Definately, I love it. except for those too small cupholders.....

 

The good thing about the small cup holders is that it forces you into buying a smaller drink, which in turn will benefit you in the long run, MINI are thinking of your heath, if you don't die early you'll probably buy more MINI's!!

 

Ha! Way to look at the positive side. I guess everything has a silver lining, even horribly designed teeny cup holders!

 

Agreed. My '11 Avant Quattro is sitting around 22-23 MPG. Granted, a lot of that is the higher autobahn speeds but still. My old 04.5 Passat variant (1.8T, FWD) was usually around 27-ish MPG. I'm really surprised the CM doesn't get better mileage than it does.

 

No, won't buy another one. two months, 3K miles. paint is poor quality, scratches just by looking at it. Mileage is a joke...32 MPG, I don't think so, 26 TOPS. I get 34 in my BMW Z3 and 29 in my MBZ C230. The AC is poor....very poor, yet after twice in the shop they maintain that its to spec...if that is MINI spec, I don't want one. The power is nice, but the ride is crap on the freeway.
2011 Countryman S, auto, cosmic blue...

 

Great trip to my daughter's wedding in the All4. About 3 hours each way, 33 MPG, twisty Sierra Nevada roads at the destination - great fun. Love the stick shift but don't love the clutch yet - surprises me occasionally with stalling.

 

So far so good!

 

This is a reality with most newer paint. It's hard so it's easy to scratch and an even bigger pain to detail.

 

approaching 10,000 miles, absolutely I would buy a CM but I would wait for JCW version

Likes
ALL4 - was great in snow, it embarrassed "real" trucks
manual
Seats - whole family is comfortable
Still handles like a MINI to a point
Utility - great roof rails (with skybox, can slap a toe hitch on it for bike rack, quite a bit of trunk room as long as you remember to fill the false floor up also)
Looks cool inside and out
its Yellow!!!! how can you stay mad driving a yellow car...
Free Sat radio for year, didn't think I would like it but do, will see if web radio is a good enough substitute

Dislikes
underpowered
rolls to much (wished I had specced sports suspension but missed it due to early build
HK is not worth the money (can't believe people think standard stereo is good enough, you guys must be deaf!!!)
MINI Connect as has been stated is half baked - but I still would get it for future potential
AC is bollocks (and yes i know how to use the vents and buttons)
Engine hiccups scare me for engine longevity

At purchase nothing else came close for the fun to drive quotient, utility, reasonable power, handling and economy and after 6 months my CM has not dulled the experience.In fact I like the car more now than when I got it and that could not be said of the A3 it replaced which became a white good appliance. I Travel every week and look forward to getting back home to drive it

I am looking forward to modding it some to fix some of the dislikes

 

I’m leaning towards this being my last MINI. Love the car, just BMW that I have a problem with. If you follow this board, three items take up an inordinate amount of space: MINI Connect (big selling point, vague promises), optional floor (late availability, universal confusion), and bench seat (real late availability, maybe they won’t miss it?). BMW is of a mindset that the number one goal is to get the new model out and sell it. If it means promising things that don’t exist, fine. We can catch up later – just sell them. That means they’re selling hype. And hype at a premium price. Then they make more nebulous promises (available sometime in the summer) – which really means that they have their people working on the next project (new 3 Series is due) and they’ll get to us later. Then they compound the problem by keeping their own people in the dark. Everyone on the board knows more than the dealers – and what we know is mostly hype that we’ve been fed by "industry insiders". I’m going to bow out of this foolishness and let someone else support their evil ways. As PT Barnum said; “There’s a fanatic born every day.” This fanatic done woke up.

So, when I turn in the CM, my daily driver will be my Ford Ranger. It’s dead simple and promises nothing. And delivers admirably. And if I want fun, I’ll drive my Thunderbird. It promised sporty, open air motoring with a touch of luxury. And it delivers on that promise every time I turn the key.


Sealy – Who’s Mama always said; “Don’t take the cake out of the oven unless it’s done

 

I have had at least one BMW in my garage for the past 20+ years (along with our CM-S, I have an '06 M3 Vert) and your bashing of BMW is a bit harsh.

The first year of ANY new model ALWAYS has a few design irregularities or hiccups - mostly because 'focus groups' and other surveys only tell you so much about customer preferences. The car has to be out in the marketplace to gain REAL feedback. IF you wanted the PERFECT Countryman, you probably should have waited a year or two, not buying it right out of the gate! We've only had our CM-S for a little over a week, but love it (we skipped the 'MINI Connect' and actually I prefer the rear bucket seats).

Enjoy the 'Ranger' as the DD and well, the 'luxury' of the T-Bird, I will stay with the Utlimate Driving Machine - and its smaller, sporty cousin MINI.

