My local dealer got an electric Mini recently, which I was able to drive today and it was a blast! The instant torque is really fun, and the regenerative braking basically means you don't ever have to use the brake pedal. It's the first time I've driven an electric vehicle, and it's such a different experience than what I'm used to. I was grinning eat to ear.

I'm planning to get a new Mini at some point next year, but I'm having a really hard time deciding between the JCW Clubman which will be a lot of fun or the electric Mini which isn't nearly as fast on paper, but feels damn quick because of the instant torque. The Clubman is much more practical with 4 doors and AWD, but I miss my small 2 door R53 a lot of the time. It's going to be a tough decision.

Some of it will hinge on whether I can stay in Albuquerque indefinitely or if I'll have to move in a couple years. I can install a 220v charging port in our current garage no problem, but that becomes iffy if I have to move. Charging on 110v might be doable for a short commute.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, My next car will be an EV. I love Mini's but the range on that EV is just too short for my needs You may want to consider an MCS with the JCW tune from Mini. My last two have that configuration and the car is fun to drive, economical and quite practical. I am awaiting the BMW i4's release. If it's priced where suggested retail price rumors have it and the range is near 300 miles, I will likely trade in my M240i for one.

I would install a good 220v garage charger.

 

My wife's car is a 2019 JCW Clubman, so we have a long distance option available. In a perfect world, hers would be a 2020 model, but she got hit sitting at a red light in her 2009 Clubman in late 2018 and we had to get a replacement earlier than planned. Still a lot of fun, but I'm curious about those 70 extra horses.

My work commute is about 8 miles, so the range of the current Cooper SE is fine for my needs. Even if I need to run some errands at lunch, I shouldn't have any problems exceeding the range. Though obviously the battery will degrade over time, so owning it for 10 years is probably out of the question.

 

From the research I've done, it seems the SE is probably quicker from about 0-40mph and real world usage, the JCW might not actually be quicker. Are you racing it or just want what's quicker on paper? I took the SE for a test drive the other day and before I even left the lot I realized I had to get one.

I think you really just have to ask yourself, do you want an electric car and is the range good enough? I don't have my SE yet (It's on order) but most of my driving is <40 miles so I should be fine round trip even without charging. Charge at home overnight and I don't have to worry about filling up at the gas station before I head out. I think that will be nice. For longer trips, we have a VW wagon which is better for that kind of thing anyway because I don't think I could fit my family and all the bags in the mini for a long trip anyway.

I'm really excited to have a mini again though... I had to get rid of my '03 S a several years ago and I was never really excited about the turbos but now I'm very excited about the SE!

 

Of course, although not Tesla-level, the MINI Cooper SE's torque off-the-line is exhilarating. That, combined with its excellent handling, light weight (for an EV), and silent propulsion, make it the perfect stealth speedster.

However, one of the SE's other qualities I rarely see mentioned is how wonderful its continuous, step-less delivery of power is from 0 to top speed (an indicated 95 mph is what many have achieved). It makes accelerating with an multi-speed automatic transmission feel primitive (and don't get me started about how unpleasant it is to accelerate in a car with a CVT).

 

I agree, the SE is a blast to drive. It fits our needs perfectly as we seldom exceed 30 miles in a day. I think MINI made the right decision to keep the weight relatively low and focus on real-world driving needs. I am totally baffled by the obsession with range since most people don't need hundreds of miles of range for daily use. I think this is very short sighted and not well focused. Most new EVs are large, very heavy and expensive, which means that they will not be accessible to many people, nor do they make much sense for most people's driving needs.

I think MINI could bring in more sales if they expanded the SE to include the 5-door hatch (would work for more people). Also, a fully electric Clubman or Countryman could also be a very attractive package. Of course, only if they could still maintain the MINI feel.