Thinking of moving from 2018 BMW i3 to Mini Cooper SE

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Driften

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I'm on my second BMW i3. I had a 2014 i3 Rex, and now a 2018 i3 Rex. I hate having the range extender! We never need it on the 2018 and the only time it runs is for its maintenance cycle. In the two years we've owned the 2018 we have only used just over one tank of gas, but it now needs it's second expensive oil change. I didn't want the extender when I bought it, but BEV models weren't available in my area. With BMW not making new i3's and there is still a lack of used non-Rex models, I am looking at other options.

I really don't like "large" cars. I've owned more Miata's than any other car if that says something about me. Before I bought the 2014 i3, I had thought about a Mini, but used i3's were so cheep around five years ago I went that way. I like that the Mini is 7" shorter than my i3. I wish the SE had a little more range, but if we are going to go beyond it's range we have a gas car we use. Right now my wife and I both work from home, but if she has to go back to an office job she would need to drive the SE daily commute. I expect she could live with the SE's range if that happened. Otherwise it would be more of my car. I haven't been to test drive an SE yet. As you might expect they aren't very available. There are two used 2022's in the area in Iconic trim which I expect I would want that trim level anyway. I don't like the price is $39-41k when if I ordered a new one and waited the 3-4months, I think would cost less. But my i3 is worth about $25k so I can afford to buy an SE. When the new supply goes up and used prices come down so would my trade in value.

If you came from an i3, what can you tell me about differences in ride quality? Is the regen braking as good? I love one pedal driving. I like the idea that the SE uses standard tires with lots of options.

Does Mini charge a subscription for using the phone app after a certain amount of time? BMW wants me to start paying $120 a year for that. I dislike all of BMW's subscription models for things like that. I also like that they didn't transfer the free maintenance when buying used i3's starting with 2018. It looks like Mini doesn't transfer the remainder of scheduled maintenance to new owners as well, but with no range extender I expect that's not a big deal. Is there anything else to watch out for if I buy a used 2022 SE? I know there is no tax incentive on used, but it seems too late for that on a new one if ordering today.

Another thing with Mini going to China in 2024 for the electric motors and related parts, are current SE owners going to be in the same boat as people with discontinued i3's? May not matter much if I keep the SE for 5+ years. Who knows what will be on the market then.
 
Some notes:
  • A new SE Iconic trim is $36,700 (plus destination fees et al) so those used prices are high but not insanely high like I've seen with other makes.
  • MINI does not charge a subscription for any of the car services—app or navigation (North America anyway).
  • MINI is coming out with a completely new car being built in China, not just the parts. It's not clear if it will replace the SE or be a new offering, or if it even makes it to North America with the new EV incentive law.
  • The current model SE is based on the existing ICE platform, so it's actually a better situation than the i3 since the SE mostly uses the exact same parts as the ICE model MINI, which has been around essentially in its current form since 2014.
 
If you want a SE now check the dealers. I know a few people that bailed once the tax incentive went away, and those cars should be arriving soon or around now.
 
Puppethead said:
Some notes:
  • A new SE Iconic trim is $36,700 (plus destination fees et al) so those used prices are high but not insanely high like I've seen with other makes.
  • MINI does not charge a subscription for any of the car services—app or navigation (North America anyway).
  • MINI is coming out with a completely new car being built in China, not just the parts. It's not clear if it will replace the SE or be a new offering, or if it even makes it to North America with the new EV incentive law.
  • The current model SE is based on the existing ICE platform, so it's actually a better situation than the i3 since the SE mostly uses the exact same parts as the ICE model MINI, which has been around essentially in its current form since 2014.
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Thanks... I've seen new Chevy Bolts EUV's with $1500-3000 dealer fees tacked on, but paying $1000-3000 for an 8mo old used SE with 2300-3200 miles on them isn't that bad? Good to know. I was hoping I could talk the price down a little.

You are totally right about the SE being in a better situation in the years to come than my i3 for parts! That is a very attractive feature. Like using standard wheels and tires.
 
Tommm said:
If you want a SE now check the dealers. I know a few people that bailed once the tax incentive went away, and those cars should be arriving soon or around now.
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It's not a bad idea... On checking last night the closest new one on a dealer lot would be 777mi away, but that might be improving like you said as the in transit ones might get bailed on. The local Seattle dealer doesn't show any in transit.
 
