Of course, there may be a resounding silence to this thread, but I'd be interested if anyone came close to buying a different brand of car.

Yesterday I test drove the Volvo C30 - a very, very nice car - smooth, fast and good looking. However, it's not big enough for what we need. My Clubman has more room in it. I'm going to hunt down a V50, Volvo's "sport wagon" to take it out for a drive and see just how much room there is in it.

 

The Countryman is replacing our Audi Q7 4.2 which was seldom driven. Turned the vehicle back in off lease with just over 11K miles after 3 years of ownership. We had another child after we leased the Q7 so we ended up getting a Honda Odyssey which quickly relegated the Q7 to second car status and was most often driven by my wife as I work from my home office.

So, we wanted to downsize both physically and economically. We looked at Audi Q5, Land Rover LR2 and even briefly considered the MB GLK. The Countryman was an easy choice - even without a test drive. It's fun factor, cool factor and price sold us.

 

I also took a drive in the C30 but could not believe now little room it had for stuff - smaller usable room than a hardtop MINI

also considered
X3
X1 late 2011 availability I think
Q5 but had a horrible Audi experience with my current A3
Golf GTi 5 door - to similar to Audi A3
I wanted to look at WRX Subaru but wife vetoed that as a kids car

Also thought about a JCW Clubman but in the end the Coutryman won out - liked idea of all wheel drive (live in an area with a ton of ice on a really steep hill) MINI are fun cars to mod (will lower it and install some engine goodies)

The decider for me and I know a very peculiar one is I can get the Countryman in Yelllow

Now if it will just get here I would tell you more about living with the car...

 

Honestly, when I first heard the idea for the Countryman (before it had a name) I knew I wanted one. When it came time to think about getting my order in, I looked at everything that people said competed and at least for me, nothing came even close. I wanted something that looked distinctive but not stupid and had good performance on the road. So really nothing else came even close.

It does help a lot that I still really love driving my 03'...

 

Ditto. Well said.

 

I was basically pre-sold on the Countryman, but checked out the Nissan Juke given quite a bit of similarity to the Countryman, and the thumbs up review from Motor Trend and the considerably lower price. But I just couldn't get excited about the Juke (don't like the front end look for starters). After ordering the Countryman, I haven't looked back.

 

oh oh someone is car shopping ... Hi Otra!

not in the market for a Countryman, but if I was i would look at the VW Tiguan and probably the Subaru Outback or Forester.

Interesting comparison on the MINI site too to some other cars:
http://miniusa.com/#/learn/FACTS_FEA...ionsExterior-i

interesting that the Countryman is the same length as a Honda Fit but the Fit has 16 cu. ft. more storage space. I would have never guessed.

also, it's just 8.5 cu. ft more than the Clubman (not a lot by any means)

 

Nothing. Kept the '04 MCS until this was released. Ordered one, sold the MCS. Simple as that!

 

Interesting Spaner...as I'm moving from a subaru wrx (hatch) to a Countryman (need test drive to be certain). I'm looking forward to a more refined interior and exterior, tight MINI with the all4 option. I have high hopes

I also considered an Audi A3 but really want it in an quattro/tdi plus I think the A3 is due for a body upgrade in 2012. And the Volvo C30 has always caught my eye.

 

I was about to buy an'Audi S3 sportback.... Coming from an audi TT, i was not satisfied with the design of the S3.... it was too anonymous!!!!

Then i saw an AD of the countryman on the web andddd............... damn... love at first sight! And it had everything i wanted:

- Cool and defined personality
- Nice design
- AWD
- Turbo engine
- Seemed cheap to run (Way cheaper than a S3 for sure)
- 5 comfortable seats
- some hi-tech goodies :D

 

I also considered an Audi A3 but really want it in an quattro/tdi

I would have really considered the A3 too if this existed.

 

You caught me!

The VW Tiguan is a very comfortable car and a good size. I haven't driven one but a friend/neighbor has one.

I test drove the Volvo V50 yesterday and it is a very smooth ride, extremely comfortable and would definitely be a good ride for the long trip. Granted, I don't have small kids, etc., so that doesn't enter into it for me. I do, however, have the need for carrying an extra person (young adult kid or friend) and our dog. After this test, we stopped by MINI of Fairfield County and I did another test drive - this time on the highway and compared the back seat, trunk, fold down of seats, etc.

The Countryman is a very good idea and a nice new MINI version. From my own personal point of view and already having the Clubman - I prefer The Clubman though clearly the Countryman has more room. The road noise is still there on the highway - I didn't hear much of a difference between it and my Clubman. A deal breaker - no, but an observation after this second drive.

Also decided that the bucket seat in the back configuration just doesn't work for us. Not dog friendly. The seats do no fold completely flat, either. I did enquire about the bench seat option that was supposed to come out for March orders but was told that it has now been postponed and won't be available until the 2012 orders start being put in.

I do see why people are taken with the car, but have decided that as it is now it's just not the MINI for my needs, but fortunately I still have my wonderful pure silver MCCa, to zip around in.

