MF Review: MINI Countryman Cooper S (manual)

This is the model for me! I am coaxing a Volvo with 270,000 miles on the odo to last until at least February 2011. When may we actually see one locally in RI? and when can orders be placed. I am all IN!

I want to see one on 15s with a taller profile, all-terrain tire. Yeah, I know it is going to be sloppy in the twisties, but I want this to look more like an SUV. Gasp! Hope I didn’t make any purists throw up in their mouth.

I hope you’ll do a comparison with the new Nissan Juke, one of the ugliest cars ever but it is a direct competitor to the Countryman and has some interesting aspects. Motoring Trend did a side by side comparison and chose the AWD Juke over the ALL4 Countryman because they liked the handling better. Motor Trend: 2011 Mini Countryman vs 2011 Nissan Juke Comparison

Jeez that Nissan Juke is ugly. It’s positively murdering the Nissan brand.

Ouch,

First Place: Nissan Juke As impractical as it looks, but freakishly fun on the streets. The Juke is no joke, but it will still leave you giggling.

Second Place: Mini Countryman All4 Cuter than a Pug singing Batman, but a letdown when things get twisty. Looks like a Mini. Doesn’t drive like one.

I think existing MCS/JCW owners/drivers may be the most critical on the performance/handling of this new variant.

I like the way the Countryman looks and the 4 doors would work great with our 2 kids, etc.

That said, ultimately it will be how the Countryman drives for me to pull the trigger. I am not going to hand over my keys for something that is a radical departure from our MCS experience unless it handles well and is powered adequately.

I may be wrong, but given what has been written thus far, I will probably hold out to see what they do w/the JCW and/or Prodrive version even if it means waiting another year or two for a better package.

Did they move mission control to the flash/hard drive of nav/mini connect or still on sd card in dash like the Camden? Also has Vinnie given any insight to the US release of that option?

“Self-adjusting clutch”? Yeah, I hate having to adjust the clutch on my R53. Whachu talkin bout Willis?

Don’t you people talking about the Nissan Juke agree that Nissan should have licensed this vehicle to SAAB. A small all wheel drive vehicle is exactly what that company needs, and the Juke even looks like it could be a SAAB to my eye.

The overall design of the Juke really is a “joke”. Maybe that’s the origin of its unusual name.

The front end is absolutely horrendous.

Can’t wait to see what it looks like lowered…

Wish they were built in the UK – a MINI being built in Austria just ain’t right.

Having crawled over one of these in the showroom, I must admit I was very impressed. I’ve a test drive next month which will be the decider though.

There certainly is enough room in the back for 2 large adults, with plenty of leg and head room. The fact that the rear seats slide backwards and forwards makes it even more versatile.

My wife and I both loved the design and build quality, certainly compared to my R53. The only drawback for a day-to-day perspective was the lack of storage space. The door pockets are really small and awkward to access, the glove box is tiny and there’s no cubby-hole by the driver’s knee like in my R53, to put sunglasses, etc. The armrest doesn’t really address this issue.

Being a bit of a crossover, I’d have thought some more utilitarian aspects would have been added – most small people carriers and 4×4′s push the “1000 places to store maps and stuff”.

Like many people, I’ll be upgrading from the MINI hatch to something just that bit bigger so it’s easier to take a growing family out and about. Unfortunately it is bigger, as long as you don’t mind all the extra kit sliding about everywhere!

Gabe wrote: “It’s probably time to realize things have moved on a bit since 1958. There’s little question that MINI has catered to the publics’ desires since the 2001 launch of the R50…”

Isn’t that a “chicken or egg” mistake? If a company is launching something brand-new, it’s not catering to public desires. The launch of the MINI, and I was there for that at the dealership, was ballyhooed as the re-birth of the original Mini. While we realize that duplicating a 1958 box that would fit in the back of a Chevy Suburban is not realistic in our modern world of safety standards and larger people, my point remains; BMW was banking on the idea of the Mini to sell the MINI. The execution was, in effect, the 1995-1999 318ti without the RWD handling and with a full-bore marketing campaign. In effect, and no offense meant, we got a stylized Honda Civic (although the reliability was never matched, of course – may I list the many superchargers and head gaskets I’ve replaced?).

