2009 BMW 7-Series and Mini E
Though L.A. marked the North American debut for BMW's redesigned 7-Series flagship sedan, the big news from this brand was a small "voltswagon." Called Mini E and based on the hardtop version of the popular premium-subcompact car, it's not for sale. BMW is building just 500 units for real-world evaluation of the new electric-drive technology. In other words, the Mini E is a testbed. About 250 will be doled out to select private and corporate "customers" in California, New York, and New Jersey--states partial to zero-emissions vehicles.
The Mini E uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack to power a 204-horsepower electric motor that drives the front wheels through a so-called single-stage gearbox. The battery pack eliminates the normal back seat, but provides a claimed 150-mile range between charges and 0-60 mph acceleration of 8.5 seconds. Associate Editor Roberto Gurrini took a short spin and found the E as snappy and agile as a Mini Cooper S and much quieter--near silent, in fact. He also reports that the car's regenerative-braking function, which keeps the batteries juiced between plug-ins, provides such strong "coastdown" deceleration that careful drivers might rarely need to push the brake pedal in city traffic.
So when could you buy something like the Mini E? BMW has a program called "project i" that aims at volume production of pure-electric city vehicles in "the medium term," but hasn't specified a precise timetable. Stay tuned.
- L.A. Auto Show Home Page
- Consumer Guide's 2009 Auto Show coverage
- Consumer Guide New Car Reviews and Prices: Road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of new cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs from the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.
- Consumer Guide's 2009 Best Buys and Recommendeds: Our Best Buy and Recommended picks focus on overall vehicle value and take into account performance, economy, reliability, ease of use, comfort, and price.
- Future Cars: Check out what's just on the horizon.