Driften said:
If you came from an i3, what can you tell me about differences in ride quality? Is the regen braking as good? I love one pedal driving. I like the idea that the SE uses standard tires with lots of options.
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Wider tires gives a more planted feeling but the i3 RWD turning radius was spectacular! I probably would have considered a BEV i3s instead of a MINI.

Regen should still be default aggressive because it is the same i3s motor but in FWD regen vs RWD regen in the i3/i3s. Other members have reported a considerable amount of break dust.
 
Driften said:
It's not a bad idea... On checking last night the closest new one on a dealer lot would be 777mi away, but that might be improving like you said as the in transit ones might get bailed on. The local Seattle dealer doesn't show any in transit.
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Contact the dealers near you. When I bought one in 2022 I got a near useless salesperson. The only thing of value i got from him was they had a few cars on order. they wont advertise the cancelled cars until they are in. If one is in process and cancelled you can put a deposit on it. that's basically what i did. They had 8 on order, I picked mine from the litter, put $ down and it was earmarked as mine.
 
teslarati97 said:
Wider tires gives a more planted feeling but the i3 RWD turning radius was spectacular! I probably would have considered a BEV i3s instead of a MINI.
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We love the turning radius on the i3, but the SE is rated at just 2.8 feet wider. Is that difference that noticeable? I did consider an i3s but from the input I got from owners is the ride is harsher and the 20" wheels get bent up much easier. The tires are also twice as expensive as the standard expensive i3 tires.

teslarati97 said:
Regen should still be default aggressive because it is the same i3s motor but in FWD regen vs RWD regen in the i3/i3s. Other members have reported a considerable amount of break dust.
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So you are saying it's a blended regen and uses actual brakes more? I would have thought on using just aggressive regen single pedal it won't use the breaks.
 
I owned a Tera World pre-LCI i3 at the same time as the SE. I really love the i3’s design language, but it has some flaws like the weird tires, instability at highway speed, etc. The SE is hands down the better vehicle and an easy recommend.

In terms of comfort I find the MINI to ride better. It’s also a good bit quieter too. My cars have 16” wheels as opposed to the larger 17” so keep that in mind.

The one pedal driving is virtual identical. The MINI is FWD which is of course different. If you came from the non-S i3 the SE will feel much more powerful and more capable. On the highway the SE is perfectly stable up to its max speed of 93 mph.

If you enjoy driving the SE is the obvious choice, though without the federal tax credit it is more of a luxury item imo. That is because 100-120 mile highway range makes a lot of road trips impossible (*depending on your area's DCFC coverage - check Plugshare). If you want the extra range the Bolt is probably a better and cheaper pick.
 
Driften said:
So you are saying it's a blended regen and uses actual brakes more? I would have thought on using just aggressive regen single pedal it won't use the breaks.
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The regenerative braking is pure, but the SE's built-in traction control will engage the friction brakes when needed, like when making aggressive turns. I drive almost exclusively using high regenerative braking, and while I do see some brake dust from the traction control my brake pads are wearing very slowly. I still had 10mm thickness of my original pads at my 2-year maintenance.
 
Puppethead said:
The regenerative braking is pure, but the SE's built-in traction control will engage the friction brakes when needed, like when making aggressive turns. I drive almost exclusively using high regenerative braking, and while I do see some brake dust from the traction control my brake pads are wearing very slowly. I still had 10mm thickness of my original pads at my 2-year maintenance.
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Right.... forgot about traction control. Your experience is very much inline with what I would expect and what I'm looking for in an EV.
 
polyphonic said:
I owned a Tera World pre-LCI i3 at the same time as the SE. I really love the i3’s design language, but it has some flaws like the weird tires, instability at highway speed, etc. The SE is hands down the better vehicle and an easy recommend.

In terms of comfort I find the MINI to ride better. It’s also a good bit quieter too. My cars have 16” wheels as opposed to the larger 17” so keep that in mind.

The one pedal driving is virtual identical. The MINI is FWD which is of course different. If you came from the non-S i3 the SE will feel much more powerful and more capable. On the highway the SE is perfectly stable up to its max speed of 93 mph.

