Stopped by the MINI dealership today to look around and see the Countryman. Decided to take a quick test drive just to see what I thought. (Background: I drive a 2011 MCS that I have had since October, had ordered a Countryman All4 prior but decided I could not wait it out since there were so many unknowns and the price was so much higher. The CM All4 I had ordered has STILL not arrived at the dealership according to the MA.)

So, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how well this car handles. When I walked around it and sat inside it felt HUGE, but once on the road it felt comfortable and similar to the MCS...gauges are in the same place, etc. This one had 18" summers, much smoother of a ride, and handled very nicely. There was body roll on the corners, but not awfully so, and I could still maintain a nice cornering speed. Nice pick-up on the on-ramp, felt *slightly* sluggish compared to the MCS, but overall fast and I think I would quickly forget what I currently perceive as "sluggish."

Drivers side felt a little tight getting in due to the smaller doors than the MCS. I like the higher seating position, but the seats don't curve to your body like the ones in the MCS. Visibility is not great (but sometimes it's just getting used to a new car). Backseat of course has tons of room and cargo room is awesome.

Overall, I think this car is 85% as fun as the MCS. If you need the room for kids, dogs, or whatever, I would say CM is it. I found I like my tiny car (but I have an older minivan to fall back on when I need the room). I think I would also prefer the rear bench.

I can't wait to see what gas mileage turns out to be with the All4...while I have not had ANY issue in the snow this year, we have not had a lot of deep snowfalls in Milwaukee, and I can see where the All4 would be better in a snowy year.

Enjoy your motoring in your new CM!!

 

Always great to hear peoples first drive experiences. Thanks for posting. Hopefully your MCS gets here soon! Can't believe you ordered in Oct and it's not arrived yet.....is it swimming over?

 

Sorry for the confusion...the CM All4 I had ordered did not arrive yet per my MA I have been driving my MCS since October, I bought off the lot.

 

lind,

He has his MCS. I think he stated that the Countryman he originally orderd in October still has not yet arrived. Easy to misunderstand...I had to read his post twice

 

For what it's worth, I had almost exactly the same impressions on my test drive of the CM - I'm ordering one shortly.

I like the MCS a lot but I really wanted something with a bit more clearance and AWD to get into the mountains more during winter, so the Countryman is perfect.

 

I edited the post to hopefully read more clearly. And I'm a SHE

@kgelner...I assume you would have wanted to take some THINGS and/or other PEOPLE into the mountains with you...and I think you'll be much happier in that respect with the CM. My MCS is primarily a commuting car, and it's perfect for that...I'm getting 31 mpg combined with this crappy winter gas in SE Wisconsin...curious to see my summer gas mileage.

 

I have a 2003 MCS right now and am actually really happy with the space it has, I really am just after the extra clearance and AWD (plus just a newer car in general). At most I'd usually just take one other person with me anyway.

I'm sure with the extra room I'll find some use for it though!

 

I find it strange to have the side pillar right on the side of your face. During my test drive I looked left to make a lane change and there's the side pillar. Anyone else notice that?