Mini Cooper SE mini review

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jsvader
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Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

Sorry, couldn't help the title.

I picked up the SE the other day, so I thought I would present my first day review of the little beast.

Performance
Firstly, the mini is quick. Not just a straight line type of quick, which it is by the way. It feels more sporty than any, and I mean any other EV I have driven (I can't afford to even test drive a Taycan). To get faster acceleration, you need a model 3 at minimum, and a lot more cash. In its price range, there is nothing that comes close. The figures quoted by MINI are woefully pessimistic. Where the mini excels is handling. The engineers at MINI have been blasted for putting in such a small battery, however the result of this small battery is exquisite handling. Coupled with Good Year Eagle F1 low profile tyres, the MINI eats corners for breakfast. It is a real blast to drive.

Economy
With my first day experimentation (read highly un-economical driving), I still returned 14.7kWh/100k. When I calm down I'll have another go, but readings of around 12.8 on the freeway (90kph limit) look promising. This should mean the mini has an easy 200km range, including a fair amount of spirited driving. Not enough I hear you say - well I don't do more than 200k very often, especially in town, and I will take the driving dynamics over range every day.

Interior
The mini exudes quality inside, although some may consider it dated next to the millennial single screen layout of several other manufacturers. The front two seats are very comfortable with ample support around the corners (which you really need). The back two seats are, well, small. You can fit bigger people in them, but the front two seats have to move forward. Overall, it is a very comfortable and friendly place to be.

Exterior
What can you say. Short of a Taycan (again), got to be the best looking EV out there. Subjective I know, but I believe it. If you want, it can look very similar to the ICE model, so if you don't want to shout "EV" you can. There are no gaps in panels, or mismatched paint - as you would expect.

Boot/Frunk
Its a mini. If you wanted a boot, why would you buy one :) Seriously though, it holds more than you would think, but it is not cavernous by even the most optimistic interpretation. I think I would call it big enough. No Frunk.

Summary
This is what EVs should be like. Nobody who drives one of these won't have a smile at the end of their drive. They have ample range for their intended use, are very comfortable inside - for the front two at least, and look great inside and out. Even in the most expensive, top level trim (that is all that came to Oz) they are still thereabouts with the competition like the leaf, ioniq and kona. Give one a go, and you'll end up taking it home :)

PS. if anyone has any questions about it - fire away!
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

As a quick update - day 2, average economy up (down?) to 11kWh/100k. All city driving, with short bursts on the freeway (90 or 100).
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by Chuq »

Great info! Welcome to AEVA and the forum.. probably the first Mini electric owner on here :)
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

I actually picked up the first one. The whole covid thing made the shipping times extend, so the mid-year deliveries ended up in September. All the first batch were sold out in days after being announced. I was lucky, because I ordered one before they were announced :)

If you want any info about it, feel free to ask. It is very different to any EV I have driven before. It is very engaging, and performs really well.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

Ok, small update - charged after 170km and still 26% battery left. I was actually doing a lot better (120km with 65% left), but I had some fun :) . This works out to about 229km range (142miles) which is smack bang where the WLTP puts it. The GOM (guess 'o' meter) gave it 56km left which, for once, seems quite accurate. I averaged 12.8kWh/100k with city, freeway and spirited driving. Air con was on most of the time, and I was in either Sport or Mid mode (no green). You should easily be able to hit 250km if you use green mode and drive sensibly. The mini seems to go a lot further than most people claim.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

Another update. So now I have calmed down, and I am now averaging 10.5kWh/100km, which would put the theoretical maximum range at about 270km. Not bad I think for a city car, and somewhat better than the US EPA's 177km :)
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by Rusdy »

jsvader wrote: Wed, 23 Sep 2020, 13:09 PS. if anyone has any questions about it - fire away!
Thanks @jsvader ! I wonder how the mini cooper SE compared with id3 (If it ever comes to Oz :lol: ). From what you've described, sounds like a better car than id3, what do you think?
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

It is better in some things, and worse in others. As far as performance goes, the mini is better all round except top speed. In Australia, top speed isn't really important, unlike Germany and the autobahns. The mini is much lighter, and smaller which makes it more efficient. Space wise, the id.3 wins hands down - minis are not known as spacious.

It also depends on your desired car behaviour. The mini out handles the id.3, but at the expense of a stiffer ride. If you want better handling then the mini is the go. If you want a more comfortable ride then the id.3 is your better pick.

Now I have never been in an id.3, but from all accounts the interior is quite good, however the mini feels premium. This is probably quite subjective, but mini is a premium brand after all.

