My wife has picked out all of our last 4 cars...07 R56 S HB Auto, 08 Justa Clubman Manual (won the lease on this), 07 R52 S Convertible Auto, 11 CM ALL4 S Auto.

The CM is the family car and my wife plans to keep this one for another 5-6 yrs. We will never have two CMs at the same time or we have never gone back to the same models as of yet. By the time the we get another family car (CM), MINI will change the model to another name.

and also

My wife said the they're only four ways a marriage will work:

1. Wife picks out the MINI.
2. Husband doesn't question the Wife about MINI.
3. Husband pays for the MINI.
4. Husband is lucky to have a good Wife, who loves MINI.

 

Happy wife = happy life.

So really, if I understand correctly, you will likely replace the CM with equivalent or something else from MINI when the time comes. Now, let's say someone steals the CM and you need to replace it tomorrow, what would your wife pick?

 

That is a good question.

I would tell the wife to get an R53 because that is a model we haven't had yet.

 

R53 is a great choice. Ours still going strong and looking good after almost 7 years. Not nearly as practical though.

 

I was with you until I hit #3.

 

Modified slightly:

1. Wife picks out the MINI
2. Husband doesn't question the Wife about the MINI.
3. Husband pays for the MINI.
4. Husband is lucky to have a good Wife, who loves the MINI.
5. Husband expresses desire for new small car.
6. Wife picks out the color and options of the Husbands MINI.
7. Husband is grateful that the Wife knows what he wants, more than he knows what he wants.
8. Wife keeps both MINIs clean.
9. Husband pays for both MINIs.
10. Happy Ending.

 

Now over 4000 miles in my 2013 CMS All4 with manual transmission... mainly due to a road trip from Colorado to Arkansas and back and then another to Las Vegas and back.

Still not a single problem.... no weird noises, smells, etc... Running great.

Not an attack on the OP... just wanting to share a positive experience with a MINI with all of the troubles many have had with their 2011 and 2012's...

 

-

 

Pretty much same boat here. 2012 CMS All4 manual, picked up end of July. Have about 4,500 miles, no issues.

 

I have 2012 CM with 17,000 miles and have no issue with clutch

 

Just rolled 7k, no issues here

 

I'll be curious to see how well the clutch holds up. This is my 8th new car over the years. All but one were manuals. Only ever replaced one clutch in a car. Haven't had any issues stalling the MINI, and really have no trouble with the feel and engagement of the clutch on it.

 

Issues in first 5 months of ownership (Some Ongoing...):

-SAT Radio Preset/Tuning Lock on Channel 002
-Passenger Seat Heat Button Malfunction
-Rear-View Mirror Glass Vibration @ 65-67 MPH
-Driver's Side Rear-View Mirror Folding Issue (Glass Gets Tweaked)
-Bluetooth Stopped Working
-Bluetooth Didn't Recognize Any Devices
-Radio Powers On/Off at Will During Driving

Sticker price is slightly North of $33K.

Had the satellite radio preset lock/tune thing happen multiple times. Dealer couldn't replicate. Next, the Bluetooth would recognize the phone, show signal strength, but I couldn't initiate a call. I could answer with the phone button on the steering wheel, and hang up, but the voice button wouldn't work. Took it back to the dealer and mentioned the SAT radio thing again. They replaced the radio. When I went to pick it up and tested the BT, it didn't recognize any phone to pair. Dealer checked again; this time the software for the BT was completely wiped out. They contacted MINI and had them remotely check it and re-install.

After getting it back, on the way home, the radio completely powered off (display and everything) and then came back on in 5-7 seconds. Nothing triggered it (i.e. bumps, harsh turning, etc.). I chalked it up to the new radio maybe resetting itself for some oddball reason.

A week later, Mini Customer Care calls me while I'm driving to make sure that all my issues have been resolved. Using the Bluetooth, I told them that they (Mini Engineering) hasn't had a fix for the Vibr-O-Matic rear view mirror yet, and that the radio turned off and on autonomously. While on BT with her, the radio clicked off during the call, losing the BT, but keeping her on my phone. When the radio came back on, the BT restored with her still on the line. That's when she told me to schedule an appointment.

