast enough bc I'm used to the highest regen.

 

[revorg]

Ghost said: "I've been driving in sport mode for almost since I got my SE 3.5 yr ago."

I've always been driving in green+ almost all the time. Because of his comment, I drove the exact same (short) route on different days. To my great surprise, I used virtually the same kwh in sport as I did in green+. Similar temps, similar traffic. I guess I'll be using sport more often.

 

[revorg]

Tried it again today - different route, but exactly the same as one a week ago. Exactly the same results comparing sport and green+.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

Maybe I'm imagining it or mixing but w my wife's etron, but I panic that the car isn't stopping fast enough bc I'm used to the highest regen.

The only way I can see the different modes influencing how quickly the car slows is if you're still modulating the accelerator with your foot. If you simply sidestep the pedal, regen should start immediately and be equivalent regardless of mode.

ETA: Max regen in the SE is 0.19 g, whereas in the eTron it is only 0.11-0.13 g.

 

[insightman]

Tried it again today - different route, but exactly the same as one a week ago. Exactly the same results comparing sport and green+.

Time to doff your hairshirt and live a little. I doffed mine when my SE arrived after 20 years of hypermiling in my gen-1 Honda Insights.

 

[Puppethead]

ETA: Max regen in the SE is 0.19 g, whereas in the eTron it is only 0.11-0.13 g.

The info on the SE's regen (don't remember from where) I have is 0.19 g high, 0.11 g low. So it's amusing to me that the SE's "low" regen is basically the same as the eTron's high. The eTron low must feel like not stopping at all.

 

[ghost]

After having so many electric cars now (I think we're on our 6th), if the regen isn't on high (the etron defaults to low every time you start it), I freak out when I lift on the accelerator, as if the brake pedal is hitting the floor, haha.