After being on the fence about the Countryman all summer, I placed an order last night. It will be replacing our aging, thirsty, and unreliable (last year) 02 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd V8 which had been our winter assault vehicle for weekly drives through the Sierras from the Bay Area to Reno.

Here is what I ordered:
2012 Mini Countryman S All4
6 speed Manual
Royal Grey with black top, black bonnet stripes and tunnel spoke wheels
Black leatherette seats with Polar beige color line and piano black trim
Heated seats, sunroof, auto climate control, auto wipers
HK sound and alarm system
Xenon headlights

The Jeep was our most practical vehicle, so I am concerned about downsizing as we travel as a pack of two humans and two Whippets. That being said we have managed with much smaller cars in the past, I love how it drives and I am impressed with the amount of room and practicality for the size.

I looked into the new Jeep GC and CPO BMW X3 & X5's. The price on the MINI was better and best of all I could order with a stick shift, plus the gas mileage was appealing.

Now the wait starts. The MA said it would be about 10 to 12 weeks because I ordered the full bench rear seat ( better for the dogs) and that will not go into production for another 2 to 3 weeks. I hope it makes it by Christmas which is when the snow really starts to fall around here.

 

Congratulations! I haven't gone to a dealership yet, because I know I have no self control. I want to get more of a down payment ready before I step onto the lot. Hopefully your Countryman will arrive earlier than expected.

 

Fredoinsf,

Congratulations, you will not have any regrets. to get some insight into what to expect, check out tippykayak's blog http://miniunbound.blogspot.com/. He has two goldens that he takes with him and he also moved from a Jeep. enjoy!!!

@hazelnut8

Ordering your CM is not an easy task, The color is the hard part. they do not look the same on paper as it does in the sunlight For example Royal Grey, looks grey indoors and on paper but if you look at it in the sunlight, it appears to have a touch of green in it. We started our research in April, visiting the dealer with the mindset that we were not ready yet. and by the time, we configured it and found the right color for us it was three months later. Remember downpayment is due at time of delivery and if you order count on 10-12 weeks. Good Luck and enjoy!!!!!

 

Hey, thanks for the referral! I love the CM for the two Goldens. I'm not sure what to expect with the rear bench, but with the bucket seats, you can pull them forward to minimize the footwell gap (and maximize boot space) and adjust the seatbacks to be straighter, which tends more comfy for our dogs.

I'm not sure what restraint system you plan to use (and I do encourage you to use one), but if you put them in the seats, you can clip a harness to the carseat anchors for a really safe solution that's also pretty comfortable to the dogs. If you plan on putting the seats down and giving them the whole area, there are cargo anchor points back there you can use.

I know a lot of people go with crates for safety, but there's no way that two crates for 60+ pound Goldens are going to fit in the CM, so it's harnesses or loose dogs for us.

I think you're going to love it. I came from a Jeep Liberty and I couldn't be happier with the CM. It handles better, gets 50% better gas mileage, and has a much better safety rating and reduced risk of rollover. We were able to get a week's worth of lakehouse vacation stuff into it with two Goldens and didn't have to put anything but the kayak on top. Not bad for a "small" car.

 

congrats on the order.. looks like a neat car

 

Thanks for the responses. Just came back from a busy business trip last night so I have not had time to even think about the CM order.
The Whippets are much smaller dogs then the Goldens so we will be fine. We have taken them on 500 mile trips in the R53 (when the Jeep was not running!!)
I'll check the picture posts on the site for the color, but the dealer had several royal gray so I think I am good with that part of the config. The interior choice with black and cream is what I need to see.

 

same royal grey with black top and black leather gravity sport seats. i got the base which is enough power for a commuter car. i also got the premium package and winter package, xenons and adaptive lighting. no mini connect, no nav, no moonroof.

 

Got my production number today

 

Down to the final 2 days, i go to motor tober tomorrow and take delivery first thing Monday morning. the last two weeks were the worst, all the anticipation. uber excited now. Have fun tracking your cars everyone, just like being a kid waiting for santa!

 

Just heard from my dealership. My CM is at Port Hueneme and scheduled to be at the dealer on 10/27, he said it might be sooner but that is the longest. This has been worse than being pregnant with my two daughters! LOL And it has only been since 08/25!