"You know, a town with money is a little like a mule with a spinning wheel; no one knows how he got it and danged if he knows what to do with it." - Lyle Lanley
Now replace "town" with "Test Driver." And "money" with " an electric car."
So, when in doubt and in his natural habitat, our test driver does what he does best: Goes as fast as possible. You know what it took to get our 2009 Mini E to the test track, now click through to find out what an electric motor and a few hundred pounds of battery does to the otherwise fun-to-drive Mini Cooper.
Vehicle: 2009 Mini E
Odometer: 237
Date: 06/30/2009
Driver: Josh Jacquot
Specifications:
Drive Type: Front-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Single-stage helical
Engine Type: Asynchronous Electric Motor
Displacement (cc/cu-in): No
Redline (rpm): 12,500
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 204
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 220 immediately off idle
Brake Type (front): 11.6-inch vented disc
Brake Type (rear): 10.6-inch vented disc
Steering System: Rack-and-pinion electric power steering
Tire Size (front): 195/55R16 87V
Tire Size (rear): 195/55R16 87V
Tire Brand: Continental
Tire Model: ContiProContact SSR
Tire Type: All Season
As tested Curb Weight (lb): 3,246
Test Results:
0-30 (sec): 3.6
0-45 (sec): 5.4
0-60 (sec): 7.7
0-75 (sec): 11.0
1/4-mile (sec @ mph): 15.8 @ 87.7
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 7.3
30-0 (ft): 33
60-0 (ft): 132
Braking Rating: Poor
Slalom (mph): 61.9
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.75
Handling Rating: Poor
Db @ Idle: 55.8
Db @ Full Throttle: 68.6
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 68.6
Acceleration Comments: Power braking / brake torquing not possible. However, best launch technique is to leave foot on brake and wood the throttle. This eliminates any transition time to WOT. Cool-- abundant torque steer at wide open throttle at 30-50 mph.
Braking Comments: I like the fact that there is some simulated engine braking. Distances aren't great. Nor is pedal feel.
Handling Comments: Slalom: Non-defeat stability control means Mini's otherwise impressive numbers can't be achieved, which is frustrating. Skid pad:Immediate turn in is still present and short wheelbase makes this car very willing to change direction. However, thanks to stability control and tires, its limits are still quite low.
Well, we're happy to say that the Mini E made it back into the trailer under its own power, but after 39 miles of strenuous activity, the Mini's meter read less than 50% but made up for it by overheating and giving us a dire warning about it. After being locked in the trailer (an automotive time-out if you will), the Mini was fine.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 237 miles
SpeedHoles says:
11:59 AM, 07/31/09
Loves me a good Simpsons reference. The Mini looks like it's a step in the right direction, too.
brn says:
12:03 PM, 07/31/09
0-60 times of 7.7 seconds? That's Ford Taurus slow. Better get out the calendar to measure it next time.
nealibob says:
12:34 PM, 07/31/09
"Displacement (cc/cu-in): No"
That got a good laugh out of me :)
firstwagon says:
12:40 PM, 07/31/09
I'm more concerned about the overheating then I am about the middle of the road performance.
compliance says:
12:42 PM, 07/31/09
You should have flogged it till it died to see how long the battery would last in those conditions.
stovt001 says:
12:49 PM, 07/31/09
Chevy said the Volt will be sporty compared to its competitors. Despite disappointing performance for a Mini, I think this is still their bogey for that goal.
penboy says:
01:05 PM, 07/31/09
You had me at the Lyle Lanley quote.
I've sold monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook. And, by gum, it put them on the map!
Besides that, the car is so niche that while I'm glad you tested it, I'm also apathetic to it.
brn says:
01:32 PM, 07/31/09
I was being sarcastic. I don't see how 7.7 seconds could / should be considered subpar.
I'm with FW on the overheating issue. What was overheating? If the motor was overheating under the test, I'd be concerned with it's durability. If the battery pack was overheating, they've some work to do.
stovt, I suspect they meant compared to cars like the Prius.
stovt001 says:
01:40 PM, 07/31/09
Oh no doubt they meant the Prius and Insight, but right now, ignoring Tesla and their vaporware, the Mini E probably does represent the sportier side of the electric-oriented "green" vehicle segment.
subaru123 says:
01:52 PM, 07/31/09
Wasn't that Simpson's quote by Lionel Hutz?? The original quote: "Well, I accidentally ran over his dog. Now replace accidentally with repeatedly and dog with son."
boxermike says:
01:54 PM, 07/31/09
By subaru123 on July 31, 2009 1:52 PM
Wasn't that Simpson's quote by Lionel Hutz?? The original quote: "Well, I accidentally ran over his dog. Now replace accidentally with repeatedly and dog with son."
Well the first one (mule + spinning wheel) is Lyle Lanley, but you're the first person to get the secret Lionel Hutz one! "replace 'accidentally' with 'repeatedly' and 'son' with 'dog'."
Nice work.
-mm
joefrompa says:
01:56 PM, 07/31/09
7.7 seconds is far better than I was expecting. That's really very good in my book.
And you did 39 miles of aggressive testing and still had nearly 1/2 your charge? Again, quite good in my book for a car with a ~110 mile range in the first place.
The slalom is dissapointing, but as you said: it's got a non-defeatable stability control + non-sport suspension + hundreds of extra pounds in batteries + probably low-rolling-resistance tires.
blueguydotcom says:
01:56 PM, 07/31/09
Wow, way to ruin an icon BMW.
actualsize says:
03:36 PM, 07/31/09
immediately off "idle"?
boxermike says:
05:04 PM, 07/31/09
"By actualsize on July 31, 2009 3:36 PM
immediately off "idle"?"
Mini E propoganda, not my words. I wasn't thrilled with it either.
-mm
7driver says:
06:00 PM, 07/31/09
Speaking of "idle", what exactly accounted for the decibels at "idle"?
firstwagon says:
08:09 PM, 07/31/09
I'd guess cooling fans judging by the overheating issue.
hybris says:
08:15 PM, 07/31/09
After the temp warning I'd be worried more about any heat damage to any of the components (wiring, batteries, any sort of cover etc...)
cneff says:
11:22 AM, 08/ 1/09
7.7 is not bad considering BMW dials back the power at take off to keep one from spinning the tires off.
stephen987 says:
06:44 AM, 08/ 2/09
I'm not surprised at the poor braking performance. The dang thing weighs about as much as the '79 Monte Carlo my wife had when we were in grad school.