I'm in the market for a new car and the countryman is just about exactly what I want. I now have to decide between the base model and the sport. This car is about at the top of my price range so I'm seriously considering the base model even with my concerns about it being under powered. That said, I see a lot of teenage/younger women driving mini coopers around and don't love the idea of driving a "chick car" (sorry if it that is a bit misogynistic), SO i thought if I got the driving lamps and the off road optic kit, the base model would be a bit more serious looking. I've seen the PDF of all the countryman accessories but the off road optic kit photo leaves me wanting more.

Long question longer; Does anyone have photos of the base model with the off road optic kit?

 

Welcome to the site. I hear what you're saying about seeing a lot of young women driving minis (not that there's anything wrong with it of course).

But I hate to tell you on the day we ordered my wife's CMS last minute she saw the Driving Lamps and had to have them

Go ahead and buy it anyway. There's a lot of guys out there that drive them too as you will see by reading through a lot of the posts in the General CM Talk Forum.

Btw, if you go with the ALL4 you really should get the S. If not then you can get away without the extra power that the ALL4 needs and keep your cost down. Good luck.

~Cheers

 

Its the only option you have, no ALL4 on Justa CM.

 

With all due respect Judge (may I approach the bench ), I'm not so sure about that. Our MA told us if we get the ALL4 you really need the "S" option for the power.

Then again she may have said the ALL4 only comes in an "S" geeez my head is still spinning from the Confuse-a-Rator. I mean configurator .

Our baby will be at the Jersey VPC on Tuesday.

 

Haha, your wife has foiled my plans! j/k I'm sure she has lovely taste. My generalization is more about the base model coopers with nothing added that become just a "cute" car.

I like the fact that MINI's have good design and while they have a little bit of "cuteness" to them, you can do some things with the configurator to make the cars seem like they are about the drive not about the cute look. I'm hoping the off road kit can do some of that.

 

I have not seen any others, I'm really curious about this too. In the pictures I can't tell if the end result looks cheap or, as you are after, serious.

One aspect of the thing you should be aware of is that with the All4 (S) you cannot get the front/rear under body plates (which are also the front and rear bars) - only the sides. Because of course only someone without the All4 is likely to go off road...

 

I love it when men get all rattled about driving a "chick" car. Nothing says manly like a man that's afraid to be mistaken for a woman. If you are that insecure, not even driving a Hummer with a gun turret is going to help you. Get the base and use the money you save for therapy. Then just enjoy the car.

 

Here's Motoring File's story on the accessories:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/11/...s-in-december/

Scroll through those photos to the blue Countryman. It's a base model with driving lights and the optic kit

 

LOL.

 

VIP Custom Parts has a quad lights set up for the CM...they also have the exhaust, front strut bar, strut plates w/front bar...

Detroit Tuned has a prototype safari bar and is on somebody's CM already...

The CM is new and I'll bet the "Bull Bar" will be coming out by one of the SUV Vendors...like Manik, etc.

Please test drive the Base and S...because 61 HP is a big difference.

 

I hope my wife doesn't see that

Btw, I believe that is an "S" non ALL4. It has the clear side lights and black trim plate around it.

That's just too funny. You owe me a new keyboard. I just spit my tea into it.

.

 

What exactly makes up the off road optik kit?

 

[quote=babaoriley7;3245465] I see a lot of teenage/younger women driving mini coopers around and don't love the idea of driving a "chick car" [unquote]

This doesn't seem to be a problem for a guy who knows what he is. The "chicks", and ladies my age love the MINI. Of course, if you don't appreciate a second look from the female gender ...

 

The blue CM with the driving lights? The one with the non-S grille, the off-road kit that doesn't fit on the S? The one that says MINI COOPER D on the front and rear plates? You think that one is an S? Wow.

 

No I said I believed it was an S because of the white side lamps and black plates. I thought the D stood for something else. I'll be the first to admit that I am new to mini's, don't know too much about them, and that I have been known to make mistakes now and then and I'm not here to flame anybody either.

However, Thank you for kindly bringing that to my attention.

You seem to know an awful lot about these cars and are quick to point that out. So how about this, next time I'll PM you first so you can proof read my posts before I post them so I avoid getting you so upset?




.

 

The easiest way to tell an "S" from a "Justa" is grill. The "S" grill has the dips down on the sides.

Oh, and I love the quad setup from VIP.


Annette

 

Thanks for pointing that out to me Annette otherwise I wouldn't have known about the front grille. You're a good egg.

Being this is our first Mini and we haven't received it yet I'll be the first to admit that it seems I have a lot to learn about the subtleties of the Mini's design and everything else about them.

That's why I'm here. People like you make this site the best. I also like the humorous comments from people like Sealy too. Really makes me LMAO sometimes.

We're all here for the same reason; As owners of these fine automobiles to share information and IMO there's no need to flame anybody, especially newbies, due to their lack of knowledge.

I love to dig in to everything mechanical that I own from my lawnmowers and weed whackers to my trucks and boats. I will always be glad to share my knowledge of anything in a friendly, kind and gentlemanly manner with others. Guaranteed.

Thanks again.

All the best to you and yours.

--Hobie

.

 

It was the wife, who picked out all 4 MINIs and I didn't have a thing to say.

 

As far as I can tell from the order sheet, the side bars are just that - side bars that attach onto the sides of the car, and give you kind of bars/steps for the sides (not sure if they really would support enough weight to step on?).

The front/rear optic parts seem to consist of underbody plates for protection, plus bars that come up in the front and back - kind of bush guards.

The end effect is bars all around the lower edge of the car with the full kit installed.

The thing I'm really unsure about is just how much the optic package is really about any kind of protection, vs. simply looks. The very name "optic" inspires little confidence in any kind of protection, yet why would you actually go to the trouble of putting in underbody plates if they did nothing, since no-one can see them?

Also in pictures I've seen (including the ones posted here) I can't tell what materials these things are made of, they seem kind of plastic to me. Nothing wrong with plastic per-se as it can be sturdy, but the bars just don't look as "real" as I think they should even just to look good.

I know some people laugh at the concept of actually taking the Countryman off paved roads, but I plan to and would like some real underbody plates just to be safe (some back roads in Utah and Colorado have some nasty rocks here and there on ill-maintained forest roads that can puncture an oil pan).

 

Oh so the front and the back are these:





Wow I can't see the point, not very off road looking, would like to see the sides though, anyone have a pick?

 

Yes, exactly, those bars on the bottom are part of the package, they extend underneath with some kind of panel. I agree that I'm not sure they look all that offroad, they are not quite the traditional bush bar!

This image (from the brochure) shows the bars on front and side:



It's from a Motoring File post on the accessory list:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2011/01/...sted-detailed/

Someone in the comments there found the Optic Kit:

"Very gimmicky/flimsy/useless"

For what it's worth. Hoping there are better aftermarket variants on that theme, I think there will be will all of the WRC tie-in efforts.

 

I have a pic, and it looks like above. Kind of expensive too if you ask me.

 

Isn't that the "Plastic"?

 

Did somebody say Bull Bar on a CM ?

Oh God no. Please, never let it happen.

 

FYI