The id.3 costs more than the mini in a like for like comparison, but it has more tech (eg. auto driving, adaptive cruise etc). So it boils down to what you want. If you want an efficient (when required), but highly entertaining (otherwise) premium car, then the mini is your obvious choice. If you value comfort, room/space, tech, range (much bigger battery) then the id.3 is the way. We'll see what the price is here - and whether mini brings out the cheaper versions of the SE.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by Rusdy »

jsvader wrote: Thu, 08 Oct 2020, 11:20 ...

The id.3 costs more than the mini in a like for like comparison, ...
This what surprises me most. Mini being the 'premium' brand, I think will attract more 'EV-mature-city-dwellers' buyers, i.e. those who know that range is not everything.

I should say the fast charging capability of id3 is impressive though:
Image

VS the mini:
Image
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by g4qber »

@jsvader
Which colour did you get
Do you have the British power plug wheels ?
2021 Model 3 PW MIC RWD FSD - Mon 28 Jun ‘21 -
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

@Rusdy that is quite an impressive charging curve for the id.3 - for longer trips where you visit a DC charger, that will make a difference. Personally, well at least for the moment, I slow charge at home. With the mini's small battery, it is an easy overnight charge - 100% in the morning.

@g4qber I got the BRG (British Racing Green) with obligatory white bonnet stripes :) The wheels were the new "Tentacle spoke" ones, not the plug style ones.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by RCW »

I've had "Plugga" (sorry, tragic St Kilda supporter) for 2 weeks and it's probably the most fun car I've ever had. I think BMW made a good decision on weight/performance vs range for a city car. Plenty of people criticize the range but its fine for a metro commuter - why pay for and carry battery capacity that you will rarely use.

Still trying to work out a few things (maybe i3 guru's can assist)
- how to change the default driving setting. Would be ideal if it could be matched to a key (eg green mode for me, sports mode for the wife - or vice versa)
- I'm expecting to use the basic 8A granny charger until someone brings out a smart "smart" home charger (eg Zappi with demand response ++). In the meantime, the in-car charging schedule only allows single off-peak tariff setting. My off-peak is midnight to 6am plus all weekend so it'd be great to set that up
- is there a way to set an overspeed alert? eg beep at me when I'm 5km over the local limit. I'm impressed with the traffic sign recognition picking up roadworks 40km limits but why won't it alert me? seems act on speed signs in cruise control. The 0-60km performance is brilliant (I hear that the manufacturer spec on this is way conservative)
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by g4qber »

Mini would be my choice too for commuter/city car

5th Most efficient production EV in the world
https://ev-database.org/compare/efficie ... -efficient

Had imiev, i3 and now SR+
All EVs that were in the top 10 for efficiency in their time.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

@g4qber The ev-database figure seems *really* high. The best (worst) I ever managed, when trying, is 14.5kWh/100k. I stick to the speed limit, but you would need to travel a constant 110-120kph to get 15kWh/100k or more. My average, since new, is 12.5, and I sometimes get 10.5 between charges. According to Bjorn Nyland, the mini is actually the most efficient he has tested.

@RCW Congrats and welcome to the club (of MINI ev owners that is). It always resets to mid, and high regen. You can, however, set speed alerts. I went to MyMINI->Vehicle settings->Speed warning. There were a few options there. I actually use the speed limiter more than anything else now. On the steering wheel, on the left side, the LIM button (right side of the 4 way switch) turns on the speed limiter. Use the same controls as the cruise control to set the limit. I haven't tried, but it may be able to be automatically set. Be careful when decreasing the limit - it brakes quite heavily :) The limiter stops you going over the preset limit, unless you floor it (for safety). You still drive normally, it just keeps to the limit. I manually set it rather than auto, as it can sometimes misread signs like off ramps on the freeway, when you are still on the freeway. You get max braking (regen) when slowing down using the limiter, which could be dangerous on the freeway when it reads the exit speed limit. I also use the 8A plug - you don't have to worry about overcurrent on pretty much any normal plug outlet. The MINI charges overnight.

The 0-60, and indeed 0-100 performance is quite stunning for this price/size car, and definitely understated by the official figures. It is only marginally slower than a base model 3 to 60mph as tested in the US by car and driver magazine (6.1 vs 5.6). I also love the driving feel of this little electric go kart.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by sleeperpservice »

That EV database takes into account cold weather as a worst case when driving in -10 conditions. Not really comparable to Australian conditions. We're way under those figures in our Ioniq - 11.9 average since new in May. Will be interesting to see how the hot weather affects range as much as the colder mornings.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

