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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?

2020 Mini Cooper SE gets a range estimate for America, and it's not great

After getting output and pricing details on the 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback over the past few months, we now get the critical range part of the equation, and it's disappointing. Mini only estimates 110 miles on a charge for the SE. That number isn't final, as the EPA hasn't published its official number, but we wouldn't expect it to go up or down by much. This number is also lower than the European estimate of 146 to 168 miles, but we were expecting a lower range for the States, if not quite that low. This means that the Mini Cooper SE will have a significant range disadvantage against similarly-priced competitors such as the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq Electric. Both have base prices only a few hundred to a thousand dollars more than the Mini. The Leaf has a range of 150 miles, and the Ioniq's range has been boosted to 170 miles. Both cars are significantly less powerful, though, with the Leaf making 147 horsepower, and the Ioniq making 134 horsepower. The Mini Cooper SE's electric motor sends 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. Besides the range estimate, Mini has revealed more details about trim levels and equipment. The base trim is called Signature and starts at $30,750. It includes a 6.5-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay, heated seats, LED lights and a new instrument panel screen, instead of an analog dial. In the middle is the Signature Plus at $34,750, and it adds parking sensors, sunroof, power-folding mirrors, extra ambient lighting and an upgraded sound system. Both of these trims are available in five colors including black, white, gray, red and green. The top level is the Iconic, which starts at $37,750 and further adds some interior trim and a larger 8.8-inch infotainment system with navigation. It gets a sixth color option of a dark blue, as well. The Mini Cooper SE will be eligible for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit, as well as local tax incentives, so that will of course bring the final price down.

Mini deletes center rail in Countryman, Paceman

When Mini first introduced the Countryman, it only came as a four-seater, with a center rail between the two seats that could house things like cup holders and could be slid back and forth. Buyers could even opt for a full-length center rail that ran from just aft of the gear shifter all the way back between the rear seats, like we did in our long-term 2011 Cooper S Countryman All4, shown above.
Shortly after the Countryman's launch, Mini was able to offer the vehicle with a proper rear bench seat; the company could not offer this at launch due to NHTSA guidelines that governed the minimum vehicle width for three-person seating, but those rules were changed. And now, we've received official confirmation of something we reported last year: the Countryman is losing its center rail and four-person seating arrangement altogether. Moving forward, buyers will only be able to spec a Countryman with the bench seat, and a cup holder will be affixed to the back of the forward cabin's center console.
The larger-but-smaller Paceman will also be losing the center rail between its rear seats, but the car will remain a four-seater, instead having a console between the two rear seats that houses a cup holder, an iPod cozy and a 12-volt outlet, according to USA Today.