MINI USA Countryman Debut Dates
The Countryman debut is upon us here in North America so it’s time to talk production and delivery dates. MINI USA’s first R60s began with November production and are now in some form of shipment to dealers. But what does that really mean for those wanting to see and buy the Countryman? Here’s how it will play out according to sources at MINI USA.
First up will be the demos. Each dealer will have a couple of demos on hand starting in late November. However according to MINI USA those demos and any other launch cars they get will have to simply sit on lots until the official on-sale date. Yes that means January 8th 2011 will be the first day you can officially buy a MINI Countryman according to MINI. What doesn’t quite make sense however are the people who have already ordered cars and have them on boats heading towards dealers. We’d guess the only thing keeping MINI from selling those cars to their owners would be EPA certification and we believe that was accomplished earlier this fall. Therefore it’s our guess that those early customers who pre-ordered will be getting the satisfaction of having something that won’t be available off lots for another month or so.
For all those that have an R60 on order, we’d like to hear from your about the ordering process and expected delivery dates. And most of all we want to hear how excited you are to finally see this thing in person. Sound off in the comment section below.
And if you’d like to get caught up on what the R60 is all about be sure to check out our various reviews of all the models below:
– MCS All4
– MCS
– MC
– Full comparison
Finally if you’re waiting for the MINI USA configurator November 15th is the day we’re being told to expect a launch.
[UPDATE] We’ve received word that many California dealers already have their Countryman demo cars and the rest expect theirs right away.
<p>How about the configurator?</p>
<p>Also, will dealers be able to give test drives or do they have to wait till January?</p>
<p>Is it possible the ordered R60s will sit on the MIni USA lots before being distributed to dealers? During the R56 launch the Mini USA storage lots were crammed full of ordered cars that Mini USA wouldn’t ship to dealers until just before the official launch. I’d be surprised if they did anything different here.</p>
<p>Hum… Here’s what Gavin Green over at Car UK said about the latest MINI vehicle…</p>
<p>“The Countryman: more Transit than go-kart</p>
<p><strong>I did not like the Countryman, not least because it is not ‘mini’</strong>, no matter what it says on the tin. <strong>It is a bloated blighter</strong>, 400kg more than a Fiesta in Cooper D ALL4 form, as tested. Plus it has less practicality than the (narrower, lower, barely longer) Golf. It may have ‘emotional appeal’. But it has no more rational appeal than the <strong>Comical Clubman</strong>. Its dynamics were especially disappointing: restless to drive never flowing fluently down the road, the steering heavy and artificial, the ride thumpy. There is little of the élan or agility that so endears with the normal Mini hatch.”</p>
<p>Never having driven one I have no idea if this is all true but the <strong> Bloated Blighter</strong> part seems pretty much on target after seeing one up close at MTTS.</p>
<p><a href="http://tinyurl.com/BLOATED-BLIGHTER-CAR-UK" rel="nofollow ugc">http://tinyurl.com/BLOATED-BLIGHTER-CAR-UK</a></p>
<p>I’ve heard from our dealer that the configurator will be up by the end of the month.
We placed an order for my wife’s Countryman All4 on Saturday and were told we should see it by end of December, beginning of Jan. We took the option sheets from the file that was posted here on MF and selected what she wanted.
