Mini Cooper news for @insightman

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by KentuckyKen, Oct 28, 2019.

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  1. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    upload_2019-10-28_10-1-36.png 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback pricing, availability announced

    The 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback now has a price and an on-sale date for America. The retail price including destination charge is $30,750 before any tax credits are applied. Seeing as other BMW electric cars still qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, the Cooper SE should be available across the country for $23,250, and Mini says buyers in some states with additional incentives should be able to get one for under $20,000. It will be available in March 2020, and Mini said it will be offered across the country, implying that it may not be restricted to specific states like some other EV offerings.

    For comparison, a similarly potent gas-powered Mini Cooper S starts at $29,100, and a regular Mini Hardtop starts at $25,100. The Mini Cooper SE doesn't have a range estimate for the United States yet, but European estimates put it at 146 to 168 miles. That puts it in the same company as the 150-mile, 40-kWh Nissan Leaf, which starts at $30,885 before incentives, and $23,385 after the $7,500 federal tax credit. The Leaf has more rear seat and cargo space plus more torque at 236 pound-feet, but the Mini has more power than the 147-horse Leaf.

    Whatever price you pay for your Mini Cooper SE, you'll get an electric motor that sends 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. Mini says that will propel the car to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds on its way to a 93-mph top speed. The car's 32.6-kWh battery can fully charge in 4 hours on a Level 2 AC charger, and it can reach 80% charge in 35 minutes with a DC fast charger. Outside, the electric Mini has a unique blocked-off grille and standard 16-inch wheels. Inside, the SE gets a standard 6.5-inch infotainment screen with navigation and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity, a leather steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, cruise control, heated front seats, automatic climate control, automatic windshield wipers and automatic emergency braking.

    This article originally appeared on Autoblog

    I apologize for not being sophisticated enough to be able to air brush out that worthless @#%* air scoop for @insightman. I bet a good body shop could delete it with some welding and Bondo.
     

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  3. DucRider

    DucRider Well-Known Member

    Nice to see, but range is likely to much less than the 40 kWh LEAF. WLTP ratings are lower (144 vs 177) and pack size is smaller. Estimates on the Mini will likely be ~128 miles of range (most reports are saying 114 miles, but WLTP vs EPA on existing cars suggests 128 is more reasonable vs the 150 on the LEAF)

    BMW is one of the few manufacturers that provide actual and usable pack size info. On the Mini SE, the pack is 32.6 kWh with 28.9 kWh of that usable.

    In comparison the the Honda e, the Mini will be much quicker, but with about 14 miles less range.
     
  4. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Thanks Ken! I've been waiting to see how much I committed to pay when I put my deposit down on a MINI Cooper SE.

    @DucRider, there's no question a heavy, sluggish Leaf would get further on a charge and a bigger, more expensive Tesla would get both further on a charge and clock a faster quarter-mile. But what I'm looking for is a fun, small city car, not 300-mile range. We went 10 months in our Clarity PHEV before our first visit to a gas station, so even 114 miles of range would seem luxurious compared to 47 miles.

    Range provided by a heavier battery restricts fun because it hampers cornering. A long-range battery also reduces efficiency because the extra weight takes its toll on the miles/kWh. Finally, IMHO, the MINI Hardtop is much more attractive than any comparable BEV, with the exception of the Honda e that Honda won't sell me.

    I've rationalized that because the MINI Cooper SE is mostly a 2014-gen MINI and not a limited-production car like the Honda e, I won't have to worry about the availability of things like body parts, windshields, wiper blades, etc. With all the discussions/complaints about the Clarity's electronics on this forum, I imagine the much more complex electronics on the Honda e would require a separate forum for just that aspect of the car.
     
    ClarityDoc likes this.
  5. DucRider

    DucRider Well-Known Member

    Wasn't criticizing your choice of the Mini, just questioning the articles comparison to the 40 kWh LEAF and the claims they will have similar range.

    We had a Fit EV for close to 5 years, and it was similar in size to the Mini SE (albeit with much shorter range and less oomph), so totally get the concept and attraction. I've driven the PHEV Mini, but at $38K and 12 miles of EV range it doesn't make a lot of sense (to me at least). The new Mini SE will likely sell much better that the PHEV, but still in relatively small numbers as it will be a bit of a niche vehicle (unless they revert to a too cheap to pass up lease deal like the Fiat 500e enjoyed for a while)
     
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  6. ClarityDoc

    ClarityDoc Active Member

    "The retail price including destination charge is $30,750 before any tax credits are applied. Seeing as other BMW electric cars still qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, the Cooper SE should be available across the country for $23,250, and Mini says buyers in some states with additional incentives should be able to get one for under $20,000."***

    ***for people who have sufficient tax liability

    Confusion about this has really frustrated some buyers.
     
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  8. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Arrgh, I just saw this article titled, "The Honda E Was Originally Planned For The United States."

    The reporter interviewed Kohei Hitomi, large project leader for the Honda e. who said, “The biggest worry is maybe there would be no demand.” However, he said he was surprised to see the Honda e's overwhelmingly positive reception by the American press.

    Back in the day, Honda was content to import an average of 2,000 first-gen Insights a year for 7 years. Unfortunately, 3 years ago, Honda bean counters shook their heads and Honda management decided not to bring the Honda e to these shores.

    Frustratingly, Hitomi ended his interview speculating that the car still might come to North America: “I somehow expect that what we discussed three years ago may be recovered,” he said with a smile.

    My Insight's now on ebay to make room in our stable (er, driveway) for the Honda e's only real competitor, the surprisingly affordable MINI Cooper SE (our Clarity has dibs on our 1-car garage). If the Honda e shows up later in the US, I'll experience an antagonizing quandary. The MINI's quicker, the Honda's cuter, the MINI shares lots of available parts with other MINIs, the limited-production Honda has expensive state-of-the-art electronics, the MINI has winter-advantageous FWD, the Honda is a Honda.
     
  9. My wife likes it very much. we are limited to one car due to parking situation and none of us commute. if they come out a 5 door mini BEV (not suv like) it would make the choice real hard.
     

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