FINALLY! Living with the All-Electric Mini Cooper S E (Full Review) // Ash Davies on Cars 

I drive a mini right now and I wish I had an electric.

yes :)

Since two weeks, I have one. My first Mini and my first electric.

Ash Davies on Cars the Mini Electric is a great car to drive not far in style...

Yes, we have one. A fair review. We've done some trips where we've reached the expected 230km or 140 miles _rate_ of range ... but would not want to risk going that full distance because then we're just one diversion or missed turning way from running out of charge. But we have a petrol car for the longer trips. It is a lot of fun to drive.

I think you will love this car. It's totally different driving experience compared to a Tesla. In the city the Mini will outrun most other EVs and literally every ICE.

These are all short-term owning cars. You can take a gas powered car and keep it for 15-30 years if you felt like it. You'll never do that with your Tesla or this MINI. You'll make car payments until the day you die. You'll be a SLAVE TO DEBT owning these cars. You can replace an engine in a used car out of warranty for just a few grand. You can't do that with the electric car. Batteries on a BMW i3 are like $10,000. Batteries for a smart electric are $27,000. All electric cars are PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE to the MAX. I'd rather have a vehicle I can pay off and enjoy without car payments for 10+ years. NEVER with an electric. The batteries are cost prohibitive to replace. Very sad.

With the CatL batteries in the mini, you can replace individual cells rather than needing to replace the whole battery. In 8 years time (battery warantee) you will probably be able to replace the batteries for less than an engine rebuild/replacement, and get twice the range to boot.

@@js-hl5hv Yeah, that's what they said 8 years ago about the electric cars we have now. DON'T BELIEVE IT. And good luck changing the individual batteries yourself.

@@CarMaintenanceGuy I do believe it. In 2010, the average battery cost per kWh was about $1100US, in 2019 it was $156. In 8 years??? Also, if you read up on CatL batteries, one of their features is the ability to replace a single cell. How many people change their engine themselves. A fair number I guess, but as a percentage - approximately zero. I would personally get them changed as part of a service. One example is old Leafs having their batteries replaced with new tech. Double the range for a few thousand dollars - the old batteries are still good for static storage and are traded in.

Thanks for watching 😊

hahaha thank you for saying what I'm thinking

I agree & I'm watching lots.

Italian Job: Recharged

FYI, the ones that were in the subway were already electric all the way back then.

Great price point. Would love one as a second car. Like a little tender to a boat.

80-90 if you drive it like you stole it! Matt Shumaker (tech forum) has had one for about 3 months and says it is an easy 125 miles (200k), and you can get 140 miles if you drive carefully, although who would drive a mini carefully... He also tested the 0-60 (mph) and it was about 0.6 seconds quicker than advertised (6.3 vs 6.9). The inside EV guys got 130 miles on the freeway at 90kph. Another video shows 288km - although this was in the city. Definitely not 80-90 miles :) I would love the tax break here in Oz, but alas......

You must not have watched any real range reviews- 122 miles city/hwy is what i saw

@@noahno 1. other reviewers only got 100. 2. No one is going to go to 0 and have to tow the car. 3. you are not suppose to charge to 100% each day, that will kill the life of the battery. So real world usable range is 80-90.

@@Mr_Magoo_ Actually, the real world *usable* range is 125-140 (200-225 km), the ideal range (20-80%) between charges is more like 90 miles (138km). I charged at 50% after doing 137km the other day. They were (unfortunately) very sedate km, but makes a mockery of a full range of 80 - 90 (128 - 138km). As an aside, research on modern battery tech with active heating/cooling shows little to no effect based on charging habits.

Thanks for sharing this 👏 Really appreciate it

@@AshDaviesonCars I just re-read what I wrote. I fixed it. Now it should all make better sense

What doesn't add up? It's stylish, has gadgets, probably the most fun EV car to drive on the market and one of the cheapest EV's on the market. This car is aimed at current MINI drivers so the range would suit the average MINI driver fine as their average mileage is 6000 miles per year