We log onto the Owner’s Lounge each night to see the progression. It’s still in Order mode.</p>
<p>The MINI USA Configurator will be online be November 15th all per MINI USA. Just FYI.</p>
<p>Hopefully by the time you guys in the US guys get the Countryman, all the glitches will be ironed out.</p>
<p>Here in the UK they are currently being delivered without a jack, which will have to be installed by dealers later!</p>
<p>Look, here is a really nice 4 door MINI, with a white roof…..oh wait</p>
<p><a href="http://goo.gl/xdks5" rel="nofollow ugc">http://goo.gl/xdks5</a></p>
<p>This is getting pretty dull. Something must be going on with the Coupe by now and I’d like to hear about it.</p>
<p>Was informed by my dealer that I had been bumped up from a January order to a December order and needed to give them my configuration. I did so and have been promised a Late January/Early February delivery on a fully loaded ALL4.</p>
<p>Same here, Brian Fee.</p>
<p>Good news!</p>
<p>To bring the dreaded Juke back into the conversation 😉 … been seeing them everywhere around NYC lately.</p>
<p>There seems to be a little hesitation in welcoming the Countryman to the MINI family. I understand. I too was a little stand-offish. I am a Motoring Advisor, so I have been to the training events. Take it from someone who has driven them. It’s awesome! Definately still MINI.</p>
<p>It still has Go-Kart handling. It is still a very spritely and responsive car. Best of all, it still turns heads! Isn’t that what MINI is all about? MINI is not just a car, it is a culture.</p>
<p>I want MINI to survive and stand on their own two feet with a wide array of cultural and sophisticated models that stand out amongst the other boring, drab brands.</p>
<p>I welcome the Countryman with open arms and anxiously await the Coupe.</p>
<p>5 more days till the configurator goes live….can’t wait!</p>
<p>My dealer in SoCal will have one or two today in their showroom. No test drive, just to check it out.</p>
<p>Here in the UK they are currently being delivered without a jack</p>
<p>They wouldn’t supply a jack on cars with runflats, as they don’t on BMWs. I want to know what donut spare am I going to have to acquire.</p>
<p>I ordered on 10/29/2010. The model is an all black S with coffee lounge leather (new color), Convenience, Premium, Steptronic, Xenon, all black trim interior, full length center accessory tray, Navigation with Mini connect, real time traffic, iPhone interface, voice command, center armrest. My dealer is Crevier Mini and the experience was well orchestrated. Total price came in around $35,000. I’ll do a 36 month lease with 15,000 annual miles.</p>
<p>I have been told that Mini has decided to ship to the west coast soonest, so I can expect my car to arrive in mid-January.</p>
<p>Needless to say, I am excited. I have been driving a Cooper. Today a demo came to the dealer and I parked my car next to the Countryman. There is a very pronounced size difference between the traditional design and the new. Very pleasing to the eye.</p>
<p>I should add that I live in the Orange County area of Southern California.</p>
<p>Towne mini in buffalo ny will have a countryman there for the day on nov 23rd.</p>
<p>Still believe that this will sell well, at the same time think its the most polarizing development within the community. Most people that I know either love it or hate it with the minority being in the middle.</p>
<p>I appreciate MINI trying something new, though I will still never consider the R60 a MINI personally.</p>
<p>I ordered an MCS Countryman a couple weeks back. I’m told that it’s going to hit production in a week or so, and the dealership will take delivery of it sometime in December. But they’re not actually allowed to sell any until the 8th, and that includes those that were ordered early. (I’ve only actually payed a refundable $1k deposit – there has been no sale yet.)</p>
<p>On a related note, an MCS Countryman is making its way from dealership to dealership here on the west coast. It was on display at MINI of Mountain View for yesterday only (today it’s at Concord). I swung by and got to have a seat in it. Looked and felt even better in person than in the photos! Unfortunately, they couldn’t let anyone actually take it for a spin.</p>
<p>My countryman was built on 11/2 and is on its way to the port for export to NY. I guess I am one of the lucky ones getting it earlier and hopefully by second week of December depending on what boat it gets on.</p>
<p>I ordered Absolute Black S ALL4.</p>
<p>Well, I think this model will sell very well.
As a tall guy with kids I always liked the Mini but it was just too small for somebody that have a family. Every time I saw one I wished for a bit larger model and I think this is what lots of people were requesting as well. I am glad Mini listened.
I for one think I will finally jump into the Mini bandwagon with the Countryman.</p>
<blockquote>Total price came in around $35,000</blockquote>
<p>I’m sorry, but that is insane money for a “Luxury Micro Cross-over” or whatever one calls this thing.</p>
<p>true, for that money I would go another route.
