Hey all,

I've been eying the Countryman with some anxiousness because of the style and increased cargo room, but through my research i've heard that the base model's engine is pretty weak . Because i go to college in New York with their winters of doom, i've been looking closer at the Clubman for it's peppiness and ability to get up the mountains. Any thoughts?

 

they both have the same 2 engine options. I've had both a base model clubman and countryman as loaners, and would never want that engine personally.

 

I definitely wouldn't get the base Countryman. I own the CMS4, though, and it's awesome.

If you want to deal with snow, then definitely go for the CMS4. I haven't had mine in the snow yet, but there's no way the Clubman is better.

If you have to do a base model, do the Clubman. The Countryman already sacrifices some pep and handling, even in the S, and the Clubman has lots of cargo space.

 

I think the All4 would be a good thing to have in the snow, i just don't want to pay $30k to get one. I'm a pretty good snow driver and i have driven in snow with FWD before, so i'm not too worried about not making it up a hill. I'm just worried that once i add all of my luggage to the countryman that the performance won't be the same.

Basically, why would they put the Hardtop engine in the much heavier Countryman?

 

If the ALL4 doesn't feel like a manageable cost, then go for the Clubman S or even the base Clubman. I don't quite see a reason to go for the Countryman over the Clubman in 2WD versions except the back seats.

 

I like the Countryman. It is on my radar! An "S" model of course!

 

The Countryman is only ~75 lbs heavier than a Clubman. It's about 250 lbs heavier than a hardtop, but that's still not that bad. It's the equivalent of carrying a person or two with you in the car all the time.

Cooper Hardtop: 2535 lbs
Cooper Convertible: 2701 lbs
Cooper Clubman: 2712 lbs
Cooper Countryman: 2789 lbs


And the S models, for anyone curious:

Cooper S Hardtop: 2668 lbs
Cooper S Convertible: 2811 lbs
Cooper S Clubman: 2833 lbs
Cooper S Countryman: 2888 lbs
Cooper S All4 Countryman: 3042 lbs

 

Personally, if you're not going to get AWD, I would recommend the Clubman. The only reason I'm interested in the Countryman is for the AWD. If they made an AWD Clubman, I would have gotten that for my wife and planned to keep my R53 for a lot longer.

The Clubman does pretty well in the snow, especially if you have a good set of snow tires on it. The Countryman has a little more clearance for the snow is deep, though.

 

I'd say it comes down to what you need the space for. If it's for people, get the Countryman. If it's just for "Stuff," then get the Clubbie. In my humble opinion I think the Clubbie is much better looking.

I've never driven a Clubman Non-S, but I did take a Clubman S out for a few days and it was really fun, even in Auto.

 

You know, really thinking about this has made me realize that if i absolutely need the space i should probably go with the Clubman. I might just end up getting a base Hardtop and renting a truck to haul big stuff if i need to or asking a friend with a bigger car.

I do like the styling of the Countryman more though, which makes me sad that i probably won't get one. I just don't want to spend a fortune on my first car, at least until much later.

 

If you're not carrying passengers and you don't often need to carry a LOT of stuff, a hardtop might be fine, especially if you remove the rear seats. For me it doesn't make sense to buy a vehicle larger than you need if you only need a cargo hauler once in a blue moon. I have no problem getting lots of groceries etc into the back of my Cooper.

The hardtop is probably the most fun to drive, too

 

Came from a Clubbie Non S, and moved over into a Non S Countryman. No issues with pick-up and go at all! We live in "Flat" Texas so the All4 was not a neccesity. If you want to keep cost down, the Non S of either is the best way to go...and doing DIY stuff like oil changes is MUCH easier on all NON S versions....not dissing the S Versions, but the Justas continually get a bad rap......the base engine in the Countryman was in fact Tweaked to accomoaodate the extra few pounds......size wise, the Countryman works better for us with the 4 doors, but we miss the Clubbie every once in awhile....

 

The problem I keep running into is that i really like the style of the Countryman, the extra space that comes with it, and just the way it drives. I'm not really concerned about how fast it goes from 0-60, just as long as it can get me to where i need to go in style (which is why i'm looking at MINI and not a VW). I also do triathlons, so transporting my bike around is also a necessity and i can easily do that in the Countryman without getting a rack (though i probably will do that eventually).

I suppose what it really comes down to is whether or not it can climb hills in the winter compared to the hardtop, whether the fuel efficiency is good enough (i've heard people getting pretty low mpg ratings), and how much fun i have driving it. I'll be home again in November, so maybe i'll take the Countryman and the Hardtop out for a spin and with any luck, i'll be better aware of what model to pursue come January.

 

Don't miss then getting a clubman w/ the roof rails, there's also a motorized bike-carrier if you want and don't mind paying...