 

I looked at the A4, A3, and GTI primarily--my key criteria were that it a) had to fit both a booster and infant seat in the back, b) have a manual transmission, and c) not be a ridiculously stripped base model. There aren't so many cars out there that fit that bill (item c, e.g., knocks out the VW CC and the Tiguan).

I liked the A3 a lot, but it was hard to justify the cost compared to the GTI; at the same time, the GTI just didn't quite scratch the itch. The A4 was too big and portly in the drive, felt cheap inside compared to the last generation Audis, and (oddly enough, given its size) actually had less passenger space with the kid seat installed than the A3.

I looked at a WRX, but something about the shape of the passenger footwell made sitting in the passenger seat with the kid seat in the back a particularly torturous experience. That plus the fact that I don't particularly miss the '04 WRX we used to have means I didn't even bother with a test drive.

Really the closest other contender was a 328i Touring, but that's an extra 10K once you option it out and like the A4 has less space than is ideal.

I'd buy a new Focus ST or the Golf R20 today if they were available here, but they aren't so the Countryman it is, at least for a while.

 

I have dog concerns too and only have a passenger here and there...I really fell in love with the Clubman S initially. Throw All4 on the clubbie and that would be my order!!

Seeing the launch vehicle this past weekend at my dealer, (didn't have flat load floor either) I was concerned about the seats folding forward, leaving the gap and the slight incline. I'm sure somebody will make an aftermarket 'gap filler'.

Interesting a less informed MA at the dealership said they were ditching the clubman and going with an even larger Countryman as an additional model. Uhhhhhhhhh...okaaaay.

 

PDM-DC: interesting about the wrx...it has a larger back seat (mine is a 2009 hatch) than my previous 2005 Outback and an enormous cavern interior. It's worth a test drive...you'd be amazed with the 265 hp engine What it doesn't have...well...is everything else. With snow tires on it it is a winter wonderland machine. Also, I average about 27.5 mpg (90 % highway) and I want better.

 

If I understand correctly, the flat load floor takes care of filling the gap.

Depending on how sales go with the Countryman, and I'm sure they will be very good, it may be the demise of the Clubman.

 

The "gap" is resolved in one of two ways.

1. Flipping the standard floor piece into it's upright position and snapped to the rear seatbacks. This leaves the well in the boot exposed.

2. Flipping the standard floor piece into it's upright position and snapped to the rear seatbacks. Ordering the optional Flat Load Floor Option which is used to cover the well in the boot, maintaing a relatively flat floor throughout. Relatively since the rear seats do not fold completely flat anyway.

 

It's still almost a year out, but just to throw a possible wrench out there, VW-USA announced earlier this week that the Golf R will be here in 2011, two or four door, projected starting price "under $34K."
For those of you who don't know, it's got the same 2.0T motor currently in the Audi TTS (260 hp), AWD, and will come here only with six speed manual. It's roughly the same size inside and out as the Countryman All4.

 

The problem here is that it's a VW . Are you kidding me? VW isn't in the same league as MINI. They are limiting their sales by only offering a 6spd manual. Don't they realize how many lazy Americans don't want to drive manual? I only drive a manual for my personal vehicle.
Sorry...just had to throw in my 2 cents.

 

As I mentioned upthread, I find the Golf R and the Focus ST to be very compelling propositions. If either were on sale now I'd probably buy it over the Countryman--my main lingering concern with the bigger MINI is that it just won't have quite enough juice. But both of those cars are at least a year away, which doesn't really help me.

If past history is any guide, the Golf R will be limited production (5000 units?), so the stick only issue shouldn't be a problem. I remember the '04 R32s took forever to sell out of dealer stock, but once they did they held their value like crazy.

 

If you've been following the forums you should know that some people have already taken delivery of their cars. They are very pleased with the power. There should be some coming to a dealer near you shortly. My advice would be to go test drive one.
You will find that you will like it better than the Ford or VW.

PS....the MINI will retain its value better than either too!!

 

I hope so, on the value retention front.

On the power front, my '07 R56 S is just about at the limit of what I consider "enough," but that's because I have a psychological addiction to engine power. I drove the All4 with a slushbox and was not particularly impressed, but from what I've read the Cooper S FWD with a stick (which is what I ordered) is a lot better. I'm hoping that's the case, as it looks now like the first manual S I'll have to test drive is the one that I ordered.

 

Considered some others, 2011 Jeep GC, but it is way to big.

Really glad the way the Countryman turned out, very usable and about the right size for the urban commuter.

Was looking at the new 11 Porsche and the Land Rover HSE, but could not justify the big $$$ and poor gas mileage.

Keeping the old GC as the big snow and dog car.

Now if the CM would get out of the VDC and on the truck, I would be a little happier.

 

Thanks to all for adding in their thoughts. It's always interesting to read about the different cars that are out there that might be worth considering.

As for the power factor with the Countryman, I guess it's all what you're used to and what you need/want. I don't have an S MINI but I have driven one - a stick shift. I did drive the S Countryman FWD but it was automatic - it seemed very quick to me.

The only way any individual can know for sure is to test drive one. Then it's completely personal.

 

totally agree with you