 

Spoken like a true Bimmer fan boy. I happen to live with one - he just took delivery of his new 5 Series. He gives me the "ultimate driving machine" mantra, too. I think you should have a river pilot's license for it.

As stated, no problem with the Countryman, per se. And BMW makes some wonderful cars. But, at this level one expects darn close to perfect out the gate. I paid for MINI connect, I paid for the arm rest, and I paid for the cradle - and they promised it would work just like in the promo. And it doesn't. That's one thing that POs me. And then they let us know that at some time in the future, they'll have another cradle that will make it work? That's another PO. I'm willing to wait and I'm willing to accept a few niggles. But when I'm lied to and BSed, I have a tendency not to continue the relationship.

 

Amen Sealy! The MINI Connected is what I call Vaporware. It is pitched to the dealers with prospect of what it WILL do(not yet but will). The dealers get all excited and move forward selling it to us and then get burned badly just like us. I blame BMW as well. Don't make promises you can't keep or live up to. It is a deal breaker for me in the future. I wish I had gone with the standard head unit and saved my money for more Mods. BMW ripped me off, but never again.

 

We're exactly 30 days into the purchase so here's my thoughts on our ALL4.

Likes:
Power: Power is reasonable for this car (unlike the slow base model)

Handling: Not bad for a family hauler, I must say, even without the sport suspension. Bumps can be a little harsh though.

Appeal: More than a few people have stopped to look at the vehicle since it looks like a MINI but not like MINIs everyone else have seen.

Room/Comfort: The family enjoys running around in the MINI a lot (and it's my daughter's favorite car now). Perfect sized for a family of four.

Mileage: Mileage is coming in at the low end (23 MPG) but that reflects our mostly suburban driving habits. Still, its a lot better than the 1997 Ford Explorer V8 my wife was driving (14 MPG on a good day).

MINI Connect: So far, its a pretty good system. It's not perfect but it does the job. Pandora works very well.


Dislikes:
Seats. This is a personal issue (given my height and needed thigh support) and I've written about it before. Nobody else in my family has this problem.

Air Conditioning: At least others are complaining about this so I won't bring it in for service. Granted, it's the worst heat wave we've had here in some time in Tennessee, but the AC in the car never seems to overcome the heat enough to cycle the fans down. In comparison, my Cadillac SRX doesn't spend much time getting the interior temperature down to <72 degrees and promptly cycles back the fans. I guess that tiny hood doesn't merit a good sized AC compressor.

Mini Connect: Yes, this is on the like column too but there are issues. Has anyone at MINI/BMW considered turning the AC fans down automatically when a call is placed/received via bluetooth? Again, my Caddy SRX from 2005 does this.

The Sport button: The principle behind the sport button is to extend the points where the automatic transmission does an upshift under acceleration, giving you the lower gear longer, and therefore, more power (sacrificing economy). And in general this works pretty well on acceleration. The system is also supposed to downshift earlier than normal upon deceleration, using engine braking to slow the vehicle. The problem is that the downshifts aren't as smooth as the upshifts and can be quite obvious at lower speeds. For comparison's sake, I used to own a 2003 CTS with the FE3 sport suspension package. For that car, a performance shift algorithm was standard (you couldn't turn it off). But the shifting process of that car was smoother than the CM-S ALL4 we have now.

 

Since your main gripe seems to be about the MINI Connect - which I really can't say much about it since we didn't get it and not all that familiar with it. I can say the 'bluetooth' function IS kinda weak in the CM - but its not great in my M3 either (I use my earpiece instead of the built in). My wife my have to do the same in the CMS.

Overall though, we are very happy with the CM (it replaced a Jeep Commander)!!

 

With me and a bunch of others. it's the Connect - I bought 4 snap in cradles, all of them guaranteed to work. They sold me the last one with a no return, so I'm stuck with it and will have to hand over another $200 or so for the next one. If you read the load floor post - they finally let him buy the unit and shipped it without brackets. They're only available in Germany - so he has a $250 part he can't use. And the rear seat people - reads like the missing chapter from Gulliver's Travels (the Benches v.s the Buckets - to the death ). A company with BMW's resources couldn't put a bench in US cars from the git go? Come on. Like I said - great cars, all. I love relaxing in the 5 with the cold air blowing up my butt while I get a massage. But, they've got to get serious about what they promise.

 

After two MINI Coopers that I loved the Countryman has been a big dissappointment. My base MINIs were quick and nimble, my base Countryman is lethargic on a good day and nerve-wrackingly slow on a bad day. Also far too expensive for the options I wanted. If I buy another MINI, and that is a big if now, it will be a good old Cooper with gokart handling, not a Nissan Versa with a MINI Countryman name badge and big price premium. I love the MINI brand overall, just not this product.