A clubman w/ a good set of true winter tires will do the trick imho, unless you live on a hill... 4WD is a big cost if you just "sort of" need it

 

I went through the same decision making process. I'm a snowboarder and I live in New England, so I finally decided on the CM All4.

I've had it for 4 days and I'm happy so far. It hasn't snowed yet, though. :-)

 

I personally have owned pretty much nothing but Subarus for the past 6 years and just bought a non S Countryman. The reason I did so is b.c to me if you don't have all the time AWD, then it is not really worth the extra cost. Sure it might get you out of a jam and possibly help through snow ect, but it is FWD 99% of the time anyways. Once you add in the extra weight of the AWD system then the S power over the non-S just isn't worth it. I would rather have the other features I want over a little extra power.

As far as it feeling slow, my other car is a Forester XT that is basically a full STI except for the 6MT now, and honestly I like driving my Non-S Countryman better. There are a few times where I want to just go feel the power/speed and have fun, but most of the time I choose to drive the Mini over it. Maybe I am just getting old b.c with my history of performance cars the Mini doesn't make sense, but I love it anyways.

 

I have a Countryman S, and have driven an '11 MC as a loaner. When we went to the dealership, I had planned to get a Clubman but when I saw them in person, I didn't like the styling but I did like the Countryman. I believe the one that I test drove was an automatic non-S CM and it was fun, even without the turbo!

 

I have been driving a Cooper hardtop for 6 years and now that my kids are older I had been planning to get a Clubman as my "upsizing" for more rear seat room.

I didn't like the Countryman at all when I first saw them and read about them, but as I kept visiting dealers to look at the Clubman I kept being drawn to the Countryman.

I actually went to the dealership all ready to order a Clubman Hampton Edition and changed the order to a Countryman S on the spot. The rear bench seat sold the deal along with the 4 doors and of course the test drive.

 

I hope that this helps. My wife and I shopped and shopped and shopped for a replacement vehicle. We were coming from a "hold me over" car aka Saturn Aura and needed a vehicle that would be total comfort for my back (no lumbar support) One day while shopping for socks there was a CM on display and we had to go look at it. Well, it's longer, wider and taller than both the hardtop and the clubman. With four doors it's better for passengers. One other thing we found was that there are more blind spots on the Clubman than the CM. Well 5 months later we have our CM.

 

Well I have both a R55 and a R60. R55 is S and the R60 is All4 for net of the cars.

1. The clubman is more fun to drive... plain and simple. More nimble more sporty. Granted this is an S. The R60 drives a lot like a SUV. We used to have a Highlander and it drives a lot like that now (we changed out the tires to non RF). The R60 is a great car and the ALL4 should do well in the snow. The CM is still funner to drive over the Highlander but overall no where near as fun as my Clubbie!

2. If you get a R56 or R55 you will want snow tires.... With RIMS, TPMS and the tires you will be looking at around $1200 min. Keep that in mind. If you buy a CM with only FWD you will want Snow Tires as well... but the tires are bigger so it will be more expensive... not much but at least $100-200.

3. Yes there are more blindspots on the Clubbie... but you get used to them. Cm is very open very good visibility plus you sit quite a bit higher in the car.

4. CM is much bigger.... still a small car but much bigger.

5. Utility. I would say they are about the same. Trunk in both cars is very decent. Both have a hideway storage area (the R56 does not). I personally like the barn doors on the clubbie better (but ymmv). Rear seat space is also about the same... slightly better on the CM.... but the Clubbie is very good. R56..... well its not that good.

6. Coolness factor. My R55 is cooler. Cooler color (ice blue). Suicide door is way cool. I get more compliments on the R55 but I get more questions on the R60.

Hope this helps.

 

I have a 2008 Clubman and decided I would drive it year around last year. I live in the Boston area and the winter of '10-'11 was absolutely brutal in terms of snowfall. Fortuntately I had 4 snow tires mounted at Thanksgiving and the Clubman performed unbelievably well in the snow. There were 4 days where I was the only person able to get through the snow and into the office. I have no hesitation recommending a Clubman for snow conditions provided you equip it with snow tires.

 

We just took delivery of a Base Countryman. It all depends on what your needs are and what you are comparing it to. We were considering an S but decided against it. Base engine isn't great for accelerating with a great burst of speed but putting it in sport mode does help. We went with the Countryman as it has more interior room then the clubman. and sits higher (5+ inches) It's the best car we have ever owned from a handling and comfort standpoint. Fuel economy isn]t too bad either on reg or mid grade gas. Where as the S requires premium. Just our opinion.

 

Edmunds just blogged abt this on their CM test..

http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...ifference.html