These short-range electric vehicles are stylish, high-quality, and cost about the same. But Mini is much better, and that's why.
We are big fans of this little thing.
This story is about two electric vehicles: the Mini Cooper SE we have been using for a long time and the new Mazda MX-30. Both are lovely electric hatchbacks, and they also happen to have the lowest mileage estimated by the EPA among new electric vehicles. But although the Mini is approved—seriously, we all like it—I don’t recommend anyone buy a Mazda.
Let me be clear: scope is not an issue. The Environmental Protection Agency rated the Mini as 114 miles and Mazda as 100 miles. Both electric vehicles charge at a maximum speed of 50 kilowatts, which means that their batteries need 30 minutes to reach 80% capacity. These are small cars designed for urban residents who don’t need a large area; not every electric car needs a 300-mile battery pack to make sense.
The problem with Mazda is that it is flawed in other ways. Take a look at their specifications and you will see significant differences.
The MX-30 is taller, wider and nearly 20 inches long than the Mini. However, its internal dimensions are roughly the same, or worse in some cases. Mini Cooper SE has more front headroom and rear legroom than the significantly larger Mazda. MX-30 does have the slight advantage of rear hinged rear doors, but in practice, their swing range is not enough to play a role. In addition, they are inconvenient to use when they are parked next to another car and can cause a lot of blind spots. Mini? Visibility for a few days.
Mazda is superior to Mini in cargo space, especially when the rear seats are upright. This is a huge advantage, but the numbers don't tell the whole story. The loading height of the MX-30 is much higher, and the sloping roof line means that you cannot place many taller items in the hatch. Using Mini, fold the rear seats, you will get a practical square haul space.
Mazda has made great efforts in the interior, which is obvious in the MX-30. The interior decoration is great, and the cork surface on the loaded Premium Plus decoration is cool. But the Mini is also weird and cute, with more comfortable seats and better layout of vehicle controls. Mini’s attention to detail reminds you that this company is from the BMW Group: You won’t find the robustness of many switchgear in the MX-30.
You will find a lot of troubles when you use Mazda every day. The 8.8-inch multimedia screen is bright and colorful, but it cannot be operated by touch, and the menu structure is annoying. To make matters worse, the secondary display of the gear selector is a touch screen with redundant controls on both sides. It's like two interfaces designed by different teams. It's not difficult to use, please note that it's just... weird. However, the Mini's system is not perfect. It is essentially a redesigned version of BMW's iDrive 6 software. But at least you can touch the screen, and the climate control is simple buttons and dials. This is much easier.
Cool door. I just hope they can get into the back seat better.
One of the main trump cards on the Cooper sleeve is its performance. This thing is definitely worth driving-arguably the new mini hardtop with the best driving performance. The 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 6.9 seconds feels conservative, mainly because the initial 0 to 30 mph explosion is so direct. Combined with an ultra-low center of gravity and fast steering, as well as a lot of feedback, this car has always been a laugh. Even in the more restrictive green driving mode, the Cooper SE has the go-kart-like qualities I like in modern Minis.
Mazda’s electric power system provides considerable power, but the MX-30 has an additional 500-pound ballast. With the MX-30, you won't really get the same instant acceleration pleasure; I found myself putting the throttle on the floor to make up for the highway entrance. The higher ride height means that the MX-30 has more obvious body movement when turning, although Mazda definitely knows how to design a good steering setting while taking into account lightness and communication.
Nevertheless, considering all factors, the MX-30 is not pleasant to use and driving is tedious. Whenever one of us enters Cooper SE, we will be happy. On the other hand, Mazda feels very boring. Its custom platform and body style do not seem to be of any benefit. The electric CX-30 would make more sense-especially since Mazda has actually sold one of them, but not in the United States.
Driving a Cooper SE always makes us happy. In contrast, Mazda's MX-30 feels boring.
From the price point of view, the starting price of the 2022 Mazda MX-30 is more expensive than the Mini: $34,465, including $1,225 at the destination. At the same time, the 2022 Cooper SE will be priced at US$30,750, including a destination fee of US$850. Mazda is not even cheap in the high-end market: the top-of-the-line MX-30 Premium Plus is priced at $38,700. Our outfit is mini? 37,750 USD.
Therefore, the exterior of the MX-30 is much larger, but does not increase passenger space, is slower, has poorer technology, is more expensive, and-don't forget-is currently only sold in one state. In general, this is a defective product. Perhaps when the upcoming range extender model is equipped with a small vehicle-mounted gas generator on the road, the MX-30 will become more attractive. But for now, I will stick to Mini. When there are so many redemption qualities, the low range is easily forgiven.
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