Hey Scott,
Sorry, a bit off topic.
I've seen you mentioning Tesla Model 3 several times in this forum that you also have in your family. Can you comment on how it compares to the Mini Cooper SE? I am in the market for a sub-40K EV and both are still on my list. This will be our 2nd car (we also have a compact hybrid SUV) as my daily commuter and occasional kids' transporter, replacing a manual VW GTI (mk7). As it is no longer a manual, my wife may drive it when I take the SUV out.
Thanks a lot!!!
My wife and I are hooked on electric cars. She got her Tesla first, with our primary goal being her eliminating stops at the gas station, as we live downtown Houston and she had a few uncomfortable fill ups, approached by the, um, urban campers that blight the area. After experiencing all the aforementioned positives that go with EVs, I decided to try the MINI, since I enjoy small, quick cars. After owning these two, despite being a lifelong gearhead, wrench spinner, and motorcyclist, I’m pretty sure I’ll never own an ICE car again.
Our Tesla is an AWD with the $2,000 performance boost. It is insanely fast, like 0-60 in the high threes. The self-driving thing is very cool, and is the one thing I wish Jessie had, as I have a 64 mile RT commute. It’s a big car, wide and heavy. But, it seats four comfortably, and its trunk is huge (plus the frunk). All in, with the self driving and boost, it was around $60K and
not eligible for the $7500 tax credit. Being a Tesla, with a robust charging network, it is fine for road trips, if one is willing to multiply time of travel by about 1.25 (but likes to eat and hit the head while waiting for the charging), and as long as you are not driving too far away from major cities and highways.
I often call Jessie “Two thirds the car, at half the price.” Fully loaded, but after the tax credit, I paid around $31,000. Since I never use it for more passengers than two, I have the aft seats permanently folded flat. This gives me a large cargo area where I can haul my golf clubs and plenty more. Jessie is small and quick, 0-60 in around six, slow next to the Tesla’s ridiculous grunt, but fast enough to be fun. I prefer zipping around in the SE to carving around in the Tesla, except perhaps on the highway for long distances, where the power, self-driving, and range are nice. But, I like the SE’s cockpit more. The seats are better, and I like the real leather. And, although the Tesla’s driver interface is slightly easier to navigate, overall, than the MINI’s, I prefer the more traditional gauges and switches to the single screen Tesla. Also, parking in the MINI in a tight, downtown environment is awesome.
Overall, having a MINI SE as a second, city car is fantastic. It’s cheap, comfortable (for two), small, fun, and rare. Everybody wants to talk about it. Valet guys often put in on the front row, next to the Lambo. I wouldn’t take it on a road trip, both because it goes only two hours between 30-minute fill ups and because the CCS charging network is smaller and less reliable, IMO, but I have never found its 125-140 mile real world range to be inadequate for daily, city use.
Either way, you’re going to have a great time. Good luck!