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.
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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.
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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.
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The 2020 Mini Cooper SE will start showing up in US showrooms in March of next year.
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