With a starting retail price of $29,900, the Mini makes a somewhat surprising argument for itself on value alone.
The electric Mini SE has been on our radar for a long time now. We've driven it, we've seen it without camouflage, and now, thanks to an announcement by Mini on Monday, we know how much it's going to cost.
The 2020 Mini SE will retail for $29,900 in the US before any kind of tax credits or incentives. For comparison, a two-door Cooper S is $27,900 before any options, so going electric really isn't going to be that much of a premium.
But
surely, you must be thinking that for $29,900, it'll be a stripped-out
base model, right? Actually, the answer to that is nope. The standard
features list is surprisingly decent. For your money, you get navigation
with a 6.5-inch display, heated seats, keyless access, LED lighting,
automatic wipers and leatherette upholstery. It's not a Bentley, but for thirty grand, it ain't bad.
How does it compare to a Cooper S in outright performance? Pretty
dang well. The Cooper SE makes 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of
torque compared to the Cooper S' 189 hp and frankly staggering 280
lb-ft. Which would win in a drag race? That's tough to say, but we
wouldn't count the EV out.
When it comes to range, we're still
waiting on an EPA-certified range estimate, but the European WLTP cycle
places it between 146 and 168 miles. We'd expect the EPA to rate it a
little lower. Still, that's more than enough range for most people in a
day. If it's not quite enough, the little electric Mini can take
advantage of DC fast charging at rates of up to 50 kilowatts.
The 2020 Mini Cooper SE will start showing up in US showrooms in March of next year.
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