100% agree. It’s needs a complete redesign. All of Mini’s models do. I want to buy one. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, but like you say it doesn’t add up. Waiting for a futuristic stylish Mini with an updated Interior without that awful screen

as prior Mini, now 2018 JCW, 2019 BMW and next year additionally SE owner: erm....no. The only EV that doesnt look butt ugly like "real EV's", top notch drivetrain, suspension, roadholding, weight balance, torsional stiffness etc. It's (not matter if EV or petrol) the kind of car, you are actually looking forward to drive, or just drive for the sake of having fun to drive it. In the category of MX5, but at a fraction of the cost of similar fun cars (the higher powered BMW's, Audi's, or pure sportscars). And as opposed to all else in fact quite affordable in comparison, and for what you get - and without the anti-driving non-fascination, interior and charme of public transport like the others. For the actual, real world usability and haptics of the touch, display and button combo & BMW iDrive....as good as it can get. "Newer" is not automatically "better"... The premium brand cars i test drove before deciding for my 2 new ones, not to speak of the budget cars i tried - are ok to awefull in comparison. And yes, i also drove the Renault Zoe, the uber popular and oh-so-good-on paper-car. Yes, it goes from A to B, and yes, would be "ok" if i had limited budget and only 1 car. But in comparison, it's outright dreadfull to drive, ugly in and outside, and - for my standards - and the same punishment to drive like beeing forced to use public transport. And yes, my wife (who gets the SE) would be uber pissed on me, if i had ordered a Zoe or similar...she likes great cars too. And i heard the BMW plans, of doing it "all new", 5 door etc. So yes, i fear the worst. Because 3 door with frameless windows - is classic, stylish, and simply awesome. "5 door" - is a threat in itself... If they do something, that looks good on paper, and appeals to a majority of people - it will be a dissapointing, bland/ugly, non-fun-to-drive car (like them >95% all are). With BMW (and a few others) the only ones left of doing really good cars/"driver cars" - i sincerely hope that does not happen. Just like the MX5, which is perfect as is, and only needs a little uplift here&there every 10-15 years.

My name is Cooper so a "MINI-ME" license plate would be the greatest joke of my life.

Tell your friends 😉

Thanks for watching!

Not entirely. The mini is based on the petrol car, meaning the assembly line can produce all variants. This makes it a lot cheaper than having to create/retool a new assembly line. Secondly, not all ground up evs are better - take the honda e. Heavier, morer expensive, slower, less boot space, lower range, less efficient.

Normal people dont start a reply with NO

I was looking at the clubman s All4. I agree. An electric clubman with All4 would be great.

If anything its kinda nice knowing that this thing has somewhat proven tech in it that appears to be holding up reasonably well as far as reliability goes. It kinda absolves this particular Mini of the reliability problems that a lot of their other cars have.

@@PraetorianMan Yep. Exactly. I love how reliable it is and it's a BMW made in Europe. It's last of it's breed with the next one going to be made in China. Also with everyone naturally buying Teslas. This is going to be a rare gem. This video showed that i picked the right color for mine. I think that it has the same enimatic black. I feel that this color match with the presenter, young, hip and a little bit of sophistication.

Thanks bud 👏

The usability of such short range EV is depending on access to FREE AC chargers around you. If you live within 50 kms from a major city, you should have plenty of slow AC chargers around you. At 11 KW charging speed on AC, this car refills 85 kms real world city range in just 1 hour. On a normal day in Brisbane CBD area, my battery never falls below 50%.

Yes you are right. BMW is notorious famous for underquoting their performance numbers. My i3s does 0-100 in 6 seconds flat in real world vs BMW official 6.9 sec.

Damn this is a good point

If you have a charger at home or at work, the range is a non issue for daily driving. Road trips on the other hand... I thought this would be my second car due to those issues but in reality it is my first car as the other car has become a weekend toy, why put on boring commuter miles on my sports car. Only issue I have is with the stiff suspension but everything else has been surprisingly excellent.

I drive frequently 500 kms per day due to real estate projects around QLD. My i3s with similar range to the MINI has done almost 30000 kms in 8 months. I have zero range anxiety in real life. Would never go back to ICE. Bonus: free public AC charging most of the time.

200km is not that far, you will keep 10 - 20% before 'filling' it up (so 40 km range) and you will only load until 80 or 90%. so basically you are looking at a range of 140 km without getting out of your comfort zone. But if that is enough, it should not worry you.

Hans H My mindset for BEV is different from ICE as I have charging at either end of my commute, I just need to get there with 5 miles to spare although you can go all the way to near zero if you are sure there are no unexpected delays. That’s less than 4% residual charge so you can constantly use 96% of range which you can also extend by using the most efficient driving mode.

I am also i3s driver. For my wife I have ordered the MINI se. Personally I think the design of MINI is catering more to females. Could that be the reason why you would rather go again with i3?

