I've carried the keys to our 2009 Mini E around dozens of times. The plug logo is pretty cute, even if there is a three-foot version on the roof. You can also find this logo on the "fuel" door, the fenders, and on various badges inside and outside the car
But this weekend I noticed something different about it for the very first time.
First, a warm-up test.
Sorry to go all Renaissance Faire on you, but do you
see an old hag or a beautiful maiden in the above picture?
Now this one: Do you see a plug or something else?
Until Saturday, I'd only ever seen the plug.
Now I can't stop myself from seeing the something else.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 7,348 miles
carlisimo says:
02:09 PM, 06/14/10
Ohhhh, I see it too now. I can barely see the plug anymore.
cah11705 says:
02:13 PM, 06/14/10
im not seeing the beautifu maiden
leftnose says:
02:30 PM, 06/14/10
The letter "E?"
I can see both the maiden and the old hag.
old_volvo says:
02:56 PM, 06/14/10
Dan, isnt this a family blog?
I see a beautiful maiden, but then again, I have had a few beers
I see it too, seen it since the first time I saw the roof of the mini, i giggled, kept it to myself. Laughed even harder when I made the Venn diagram following Erin's post:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2010/05/2009-mini-e-vacation-on-the-tokyo-trains.html
It's kind of like the arrow in the fed-ex logo, or a fat guy in a thong, once you see it, it's hard to unsee it.
tomm250 says:
02:58 PM, 06/14/10
Dan,
All year you didn't realize that the logo all over the car was and "E" as well as a plug? I'm disappointed! ; )
Anyway, I know you guys didn't enjoy the car as much as I have but you all really didn't get the chance to really get used to it and push it like I have. I hope to check back in throughout my second year with the car and do a few more guest posts for you. Since all of the leases are up within the next week or so many of the people returning the cars decided to give it one last workout and push their car until it won't go anymore. You may be surprised to hear that one driver, Ken from NJ did 147 miles on a single charge last week and then was beaten by Stan from CA yesterday with 148 miles! Neither actually ran out and had to be towed, but both said they realized that the end was near so they stopped and plugged in. You can read about it on the MINI-E facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=62748014223&ref=ts
I have been asking that you guys at Inside Line do just that and drive the car until it just won't go anymore. You still have time! It would be a great final post. Get out on a track and drive 40-45 mph and see how far you get. Or just drive it around town until it gets to zero(Don't worry you have at least 15 miles to go after it hits zero) and then drive home and just circle your block until it goes into reduced power mode an then you only have 2 or 3 miles left.
Perfect way to end the long term test.
Tom M
MINI-E #250 @ 33,130 miles (So I lapped you 3 1/2 times!)
http://minie250.blogspot.com/
old_volvo says:
02:58 PM, 06/14/10
Still waiting for someone to come along with a....all I see is a plug...and a electrical plug too.
old_volvo says:
03:01 PM, 06/14/10
whoops, gotta get my mind out of the gutter.
gloss says:
03:37 PM, 06/14/10
yeah, same here.
cr_driver says:
03:38 PM, 06/14/10
I see both!
questionlp says:
04:12 PM, 06/14/10
At first, it looks like a mushroom house from Super Mario Bros. 3 that has fallen over, probably my a Koopa Troppa attack :)
yellowbal says:
04:15 PM, 06/14/10
The pen is mightier
hybris says:
06:21 PM, 06/14/10
Euro symbol
lostboyz says:
06:16 AM, 06/15/10
is it odd that I always saw an E and just now realized it was a plug?
wcoy14 says:
06:46 AM, 06/15/10
I don't see a plug I see someone bending over and mooning us! Look at their bum in the air and two legs, turned sideways in this picture though.
Falconx84 says:
08:34 AM, 06/15/10
I saw the maiden first, then the hag.... but isn't that how it always works?
@lost - i too only saw the "e" and just now realized it was a plug.
marcvill says:
10:04 AM, 06/15/10
@questionlp: Glad I wasn't the only one who thought that looked like a mushroom house.
Always saw the plug. Didn't realize about the 'e' until Dan mentioned to look for something else. The 'e' is very subtle. It's amazing how the mind works.
txmatt1 says:
11:07 AM, 06/15/10
Also a Space Invader or a mushroom from Centipede.
cello_one says:
12:16 PM, 06/15/10
Yep, it's a Mushroom - and now I can't stop seeing the arrow in Fed-ex. Thanks.....
And they are both beautiful in their own ways... poor hag, what did she ever do to you.
actualsize says:
03:26 PM, 06/15/10
We want to do the "run 'till empty" test, but we're having logistical trouble. The biggest problem is this: How to two guys push a dead electric car up onto a rented U-Haul trailer that lacks a winch?
We need more muscle!
tomm250 says:
03:57 PM, 06/15/10
Excuses, excuses. If the pro's over there can't figure out how to do it, I'll have to do a guest post about it myself. How's the end of July sound? I'll drive it 60 miles from my house and back and then just circle my block until it succumbs.
Tom M
MINI-E #250 @33,220 miles
http://minie250.blogspot.com/
actualsize says:
06:31 PM, 06/15/10
Got it handled Tom. I just bought myself a come-along. And we're going to try tomorrow because we happen to have a trailer handy. But we don't want to cheat and drive out and back. No, that ruins the fun! We're going to head out I-10 east as far as she'll go. See how far away from home we can get before she craps out.
tomm250 says:
07:15 PM, 06/15/10
That's great! I'm looking forward to it. The record so far is 148 miles but you'll have to drive gingerly to get that far. Lets see your skills! I bet you top out around 135, less if you drive it over 60mph though. This should be fun!
Tom