Gabe wrote: “This is a new clutch. And having driven many BMWs before and after ‘99 I can tell you that some lost feel and others did not. Compare the clutch feel of a 330i to a 330i with the ZHP package for instance.”

Gabe, there’s no difference between a regular 330i and 330i ZHP clutch. Check with your local BMW dealer – exact same part. Mechanical differences in the ZHP covered many aspects of the car, but definitely not the clutch. Those self adjusting clutches are a cash cow for the service department. Worst piece of technology ever in a BMW or MINI drivetrain.

If you felt a difference between the clutches of two 330i, then you have proven my point. As the self adjuster goes bad, clutch feel changes dramatically. Drive two different MINIs and you might experience the same thing.

Gabe wrote: “I want to believe you but having driven an SX4 I can safely say that it’s a low-rent marshmallow of a car with little redeeming featuring other than the packaging.”

As is a base MINI. I wouldn’t own a Suzuki (decent cars, just not my style), but the SX4 Sport compares more favorably in the sporty department when looking at a Cooper S. Let’s make sure we’re comparing apples to apples or marshmallows to marshmallows here!

Gabe wrote: “The 128i is a fine car but not really set-up to be the kind of car you elude (sic – allude is to reference, elude is to escape) to without some suspension modification.”

Also as above. A 128i Sport or M-Sport tromps the best MINI in any handling comparison. Ratchet that up to a 135i and we have very little to talk about.

The cutesy coupe (or sedan) market is rife with alternates beyond those two. The difference is the other brands don’t send out cardboard cutouts and stickers of your car.

My gripe with MINI is that BMW has lost it’s way. They are not providing the product that MINI purports to be, and they are limiting US models in the BMW line to create artificial elimination of internal competition. Why can’t we get the 1-series hatch or wagon? Because when one of those is parked next to a MINI, the MINI does not get sold.

For many of us, the 1-series feels like the apology for failing the MINI promise. Make mine a 135i M-Sport and I’ll see you guys on the road!

I got the chance to spend some time with the Countryman over several stops of MTTS 2010. I can say that I expect to see MINI sell many of these. The design is quite stellar and in person the car does look like it belongs in the MINI family. Still not a big fan of the development but I can say that it does make good sense.

One of the highlights was speaking to Gert, Vinnie, and Jim about the car. Each had very valid and thoughtful insights that I listened to carefully. Gert had to be the best as I could see the happiness beaming from his face while he was setting back listening to the input from the great many people that were carefully checking it out. I stood around and just listened to people talk about the car and can say that generally speaking it seems that is has many people excited.

It should be interesting to watch the sales and I for one hope that it does well to add more profit for MINI. This in end helping them develop a car for the performance crowd.

SteveR, you have just revealed your bias. The iPhone is a fine phone for most of us. The iPad is not intended to be a replacement for a computer. The MINI is not supposed to be a 1 series. In fact, I have driven a 128 and while it was OK, it is not a MINI, and it is UGLY! I would not put one in my driveway, but I am on my 4th MINI. I will certainly look closely at the Countryman, although it might not be the car for me. I rather like our new Camden, even though it is a Cooper, not an S. Heck, my wife even likes the Mission Control! And, we will continue to use our 2 iPhones and 4 Apple computers, and will likely stay in the MINI fold.

Bias? Dave, I like stuff to work. Yeah, Macs “just work” until they break, and they do like any other computer, and your AppleCare warranty replaces it… because you paid 3X as much as the same hardware sans “i”. And no, I don’t use Windows either, because that certainly doesn’t work.

Sorry if I made hamburger out of your holy cow, that’s clearly your bias.