I want to pay $27k max for mine.</p>
<p>We have a demo here in Northern Virginia already as well.</p>
<p>Look forward to seeing them on the configurator!!!</p>
<p>Just a quick question for anyone that may have some good info on the subject: how good of a long term, post warranty period ownership proposition will the Countryman be? Thinking about getting one just don’t want to be saddled down in repair bills once the warranty goes. If it’s anything like the “throw-away” build of many late model Bimmers this romance may not workout.</p>
<p>Dad just picked up a fwd manual Juke SL with leather, roof, navigation, and all the features. $22,600. 150 lbs more and 12 inches longer than the 07 MCS he traded in. Same HP as Countryman. 3 seat belts in back. Afraid that Nissan is going to kill on price!</p>
<p>Love the Mini. Have 2 now! Afraid that Mini can’t compete at the mini SUV though. It will just steal MCS and Clubman sales.</p>
<p>When is the X1 hitting these shores?</p>
<p>@John Richard</p>
<p>Was that $35,000 MSRP or selling price? I was adding up my ‘dream Countryman ALL4’ and it tipped the scale at $34,000. Anyone I speak to thinks I’m crazy to want to drop that much on a Mini, esp since I could get a Certified Pre-Owned 3-series for the same or less with 10-15k mi.</p>
<p>Whatever happened to ‘a nicely equipped Countryman ALL4 will be under $30k’?</p>
<p>I agree, $35k is a bit excessive for what seems to be an overweight and under powered crossover. Maybe – and I mean Maybe $35 for a full JCW variant is do-able. If I could get this in the low 30’s with around 220 HP and a lower suspension (hello ProDrive?) I’d be psyched.</p>
<p>Aurel – I was keen on the X1 until seeing it at BMW Welt last month in Munich. Extremely disappointed at the cheapness of all the materials – felt like an early model Hyundai, not a $30k+ BMW.</p>
<p>My wife’s Countryman S ALL4 comes in at just over $38k, and it’s still a manual transmission, and not full leather. Still it’s only a little more than half the price of her current loaded 535xiT manual. Even if it’s bloated for a MINI (I drive a GP), it’s over 1000lbs less than the 5 wagon, and almost 2000lbs lighter than the other car we considered, the 5GT (no manual, no sale), so it’s still a go-kart compared to them.</p>
<p>My MINI Cooper S Countryman All4 was built yesterday and has been delivered to the carrier for transport to me. I’m hopefully I’ll see it before Christmas.</p>
<p>Check @TunaBall on twitter for updates on timing as I hear them.</p>
<p>Here in Germany our S in red with black roof and all extras has arrived at the dealer yesterday (Nov.11) but we can’t pick it up until Nov. 19th because the mechanics are laboring with the onslaught of winter tires orders…. the good man at the dealer tells us.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone ordering the R60! Ignore the haters who complain about everything and just have fun with it because that’s what MINI is all about!</p>
<p>And the Juke is just heinous. I wouldn’t drive that thing if I got it for free. I’d sell it and use the proceeds for a JCW R60!!!</p>
<p>By the way, just so you countryman prospectives in the US and UK know: Our S was 35150 Euros including sales tax (19%!) an 8% discount (no trade-ins), shipping, registration & plates. This includes all extras (yes, also hide-away trailer hitch, leather lounge, Automatic and comfort entry) less All4, curve lights, sport suspension, harman cardon & dab tuner and the bussel rack preparation. Other than that it has all the goodies. So, if you complain about MINI prices consider what we Germans have to suffer.</p>
<p>Well, today is the 15th of November, and I am waiting for the Countryman to show up on the configurator today. Maybe noon EST in the US?</p>
<p>The car has arrived. I’ve put a few mi on it and the preliminary judgement is: Very fast, very guzzly in the city (not less than 10L/100km), very MINI, well handling, very chique (being new of course, people are looking). Skip the comfort keyless go and the Alarm feature (it isn’t worth it).</p>