 

You got a Countryman name badge?? Dang. What $250, $750, or $1500 package did that come with? I thought I checked them all.

 

LOL, nice car man! Wish I could have afforded your options! Looks sweet!

 

I leased it this go around as it was a new model. I currently have an S, manual, Bluetooth, premium package, center armrest, 18inch black 2-piece rims. My personality is a fun-loving person who a child at heart and the MINI brand plays to those sensibilities. I am at 1275 miles have had 1 flat tire and the exterior chrome trim tape replacement.

Observations:
Minuses
- The hill assist has been used to; at first it made me lose my bearing and stall.
- The front cup holders are weird (both in location and the flange is too tight and sometimes my drink goes flying as I didn't wiggle it down in the holder).
- The side mirrors are difficult to get ‘just right.’ I added convex mirror circles which in of itself are a little disappointing as this is not a big rig, it’s a small car.
Pluses
+ styling –I am actually fond of the “S” grill bulldog grin, I really like the Pure Red color more than the Chili Red (my opinion only) it is ‘hotter’ to me- but I had a VW Fahrenheit GTI in Magma Orange J
+ HK sound- so glad I have it, sounds great.
+ Handling- This is my first Mini, but it handles better than the GTI did
+ Turbo- paired with the manual transmission hardly any lag
+ 4 bucket seats with 4 doors – the main selling point for me, 2 adults fit well in the back
+ The recessed cargo bin LOVE this everything fits snug!
+ The interior ambiance lights (I make excuses to go places when it is dark) Can’t wait for the time change in November!

After owning for a month, I wish my car was equipped with: heated side mirrors, the rain-sensing wipers, the Xenons.

I would seriously consider building one and loading it up with all the packages when my lease is up.

 

I leased it this go around as it was a new model. I currently have an S, manual, Bluetooth, premium package, center armrest, 18inch black 2-piece rims. My personality is a fun-loving person who is a child at heart and the MINI brand plays to those sensibilities. I am at 1275 miles and so far had 1 flat tire and the exterior chrome trim tape replaced.

Observations:
Minuses
- The hill assist has been difficult to get used to; at first it made me lose my bearing and stall.
- The front cup holders are weird (both in location and the flange is too tight and sometimes my drink goes flying as I didn't wiggle it down in the holder).
- The side mirrors are difficult to get ‘just right.’ I added convex mirror circles which in of itself are a little disappointing as this is not a big rig, it’s a small car.
Pluses
+ styling –I am actually fond of the “S” grill bulldog grin, I really like the Pure Red color more than the Chili Red (my opinion only) it is ‘hotter’ to me- but I had a VW Fahrenheit GTI in Magma Orange
+ HK sound- so glad I have it, sounds great.
+ Handling- This is my first Mini, but it handles better than the GTI did
+ Turbo- paired with the manual transmission hardly any lag
+ 4 bucket seats with 4 doors – the main selling point for me, 2 adults fit well in the back
+ The recessed cargo bin LOVE this everything fits snug!
+ The interior ambiance lights (I make excuses to go places when it is dark) Can’t wait for the time change in November!

After owning for a month, I wish my car was equipped with: heated side mirrors, the rain-sensing wipers, the Xenons.

I would seriously consider building one and loading it up with all the packages when my lease is up.

 

i didn't start this thread but interested 4 plus months later what is on countryman owners's minds at this point. im expecting my countryman in about 6 weeks.

 

I got mine in April, after a LONG wait, I have 13,000km's or so on it and I love my ALL4. I love driving it, looking at it (it is parked right outside my window as I type) I have no regrets at all, even though it was a pricey little beast. I change cars a lot, and usuallty after a few months things are beginning to bug me, but at this point all is awesome. I am interested to see how it handles on the snow and ice, that is the big test where I live, but otherwise, it's awesome.

 

Other than the flapping trim, my CM has been excellent. Maybe I got lucky, but after 5,000 miles, I don't have a single rattle or squeek. I've driven it pretty hard, at times, and the only issue is the handling over severe bumps. It does get a bit squirley when trying to negotiate a turn when hitting a bump. Other than that, it's getting over 30 MPG all around, which is great for an AWD vehicle. The interior room is ok, but not very well laid out. My wifes Honda Fit is infinitely earier to store material in, and the visibility out of her car is much better. On the plus side, this car rides much better on the highway than the Fit does.

Yes, I would buy it again. Now let's see if they ever fix the trim issues....


Mark

 

I'm six months in now, and I love the car even more than I did when I wrote my post back in June. Everything I said still holds true with the following change: MINI-Connected works properly through the Y-Cable after the iOS 5 upgrade, so I now think it's worth it the cost if you're into that kind of stuff.

I'm also not a fan of the brake dust on my shiny wheels, but I'm currently testing out some wheel protectant, so we'll see.