​@@1stMilcom When I was at the launch in Glasgow it was a 50:50 split between men and women. I was definitely the youngest person there (at 22). Most people middle-aged or slightly older. And I think this is the bad news for MINI. The marketing shows young hip people driving these cars, but in reality, it is usually people who are stuck in the past who want them. I like the i3 because it's something new, optimised for its function as a city car. And most of my friends think the same. I get so many compliments and questions on the car, it's absolutely crazy. My dad with an M3 doesn't get that much attention. Just go ask what people in their 20s want... No MINI, but a Tesla. (That's a very long answer to why I prefer the i3. 😅)

For this car, MINI had to add reinforcements to the door sills and A-pillars to protect the occupants from the extra weight of the battery in a roll-over crash. A convertible would need a full roll-cage to protect the occupants, which sort of defeats the reason for having a convertible. No hints from MINI that an electric convertible is in the cards.

John E Johnson didn’t they say that the 4th gen Mini’s would all be electric?

Super interesting. Thanks for sharing this

@@arrowlogproductions2509 The 4th gen MINIs have been delayed and when they do appear, they'll probably be made by Great Wall Motors in China. My hope is that the smaller Rocketman MINI concept becomes a reality and comes to the US. However, it's more likely that the next MINI Electrics will be larger to contain longer-range batteries. A 2-ton MINI won't do it for me.

Very unlikely to happen. Maybe the VW I.D. Buggy will do? I am personally waiting for that one to come on.

Australian cars are expensive! It's $29,900 in the USA. Best EV in its class by far.

It is $54,800 (before on roads) which is $38,269US. The equivalent model in the US is $37,750 - making the Australia tax only $519. That is pretty amazing. Our "onroads" are a lot more, and consist of things like delivery charge and stamp duty. In the US, the typical delivery charge is around $800. The equivalent Cooper S (petrol) with the same options is only around 4k cheaper. People keep comparing the base cooper S (41k plus onroads) to the top spec SE (54,800 plus onroads). We only get the top spec (level 3 in UK terms) here. Not really a fair comparison. Good video, and great to see the Australian reviews finally!

@@js-hl5hv US price is $29,900, or $22,400 after tax breaks. We have import duties here that add a good 20-30% on top of exchange rate. Lower tier than the Model 3, but the drivetrain feels just as good.

@@AshDaviesonCars The price for the base model is $29,900, however the Iconic trim is $37,750, and that is the model we have here (everything except the 'moon roof'). I am jealous that you have had a drive of one already. Thanks for your impressions on the car, it means a lot when people who know a lot more about many different cars (well a lot more than me) say good things about something. I am looking forward to taking one for a test drive!

Cheapest Model 3 in Australia is $77637 or $US 55565. Welcome to EV third world Australia. Heh, we make the best EV DC chargers! (Tritium)

Different tools for different purpose. If there is a real world race between a MINI and Tesla in the CBD, I would bet my money on MINI. As real world driver of a similar car (i3s), I have raced many Teslas in the city, never lost!

Yes sir! 🇦🇺

give him your willy then*

@@rnldmanuel88 lmao

You must be fun at parties

New Mini Cooper SE out next year with a larger 50 kWh battery and 221 bhp with a range of 400 km and they are also launching a Cooper E with a 40 kWh battery and 300 km range with similar power to the current model.

114 miles isnt the max range though

1. No car this small can deliver a 250 mile range with current battery technology without making it far too heavy. 2. The 59k is in Australian dollars, not American dollars. 3. As I type this, the Tesla Model 3 standard range is $44,990, a full $11,000 more than the base model Mini SE, and that's before the $7500 tax incentive you can get on the Mini, which you can no longer get for a Tesla. But one thing I will agree with you on, there will inevitably be occasional range anxiety for most anyone who buys it.

The mini can be fully charged to 100 % every time

@@Ben.Royals All cars can, but science tells us that this is not good long term. The Mini should have a 45-50 kWh battery, to be competitive, and it needs to charge quicker too...

@@Paul-if1jq no mini says you can charge the battery to 100% every time as the battery has a buffer at either end to allow you to do that, I do have a Mini Electric. Also the new model being fully announced next year comes in two variants the Cooper E with a 40 kwh battery and 300 km range, then a Cooper SE with a 50 kwh battery and 400 km range.

Cars don’t have a gender man, buy if you like it lol

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