Mini Cooper SE | Class: D | $47,800 | Bermuda Motors
I had the pleasure of doing a test drive with a Mini Cooper SE from Bermuda Motors.
Being a fairly tall fellow, I must admit I had doubts beforehand whether I would fit comfortably into what is essentially a small vehicle.
My fears evaporated immediately as I stepped into the car. Not only did I get in easily, I discovered that it had the most comfortable driver’s seat I have ever experienced. So comfortable in fact I found myself wishing to go for a long ride on an open road – but this is Bermuda, so I settled for a spin up the North Shore.
The Mini Cooper SE is a fully electric vehicle and rides ever so smoothly.
It clearly is a sit back, relax and enjoy this “theatre on wheels”. It has a sophisticated entertainment system with volume controls on the steering wheel, but also a large centre screen (touch screen) for radio, Bluetooth and many more features. And with a state-of-the-art speaker system (Harmon-Kardon) your favourite music will be heard across the island.
I was particularly keen to know about the charging system of the car: very easy indeed. Just plug it into your household system and the charging function kicks in.
A full charge would take you about 143 miles, but then you would be empty, so not a great idea. I think better to plug it in most evenings at home. A full recharge takes several hours, so if you let the battery run all the way down and then need the car the next morning, an overnight charge may not have been enough. But the point is that you don’t use a full charge every day.
The battery indicator is on the front screen and can be seen all the time. It takes power out of the battery when you are driving normally but puts power back in each time you brake or decelerate (a nifty feature).
Another feature I enjoyed was the zippiness.
I had this notion that an EV would be slow when a brief dash was needed – not so with this beauty! I approached the foot of Barker’s Hill and intentionally slowed down to a walking pace, then booted it to get up the hill. We were at the top before I could say “nice one”. Great acceleration.
It’s classified as a three-door car, which means two at the front and the hatchback for the boot. I mentioned that the driving seat was uber-comfortable but, because I had the seat pushed as far back as needed, the room in the back seat area was cramped. In other words, this is not the ideal car for four adults on a regular basis. Putting the kids in the back seat would be easy at first, but as they grow it would be less comfortable. So maybe just a car for two adults and a pampered pooch or two.
On Bermuda roads these days we seem to have an abundance of large cars, hence trying to park alongside them can be difficult.
But the sleek Mini Cooper SE is very easy to park and takes much of the guesswork out of negotiating whether you can safely get into that single space available at the grocery store.
All in all, this is the perfect EV for Bermuda.
So, if you are into electric vehicles and can afford a quality automobile, then this is the car for you.
It truly is a beautiful vehicle. You will unforgettably be admired buzzing along Reid Street with the roof open.
I call it the “Electric Head-Turner”.
