On paper these are two very similar cars. The BMW i3 tested here is has the range extender and isn’t the i3s. The electric MINI Cooper SE of course has the i3s powertrain thus puts out more power and torque. But does the rear wheel drive of the i3 equalize things? Let’s find out.

Tested against the i3s things might be slightly different, but it’s clear that MINI engineers have created the SE with an eye more towards performance than the i3 in any form. Having driven both (and even auto-crossed the i3 and i3s) I’d put my money on the MINI Cooper SE to be the more performance oriented car of the two.