If you enjoy driving the SE is the obvious choice, though without the federal tax credit it is more of a luxury item imo. That is because 100-120 mile highway range makes a lot of road trips impossible (*depending on your area's DCFC coverage - check Plugshare). If you want the extra range the Bolt is probably a better and cheaper pick.
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Thank you so much, this is what I was looking for. I don't care for how my i3 can get blown around some at faster highway speeds. I expect that even the 17" SE wheels ride nicer than my i3 19" ones. For road trips we take the wife's Subaru Forester. Pre-pandemic when my wife commuted with my i3 to save money it was never more than level 1 charging could handle and that was with the 2014 i3. In the two years we've had the 2018 i3 we haven't needed to commute. I had installed a 220v level charger in the last house and love the charge speed, but in our new house I've yet to get around to having the 220v line put in for my wallbox 40a charger.

I think unless there is a major change in our situation, the range of the SE will be totally fine and be the fun small car I want. Guess I should schedule a test drive...
 
Puppethead said:
I easily get over 140 miles per charge, and sometimes much more.
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I think it gets better with time, because I drove a 160 mile round trip in Green last week (like a nun), under ideal conditions, widows and roof closed, no AC, and could still "only" manage a calculated max range of 132 miles (which nevertheless impresses me!).
 
Driften said:
Thank you so much, this is what I was looking for. I don't care for how my i3 can get blown around some at faster highway speeds. I expect that even the 17" SE wheels ride nicer than my i3 19" ones. For road trips we take the wife's Subaru Forester. Pre-pandemic when my wife commuted with my i3 to save money it was never more than level 1 charging could handle and that was with the 2014 i3. In the two years we've had the 2018 i3 we haven't needed to commute. I had installed a 220v level charger in the last house and love the charge speed, but in our new house I've yet to get around to having the 220v line put in for my wallbox 40a charger.

I think unless there is a major change in our situation, the range of the SE will be totally fine and be the fun small car I want. Guess I should schedule a test drive...
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You're welcome :) I think you'll love the SE. It's a little more efficient than the i3 (I had a REx too), and also has a heat pump for winter. One of the best upgrades coming from the Bimmer is really the tires; you have many great options. 175/155 tires for the i3 are ridiculous! No wonder there is literally one summer and one winter option in the US. If you do change tires on the MINI just keep in mind efficiency will probably drop. In winter time we run Cross Climate 2 (three peak tire) and that combined with the cold weather necessitated L2 charging for us.

Regarding turning radius, it's a little larger than I expected but nothing to worry about.
 
polyphonic said:
Regarding turning radius, it's a little larger than I expected but nothing to worry about.
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It's just a CV joint limitation of most FWD/AWD vehicles compared to RWD. My reverse parking results have been absolutely abysmal in the MINI, though if I was in New York that would be acceptable to have a tire on the line.
 
polyphonic said:
You're welcome :) I think you'll love the SE. It's a little more efficient than the i3 (I had a REx too), and also has a heat pump for winter. One of the best upgrades coming from the Bimmer is really the tires; you have many great options. 175/155 tires for the i3 are ridiculous! No wonder there is literally one summer and one winter option in the US. If you do change tires on the MINI just keep in mind efficiency will probably drop. In winter time we run Cross Climate 2 (three peak tire) and that combined with the cold weather necessitated L2 charging for us.

Regarding turning radius, it's a little larger than I expected but nothing to worry about.
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Thanks my wife got a nail on the 2014 i3 the we were surprised about the cost to replace the tire at the time and like you said no options. Its a big selling point on the SE that we have choices!

I just checked at the SE's 35.1' turning radius is closer to our Forester's 35.4' than the i3's 32.2' radius. Oh well. No big deal.
At least the SE is still 30.7" shorter in length than the Forester and 6.9" shorter in length than my i3. For some that's a drawback, but for me it make me happy as well as more room in the front of the garage.
 
Puppethead said:
The regenerative braking is pure, but
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there can be no regen braking when the battery is fully charged. When the battery is fully charged, the MINI Cooper SE (and, I'd guess, the i3, too), uses the friction brakes to simulate regen braking. I can't tell the difference, so it is a good simulation, indeed.
 
I think the consensus is that it almost never uses the brakes that way, but that’s only speculation. The moment you unplug and hit the go pedal, it’ll use more than you can possibly regenerate coming to the first stop.
 
SameGuy said:
I think the consensus is that it almost never uses the brakes that way, but that’s only speculation. The moment you unplug and hit the go pedal, it’ll use more than you can possibly regenerate coming to the first stop.
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I'm glad you included "almost." :)
 
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