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2020 Mini Cooper SE Drivers' Notes | Two editors, two cities, one electric car

The 2020 Mini Cooper SE is Mini's first electric car that it's actually selling widely to the public, rather than a quasi-experimental product a select few could lease. While in most respects, it looks like a plain Mini Hardtop or Cooper S, it instead has a BMW i3 electric motor under the hood. The SE makes 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. Between the front seats and under the rear seats are battery packs that give the Mini an estimated 110 miles of range. The new powertrain means the electric Mini sits ever so slightly higher, but it has a lower center of gravity than other Minis, and it has a perfectly even weight distribution front to rear. To get an idea as to what it's like to live with this spunky little commuter, Managing Editor Greg Rasa in Seattle and News Editor Joel Stocksdale in Detroit each spent a week with one. Both cars were the top shelf Iconic trim, bringing the starting price to $37,750 after the $850 destination charge. The SE is also eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit, making that high price sting a bit less. Check out their thoughts in the discussion below. Joel Stocksdale: Want to talk Mini? Greg Rasa: Sure. So, how to begin ... Fun car. Way fun. JS: So much fun! I took it out for pleasure cruises at least every other day just because it was such a blast. GR: I took mine on some long outings and was pleased with it in every respect. Some background: I drove a 2013 Leaf as a commuter for a couple of years, so that's kind of my baseline for an EV — utilitarian, basic, purpose-built for commuting. And of course I have driven other EVs quite a bit, Niro, etc. The difference with the Mini is apparent from the first impression. Stepping into it, there's a wow factor. Nice interior, quilted seats, yellow racing stripe in the carbon fiber-look dash, goofy space-age sounds. Everything screams fun. JS: What really got me fired up about the driving was the handling. Minis are already great in corners, but this one feels particularly good, and I think a lot of it has to do with the weight balance. It's an even 50/50 front/rear distribution, and you can feel that in turns. It's very neutral and has loads of grip despite the low-rolling-resistance tires. I desperately want to take one to an autocross event. GR: Yes, very grippy. All EVs tend to handle well, I think, given how planted they are with the battery weight down low, but the Mini is the best yet. You're in a John Cooper Works (JCW) now, right?

Mini Vision Next 100 concept invokes an alternate universe

Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the 1959 Mini, would probably find Mini's new Vision Next 100 concept amusing. The original Mini was largely an exercise in efficient packaging and clever engineering. That it was handsome, and became iconic, was more a product of its wild success than an intentional product of its exterior styling. While the Mini concept is undoubtedly cleverly packaged, it's almost purely a styling exercise, no matter what sort of futuristic connected/autonomous functionality Mini says it'll have. Mini doesn't seem able to move past the Mini as a caricature of itself. The heavy, floating roof, the vestigial round and friendly "headlamps", the oversized gauge pod. This seems very German, the inability to communicate essential brand attributes without using cliches. Mini is in a styling rut, trying to evolve the same basic styling language with each new generation, stretching it over larger hard points. The Vision Next 100 program would have been a great time to communicate to the public that Mini is more than just styling tropes: it's an attitude, a way of thinking, a connectedness to the driver. More than a badge or bug-eyed headlights. To its credit, the interior is massively decluttered. That's in part to the rear-engine layout, but more on that in a follow-up piece. The comparatively vast footwell and ultra-minimalist dash pair well with the giant windscreen. It feels light, airy, and authentic to the ideals of the originally Mini in terms of space efficiency, without being overly sentimental. Futurism is a thankless profession, and we can't take this concept literally as a vision of what the brand will be in 100 years. We can say this: it doesn't seem that Mini will be able to transcend the styling tropes that currently define Mini. Let's hope they find a way out of their rut. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mini Vision Next 100 Concept View 38 Photos Design/Style BMW MINI Coupe Hatchback Concept Cars Future Vehicles vision next 100

BMW strategy gets green with future i8 Roadster, PHEV Mini

Recent concepts like the Vision Next 100 have signaled BMW's plan to become a leader in automotive tech in the near future, but the Bavarian automaker added some concrete details to that strategy during the company's annual press conference. The business promises there are updated i models and more plug-in hybrids on the way, and a vehicle called the iNext could bring an autonomous EV to the road early next decade. Before we see any completely new vehicles, look for BMW to refine its current green models. Later this year, the i3 will get a larger battery capacity, which will increase the hatchback's range. After seemingly endless teasing, the BMW i8 Roadster will finally arrive in 2018, according to a slide during the conference. The company will also launch a plug-in hybrid Mini, but it didn't give a specific arrival date. At the beginning of the next decade, BMW will also introduce a fully autonomous i model. At the beginning of the next decade, BMW will also introduce a fully autonomous i model, which it currently calls the iNext. "BMW iNEXT heralds the next era of mobility," company CEO Harald Kruger said. "This symbol of our technology leadership will demonstrate how we will bring the future of mobility into series production." BMW refers to its research into autonomous driving as Project i 2.0. Just as the initial development of the i models led to better EV tech and innovations in carbon fiber, the new undertaking should result in improvements to networked motoring and driverless tech for the iNext. The company plans to focus on high definition digital maps, sensor technology, cloud technology, and artificial intelligence. The company's product plan for the i range doesn't show any vehicles between the i8 Roadster in 2018 and the iNext early next decade. Perhaps the new model is the fruition of the many rumors about a family-oriented i5. As BMW eyes the future, it still sees the combustion engine as an important tool for the present, and there are still more traditional models to look forward to. Without offering any details, BMW promises more M models are under development. The larger X7 CUV will also arrive soon, and there'll possibly be even more crossovers, too. "We are also taking an in-depth look at the additional potential of this highly attractive segment," Kruger said.