Thinking of moving from 2018 BMW i3 to Mini Cooper SE

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There is lag in the braking taking effect when you come off the accelerator if the battery is full. However when it does kick in it feels the same as regen.

You don’t describe your driving environment but in green mode on suburban roads (up to 55mph with lots of red light intersections) you should see upwards of 150 miles of range easily, we typically get 160-170 if we try.
If you are cruising at more like 70mph with say a trip average of 60mph you will see more like 125 miles.

That assumes reasonable temperatures.

At 30 degrees F you will lose about 20% off both figures. Colder than that and the range loss gets worse fast as eventually the heat pump is no more efficient than a resistive heater.

Given you said you haven’t used the REX at all in your current i3, which I believe has worse battery only range than the Mini, you shouldn’t need to worry about range as you’ll have more than you currently experience.
 
After a short test drive I bought my Mini SE! It was a blast to drive home. I wish it was more white then silver, but am fine with it. I don't think it's any quieter than the i3, but like the handling much better on the SE. The break regen is more like the 2014 i3, and stronger than my 2018 i3. That makes me happy. The seating is also more comfortable in the SE.
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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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tire price for I 3 and SE ?.. As I own I 3 for 6 years and I was able to turn on my street with. I 3 turning radius now with SE I’m hitting a curbs all the time my rims are in ruin bc I’m missing only a car I ever own with small turning radius but with my bike I still can turn on my street without hitting a curb .
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These are what came on my car. I haven't driven on them enough yet to comment on how they feel.

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Rexsio said:
tire price for I 3 and SE ?.. As I own I 3 for 6 years and I was able to turn on my street with. I 3 turning radius now with SE I’m hitting a curbs all the time my rims are in ruin bc I’m missing only a car I ever own with small turning radius but with my bike I still can turn on my street without hitting a curb.
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That’s interesting. I just looked up the last tires I bought for the SE (Michelin Cross Climate 2, 205 size). They came to $153 each. The main issue though is tire choice, and the quality of the single all-season tire available for the i3. The 175/155 Bridgestones do not offer enough grip on the highway, or in inclement weather. I have now run three different tire models on the SE and they all worked great. Note on tire prices: they sometimes fluctuate randomly so it pays to keep an eye on them.

Edit: also shop around at Discount Tire, Tirerack, Costco, Walmart, etc. I just found Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s for $183 each at Discount Tire (205 45 R17).

Driften said:
After a short test drive I bought my Mini SE! It was a blast to drive home. I wish it was more white then silver, but am fine with it. I don't think it's any quieter than the i3, but like the handling much better on the SE. The break regen is more like the 2014 i3, and stronger than my 2018 i3. That makes me happy. The seating is also more comfortable in the SE.
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Congrats! It looks fantastic! Our first MINI is white/silver. I really grew to love the color since so many other cars are either plain white or silver.
Enjoy your SE. It’s a truly awesome little machine :D
 
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Rexsio said:
tire price for I 3 and SE ?.. As I own I 3 for 6 years and I was able to turn on my street with. I 3 turning radius now with SE I’m hitting a curbs all the time my rims are in ruin bc I’m missing only a car I ever own with small turning radius but with my bike I still can turn on my street without hitting a curb .
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Rexsio gets it. After driving 12+ years of RWD vehicles in -30F weather it took awhile to adjust to the MINI.

The turning radius isn't just for U-Turns, it's for reverse parking and parallel parking as well.
 
15 years driving an 8½ foot long, rear wheel drive soft top in all conditions. That thing could do a U-turn in one lane, not one street.
 
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.

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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I came from an i3 REX, and I was just thinking to myself today how much better the SE feels to drive. I always felt the i3 was twitchy and felt almost unstable because of its height and body roll. Having the option to adjust the regen amount on the SE is also nice. My wife can’t get used to one pedal driving, and low regen feels normal to her.

I did use the i3 back seat quite a bit, but I’m reluctant to invite adults into the backseat of the SE.
 
MallowMan said:
I came from an i3 REX, and I was just thinking to myself today how much better the SE feels to drive. I always felt the i3 was twitchy and felt almost unstable because of its height and body roll. Having the option to adjust the regen amount on the SE is also nice. My wife can’t get used to one pedal driving, and low regen feels normal to her.

I did use the i3 back seat quite a bit, but I’m reluctant to invite adults into the backseat of the SE.
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After one day of ownership of the SE it handles so much better than my i3 did. Enough that it wants be to push it harder than I've done in years. The only cars that felt like that were in my BRZ and Miatas.

I did use the back seat on the i3 about once a year but don't think I would subject an adult to the back of the SE. But the SE is my fun car, we have the Forester for for those needs.
 
polyphonic said:
Guys, it’s a Mini Cooper. It’s not that hard to maneuver.

If Rexsio is hitting curbs all the time it might be wise to stop. :)
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That suppose to be a joke hitting curbs with my wheels and a crime to destroy my beautiful rims like i3 powder coated .After 6 years no single scratch and I’m keep doing the same with SE no dents or curb rush on all my cars.
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Driften said:
After a short test drive I bought my Mini SE! It was a blast to drive home. I wish it was more white then silver, but am fine with it. I don't think it's any quieter than the i3, but like the handling much better on the SE. The break regen is more like the 2014 i3, and stronger than my 2018 i3. That makes me happy. The seating is also more comfortable in the SE.
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Congratulations!
 
insightman said:
Instead of an i3, I'd compare the price of tires for an SE to the price of tires for a Corvette or 911, cars that try to be as much fun as an SE.
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I appreciate you saying 911, not Cayman, and noticed you omitted the Miata. Hmmm. ;) Bottom line, and a compromise; the Mini is the most fun car that has something that tries to resemble a back seat!
 
I traded a Macan S for the second SE. Considered everything under the sun while the SE was being built. Including 981 Boxster/Cayman, G20 M340i, Model 3, Ioniq 5, etc. Just wanted something fun for around town. SE won by a mile.

Regarding the back seat, I only tried it out after giving some test drives in my car. Subsequently had a couple 6’+ friends in the back. Once you’re there it’s quite comfortable. Ingress/egress is a pain though.

Driften said:
After one day of ownership of the SE it handles so much better than my i3 did. Enough that it wants be to push it harder than I've done in years. The only cars that felt like that were in my BRZ and Miatas.
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This may be of interest: Rear sway bar : )
 
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