The Electric MINI Cooper SE is Already in Big Demand
Head of MINI USA Michael Peyton is seeing very positive signs with the electric MINI Cooper SE. In an interview with Automotive News, Peyton went into detail on the early success. “We’ve got more than 700 deposits on the new model — 54 percent of whom are new to the brand,”
Where is this interest coming from? Jeep, BMW, and Volkswagen owners, Peyton said.
Interestingly demand hasn’t been limited to the coasts as some thought. Of the brand’s 121 dealers, 97 have taken pre-orders for the SE. In total MINIUSA is expecting to sell about 2,000 units in the U.S. by the end of this year.
As a quick refresher, the front wheel drive electric motor generates 181hp and 199 lb.-ft. of torque enabling the new MINI Cooper SE to go from 0 – 60 mph in 6.9 seconds and achieve a top speed of 93 mph.
Range is one of the more controversial aspects of the electric MINI Cooper SE. MINI takes care to mention that this car is created for urban environments. Designed for cities is also another way of saying the range of this car isn’t Tesla like, but the 110 miles quoted by the EPA isn’t the whole story. In my time with the car, I drove equal parts city and highway, and came away with at least 125 miles of range (on a 60 degree day). And while we’ve seen major differences in the BMW i3 in cold temps, the engineers responsible for the MINI Cooper SE promised me that that large delta doesn’t exist on this car thanks to the newer generation batteries and the way the car manages them.
You can read our written review of the all electric MINI Cooper SE here and watch our first take above. Perhaps even more exciting, you can take your own test drive in late March when they hit US dealerships.
My wife and I test drove the Electric MINI at our local dealership over the weekend. As a previous 2-door Cooper S and current 4-door Cooper S owner, I came out very impressed (so did my wife). While the 0-60 numbers aren’t that impressive on paper, the real-world cockpit experience is much more exciting. Flooring it in sport mode is a blast! With federal, CA, and SCE credits and rebates essentially knocking $11K of the price here in Southern California, it’s going to be on the short list to replace the plug-in hybrid my wife currently has.
I’ll second your comments about the fun aspect of the Mini-E. I drove one yesterday and agree 110% that the actual experience completely exceeds the on-paper numbers. It just rips! And this is from a 2019 JCW owner.
Since there are no gears it is always in the right “gear” with gobs of torque. Can’t say the same thing for my JCW, as much as I love it.
My wife and I test drove the Electric MINI at our local dealership over the weekend. As a previous 2-door Cooper S and current 4-door Cooper S owner, I came out very impressed (so did my wife). While the 0-60 numbers aren’t that impressive on paper, the real-world cockpit experience is much more exciting. Flooring it in sport mode is a blast! With federal, CA, and SCE credits and rebates essentially knocking $11K of the price here in Southern California, it’s going to be on the short list to replace the plug-in hybrid my wife currently has.
<blockquote>In total MINIUSA is expecting to sell about 2,000 units in the U.S. by the end of this year.</blockquote>That’d be about 1200 shy of the Paceman’s first year US sales, wouldn’t it?
People that buy this car are going to be sorely disappointed when they can’t manage 100 miles of real world range at highway speeds.
I drove demo unit a week and a half ago and I am sold. It will be my second car dedicated to commuting which is 32 miles r/t. I have a detached garage that happens to have 40 amp 220 service so I won’t have the range anxiety most may have. I will just plug it in every night when I get home.
My sales guy said that the ordering site was UP for a brief time but when we sat down to order mine ( I am on the reservation/pre order list), the configuration was down and has been since I drove it. Can anyone confirm this?
Cannot wait to get mine!
/randy