Title says it all. I can see BMW making a Clubman or Countryman EV with a longer range, but am hoping to see the F56/55 get somewhere close to 250 miles of range in the future. As is, the only smaller EV that delivers that kind of range is the new Chevy Bolt.

 

The next gen will almost certainly have a longer range, but how much further is anyone's guess.

 

The "G56" will have much longer range than the current Cooper SE.

It will be designed from the start to be an EV, unlike the F56, AND it will have substantially denser batteries. I think MINI is already saying >250 miles on the WLTP cycle, so 200+ miles on the EPA cycle.

The Kia Niro and Soul and ID3 all have ~250 miles of range, too, but they're not readily available here (or for the ID3, not at all).

 

I wouldn't buy a 2-ton G56.

 

I hope not because a long-range Mini would mean it would be a 3500+ lb car. No thanks.

 

I'd be fine with a EV Mini sized similar to the current F56 and 220- 230 EPA mile range. If the long range model is based on the countryman or clubman, I'd look at other offerings (the new 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV would be another option especially if the reinstate the $7500 tax credit as Chevy is including a free (installed ) in-home charger with the vehicle). The F56 size is what I'm chasing. Weight for me isn't an issue. The low center of gravity and instant torque negates the weight gain IMO. I have not read any reviews that criticized the handling of the Mini E. Most reviews say they are still fun to drive with go-kart-like performance.

 

Personally, I am very happy with the current SE range. It neatly fits into our use patterns and meets our needs very well, and would also work very well for most people. I think the concept that range is the measure of an electric car is unrealistic. It not only drives up price, it also results in very heavy vehicles. The 110 mile range of the current SE is a very reasonable number, because most people seldom drive more than 30 miles a day.

 

The current SE is an awesome second/commuter car.

For the time being, I think the SE make a lot of sense. Save money and weight and get a great, premium, not-too-heavy car for surprisingly little money.

So, I agree that not ALL EVs need to have long range, but for a primary/trip vehicle they need more range and faster charging. The SE is simply not sufficient on those metrics for mainstream EV adoption as *primary* vehicles.

On a side note, not all EVs are especially heavy compared to similar gas cars. The Model 3 SR weighs about the same as the BMW 330i, for instance... probably because it was designed from the ground up to be an EV.

 

No matter how hard I squint my eyes, I can't get any Tesla to look attractive. Those cars are just too ugly to drive. The model 3 looks like a frog that got stepped on.

 

I mean, the Model S is pretty conventionally good looking, if maybe bland or dated, now.

But yeah, the selling point isn't the looks, IMO. For me, who was buying a car in 2018, the selling point was that it completely embarrassed anything else as far as primary vehicle capability.

The i3, like the Cooper SE, had mediocre range and charge rate. The Bolt's charge rate was (and still is) pathetic for a "long range" EV. The I-Pace range and charge rate were much worse than Model 3 for far more money. The etron wasn't quite available, but still isn't nearly as good of value. Nothing else was available outside of CARB states. Oh, the Leaf, but yeah, I'm not buying a new Leaf with how terrible their battery management is... plus 10 other reasons.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the i3 and Cooper SE, but if we're talking primary/trip vehicles, they're not competitive with Tesla. As a second car, i3/SE for sure.

 

you got places where they dont have enough juice to keep houses with power and now goin to put cars into the mix. yep and nobody drives more than 30 miles in a day, lots of heads full of mush that never got cooked

 

Modern, long range, fast-charging EVs are very capable. 30 miles a day is a breeze. More convenient than gas for many people with home charging, even.

By the time we reach 2030, the EV versions will have much longer range and faster charging than now and the demand for automatic MINIs will be very low. EVs will simply be better in almost every way by then.

There will be some stragglers that would like a manual MINI for the engagement or a handful that want an auto gas MINI, but the EV versions will make the gas versions obsolete for many use cases by then to the point that it probably won't make sense to sell both anymore.

 

IMO their dumb lack luster attempts to go EV has them missing out on a whole other and more logical and profitable market....Hybrid. Especially for the Countryman....but you can't fix stupid......or BMW Corporate for that matter.

 

Prius sales are down from 87,590 in 2018. Hybrid crossovers are doing OK, but not hybrid cars. In fact, pure-ICE cars aren't doing that well, either.
Meanwhile, MINI is selling every MINI Cooper SE they can churn out, with dealers quoting July or later delivery.

I've owned many sports cars since 1967; my SE is the most fun car I've ever driven. What a treat that it's not only the most fun EV sold in the US, but also the least-expensive EV sold in the US! I'll concede it's not the right choice for a family's only car, but neither is a Porsche or a Ferrari (would you rather leave a MINI Cooper or a Ferrari in a downtown parking structure?).

Sadly, because Americans now favor crossovers with their pocketbooks, MINI is conspiring with Great Wall Motors to build large "MINI" crossovers in China. Will the 2023 gen-4 MINI Coopers be the last ones built in the UK?

 

You're right that the Cooper SE is arguably the most fun and cheapest BEV. We're probably biased because we love MINIs, but it's quite fun.

But you're also right that MINI needs an "only car" capable sibling.

That *could* be a hybrid, like Eurothrasher said, like the Countryman SE, but that's kind of poorly executed. 17 miles of electric range is pretty sad in 2021. It should be 30+, at least, IMO.

Soon, it won't matter because technology will be such that we can have a Countryman BEV with 250+ miles of range and 100+ kW charging and the Hybrid version will be practically obsolete, but a better-executed hybrid could work for the time being.

 

Your not going to find much cross over marketing between a prius owners and the demographics of a MINI buyer, but I would suspect they are there for the hardtop model. The Hybrid SUV market has been dominated by other brands for 14 yrs. Small SUV market by the RAV4 since 2016. Toyota sold 115,974 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles last year. And that is up 1,000 cars over 2019, and MORE than double any other Toyota model sold here.....

The Countryman would have been the logical Hybrid choice. It has been well established since 2010, a model which basically saved the entire MINI brand due to the failure of the R56's and BMW's lackluster responses to owner issues.

I would expect today...........to see lack luster sales in all Hybrid market for last year due to the reduction of those commuting to work due to covid - working from home, lack of computer chips and other assets related to the battery and regenerative braking system. MINI has had plenty of time to step up into that market and leaving it to the Japanese IMO is foolish and quite near sighted.

I have over 90,000 miles of driving time in Toyota Hybrid technology. Reliable, less wear on the brake pads/rotors, accelleration, less engine wear, quiet cabin, excellent range are huge plusses in my book.