Hi All - I'm obviously new to this forum although I must say I've been reading a whole lot on here while trying to make my new car decision. So earlier this week I ordered a new Countryman S All4 in silver and black trim. Sadly, its not going to be here until late July. I'm really excited about the Mini although admittedly sad to get rid of my Mazda...



I had a lot of fun working on my Mazda but needed something a bit more practical. I'm hoping that the Mini is just as fun to make my own!

 

 

I'm just curious, why do you believe the Countryman will be that much more "practical" than the Mazda?

 

Lots of reasons, but the biggest of those are:
-Mini has ~80 less horsepower than the Mazda, but still some turbo fun
-Mini has a much smoother ride and significantly more ground clearance
-despite Mini's reliability concerns in Consumers, their long term engine performance is better than my speed3

I'm not saying I'm buying a minivan here, but hoping its a car that I can have some fun with while maintaining the hatchback utility I've had in the Mazda hatch.

 

Weak, were you on Mazda3Forums?

 

A few years ago I was a mod for mazdas247.com (username was jbiird317) and occasionally went to mazda3forums

 

A few years ago I was a mod on mazdas247 (username was jbiird317) and occasionally went to mazda3forums

 

I knew you sounded familiar lol. I was SuperProtege5 on 247 and Mazda3Forums

 

I've never driven a MazdaSpeed 3 (although my sister just bought one for herself!), but I hear they're a blast.

I can say that the the Countryman is a lot of fun. Obviously you're going to miss the ponies, but it's still no slouch, it likes to be thrown around almost as much as a MINI Cooper, and there's a lot of usable space for people, pets, and most other stuff you need to tote around.

My wife has had her Countryman for about a year now. We just got back from a trip up to New Hampshire with three dogs and a weekend+ worth of stuff, and the Countryman was just great.

It will seem like forever, but the wait will be over before you know it. Best of luck!

 

Thanks... yeah the MS3 is a lot of fun to drive, but it's also a speeding ticket machine. I will miss the power for sure, but my real question is about the suspension.

It will take some getting used to this ride height and matching my driving style, but is there a lot of body roll in cornering? (Didn't feel it on the test drive, but thats a pretty small sample size) I've seen some people with lowered suspensions on here, and while it looks good, what does it do to the ride quality? My lowered mazda was no fun for passengers, so I'd like to avoid that again if possible.

 

Compared to the MINI hardtop, there's a little more body roll -- but not painfully more. Compared to most other 'regular' cars, there's noticeably less -- surprisingly less for a car that feels that high off the ground (even though it isn't really that high off the ground). Even though it's a little bigger, it's still decidedly MINI.

I had been driving two different Cooper S hardtops for about 4 years when I first test-drove a Countryman, and I was very pleasantly surprised at how planted it felt around corners. Then we bought one for my wife, which I get to drive around plenty. And I liked it enough that I bought a Paceman, which is almost the same car as the Countryman. I think you would have noticed on the test drive if it had too much roll for you. But if you're still not sure, heck, take one for another test drive!

 

Yea it's not like they can be mad at you for not buying one and just taking them for test drives lol.

 

It really just depends on what you were lowered on, on the mazda. I know when I had my 08 Speed 3.. I had Eibach Sportlines and the OEM shocks. It was really bouncy and the ride sucked. But it was low.. and I didnt mind it. I have ST Coilovers on my 08 Cooper S and it actually rides great I think. You can tell its not OEM but its not bouncing everywhere either. I know your getting a Countryman but thought Id add my 2 cents coming from having a Speed 3 myself.

 

Ha well if it wasn't an hour ride to the dealership I might be test driving every day!

I appreciate the suspension advice... My Mazda is on roadmagnet springs and oem struts. I will definitely only go to a full coil setup this time around. I don't get any bounce, just hate the lack of travel and hitting bump stops on pot-holes or crappy roads.

 

I miss my Mazda3 hatch from time to time. Mainly when I need to move a ton of stuff at once (people included lol). I was on Mazda3Forums for a while.

 

Welcome to NAM and congrats on your new MINI. I have a felling that you're going to forget all about that Mazda once you get behind the wheel of your new MINI Countryman. Somehow, I think you're going to be nicknaming your Mazda "Weak_Sauce."

 

Welcome. I have been on MS3 for my wife's previous CX-7 and now occasionally mazdas247 for our current CX-5.

Any reason you didn't look at the CX-5? Less HP I would guess.

Good luck waiting and congrats!

 

Well I went from a Mazda Protege to the MS3, so I really wanted some thing different than a Mazda, although both cars were rather reliable. I think I'm succeeding in the "different" category here!