The last few days have been 35+ degrees here - and I had the aircon set to 23. Didn't really notice much, if any difference in range/efficiency at all. It may have gone from 250 to 240 - a drop of about 4%, but that is well within my "how much fun did I have this charge" variance. As the MINI was only released in March in the UK, I wonder if anyone has actually driven one in the cold (as in -10C). I remember seeing an advertising video in the snow, so it probably has been done. The best efficiency I have recorded (per charge) is 10.5, which equates to 275km, which is nearly the upper limit. That includes aircon and probably 10-15% freeway driving (90-100k limit). It will never get to -10 where I live until the overdue ice age hits us ;)

At least they don't trot out the overly pessimistic EPA figures. I actually tried to see if I could get down to 110miles range. Every opportunity I floored it in sport mode (without speeding), and turned down the regen. Aircon was blasting, as was the stereo. Still had about 10% left as I was passing 175km :) Did about 40% on the freeway too (100kph limit). It was fun, but at least in Oz you can't reach (down to) the EPA estimate.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by Tomhome »

Sorry, I thought you were talking about the BMW Mini, I love this model.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by jsvader »

Tomhome wrote: Sat, 13 Feb 2021, 11:15 Sorry, I thought you were talking about the BMW Mini, I love this model.
Um, what do you mean? Yep, this is the MINI cooper SE. MINI is owned by BMW. It is a really fun little car which really shows what an EV can do. It will be interesting to see how they turn the SE into a fire breathing GP. That will be one fantastic EV. I've had it about 5 months now, and still absolutely love the little beast. Most fun car I have ever owned.
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by g4qber »

Mini not for me

Test drove mini From Cockburn to Falcon.
Arrived with 68%.
60km

Don’t like mini cos too easy to press LIM.
Seat belt is a bit of a reach.
Left knee hits the centre console.
Sun visor doesn’t shade side.
No right grab handle.
8A evse for Aus.
Iphone runs pretty warm in the armrest.
Speed limits need updating.
Tyre pressure monitoring system doesn’t show pressures in numbers, only lets you know when pressures are low.
Charge port on right so need to park against traffic at Cockburn central dc
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EVSpott ... 499238062/
Flaps on the charge ports.

Some positives.
Camelbak fits in centre cup holders.
Steering wheel vibrates when going out of lane unlike gen 1 i3.
Active cruise control.
Apple CarPlay.

https://ev-database.org/car/1409/Mini-Cooper-SE
My estimated ranged today was 187km
Pretty close to evdb’s 185km

22C air con. 22C day.
Stretches of 100/110kmh.
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k kms 17x
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by KelMini »

Hi Mini EV forum members!

I bought a Mini SE last year and am about to embark on my first longer road trip (Melbourne to Canberra). I know they are more designed for city driving but I'm going to give it a go! A couple of questions I'm hoping someone on here can help me with:

- The predicted range on a charge has only ever shown as high as 175km, which makes me nervous when there are stretches on this trip where I will need to do 206km to get to the next charging station. I know the predicted range sometimes goes down slower than actual KMs covered, but what is the best way of knowing if I'll make it as far as I need to?

- When it reaches 0 does that actually mean 0, or is there some back-up kms like with a petrol guage?

- Am I able to use the super fast Chargefox chargers, which can be up to 250kw? If so, do I need to change any settings to get the faster charge?

Thanks in advance for any help!
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by KelMini »

My longest leg of the journey is actually 218km, from Canberra (where I will have charged overnight) to Manyana, NSW. This will be an initial bit of highway and then smaller roads.. will I make it?! :?
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by antiscab »

even by going as slow as possible, that's seems wishful

is there nowhere you could charge even just off a normal power point?
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by sleeperpservice »

Given the Mini has a 32.6kWh battery if you can keep the consumption under 14kWh/100km then you should make it but it would be close 2 x 14 = 28kWh gets 200km plus a bit extra. You wont get 32.6 out of the battery due to loses though. Speed, altitude, and head winds would be your enemy here.

Best take it on an exploratory drive first to see how far it would go and what the consumption is.

There are lots of charges along the route if you have to top up with a 7kW feed if you're not feeling confident getting to the next fast charger

Also the max charging speed is 50kW. The car will still work with higher power chargers but won't go over 50
SmartSelect_20221216_175405_PlugShare.jpg
SmartSelect_20221216_175405_PlugShare.jpg (678.92 KiB) Viewed 2664 times
Edited for charging info.

[ Edited Coulomb: 7kWh → 7kW ]
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by KelMini »

Thanks guys! I think I would be totally fine to Canberra - as you say there are lots of options. It's that last leg from Canberra to the coast that I might get stuck on. I will speak to Mini today as well. As you say I think it would be the absolute max if it makes it at all. Is there a way to see the consumption level in the Mini or do you just do the math somehow?
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Re: Mini Cooper SE mini review

Post by RCW »

There's an instantaneous kWh/100km on the bottom of the screen. Scroll through different options with button on left stalk
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