GCC: 2020 MINI Cooper SE EV comes to US with MSRP of $29,900

[SageBrush]

^^^ i believe I already gave the most important spec, a price commensurate with capability.

That is not a car spec, that is a value judgement

Many Merkins dismiss small cars out of hand as poor value but the people that buy them think otherwise. I'll guess that the ICE mini is a fair bit more expensive than a Nissan Versa

As for the price -- cars outside of Tesla are typically sold for under msrp, this car has the full $7,500 tax credit, and in CA other credits likely apply. The article even said that in some markets it would cost ~ $17.5k, and that is presuming msrp.

[GRA]

Sure it's a value judgement, and everyone makes them before buying a car. I love driving a Mini, especially a Cooper S, but if it's a question of buying one I'm going to look at value for money, and as the Mini SE described doesn't really have enough range to play (which I'm defining as at least 1/2 and preferably 1 hour blasting along at speed on a fun road), the value just isn't there. A fun to drive car that spends all its time in stop and go traffic and lacks the range to get to where the roads are fun to drive, drive them and return just doesn't cross the value for money threshold.

I drove my (two-seat) Datsun 2000 Roadster for commuting and local use for years, but when I wanted to drive it like a maniac I didn't have to first check to see if I could even get to/from locations where the only person I could injure while doing so was me. So maybe they'll get a few people who'll buy a Mini SE because they think it's cute, but I don't see driving enthusiasts or the utilitarian crowd going for it.

[SageBrush]

Personally, my only issue with the car is the BMW origin since I value reliability. But that does not stop many others so I'll reserve judgement how well the car will do in the market. And a little voice in the back of my head says that despite the '50 state' statement by BMW the car will be made and sold for compliance reasons. I hope to be wrong.

[GetOffYourGas]

I just put down a deposit on an SE this weekend. I don't expect it to appeal too much to the Leaf crowd. The Leaf is a very practical, but boring car. The Mini is impractical but fun. It will be my second - or possibly third car. I will commute in it. And I often find myself travelling alone these days - the sailboat has fallen out of favor with the kids, so I end up single-handing it a lot. And it's a nice ride through the country to get to the marina.

I do wish it had more range. As Guy points out, it's hard to get to a nice mountain road and back. The saving grace is the CCS port, and CCS chargers are becoming more common.

I don't ever think I will take it on a "road trip", although I guess I could. Tom Moloughney took one from northern NJ down to NC and back; over 500 miles each way. In my case, I have two kids. No way would they tolerate those tiny back seats for long. But going to gymnastics or martial arts, they will be fine.

If I did take it on a trip, it would be just myself. I would take my time, fold down both seats and throw my backpacking gear in the back. There are enough chargers in the northeast to get to some great trails in the Adirondacks, Catskills, or Green Mountains, even with the short range. The trip would be a whole day, but that's ok. For me, in a car like this, the journey is more important than the destination.