Two days before the appointment, the radio did it again. Currently, an engineer from Mini is at the dealership investigating the problem.

If it wasn't for Mini, I wouldn't have driven some of the nicest 2013 BMWs as loaners for the better part of 3 weeks when the loaner time is added up. I'd expect this poor quality in a sub-compact from KIA; not Mini. Remember this when you read about the lackluster reliability ratings. I certainly didn't. Lesson learned.

Another lesson; be sure to take video the issues if you can. It helps prove your sanity when the technician says that they cannot replicate the issue and you have to take it back in again when it keeps having the problem.

I think Mini needs to buy this Countryman S back and use it as a lab rat for improving future builds/designs.

 

Well if you can start from a stop on a street like Negley with the thing then you're my hero.

 

MINI #1

I agree especially if Husband gets to drive it. Wife doesn't drive and yet wants another MINI. We will keep the CM It is on vehicle that I highly recommend to others especially with the steptronic.

 

there's a design flaw in all4's clutch (Standard shift) ofcourse....it appears it cannot handle the weight of the vehicle, which explains the slippage and fast deterioration. trade it in for the automatic if you wish to keep the all4.

 

Negley? Try Potomac @ Banksville heading up to Dormont.

 

Yeah you know it's steep when they got steps for sidewalks.

 

I'll admit to having given up on page 6 of the thread rather than reading every single response, but I thought I'd chime in.

I have a 2011 CMS ALL4 manual that now has about 38K on it. I love it, and I haven't had clutch failure. Over the summer, on hot days, I would hear a faint moan sometimes when getting into 1st, but my dealer wasn't able to replicate it. There was no performance issue related to the noise. If it comes back when the weather warms up again, I'll ask them to look for it again.

Also over the summer, when whipping up Hurricane Mountain Road near Conway NH, I smelled a faint burning smell when we got out at the top. I'm not sure if that was just hot rubber from my spirited handling of the curves or if it was due to some clutch slippage. My guess is rubber.

Other than that, I haven't had any clutch issues at all. I do doubt that everybody's problems are caused by bad clutching, even though I haven't had a problem myself. It seems more likely that it's a combination of hard driving and some bad engineering in th clutch than that it's pure user error. I do drive hard sometimes, but I take pride in how gentle I am on a clutch even when I'm whipping around (I took my last clutch from the factory all the way to selling the car at 140K, and it was still in great shape). So am I a little lucky or a little gentler than the folks whose clutches have died young? Who knows?

I'm highly aware that many people who call themselves experienced manual drivers are major league clutch abusers who do things like take a car all the way through first without ever getting the pedal all the way out. However, I don't think that explanation fits all the facts here.

What I do know is that when experienced manual drivers are burning through clutches every 5K in one model and not in another, there's probably something nonstandard about the clutch feel that's causing it, at the very least. It may be that the clutch is heavy duty enough for the car, but if the engagement point is soft, people are going to burn a lot of clutch because they're accidentally riding it while trying to get the car into gear. Putting the blame on all the drivers doesn't pass the sniff test to me when this model seems to have above-average clutch issues.

I would hope that the MotoringFile post is correct and that cars produced after 11/2012 won't have an issue. I also hope that if my clutch dies young that I get an updated clutch system rather than just having the burned out pieces replaced with the same parts. Dealer experience seems to be playing a large role in people's dissatisfaction here, and my dealer (New Country MINI in Hartford, CT) has been very, very good to me so far. So I expect them to be cool about any clutch issues that do arise.

 

As a new owner reading all the negatives scared the crap out of me. I really appreciate reading both sides of the story, though. It makes for a more informed purchase, imo.

I would have gotten a manual had it not been for DC traffic. Plus, my STI clutch messed with my hip on long trips. The STI has a very forgiving and sturdy clutch.

 

But a big reason for getting a manual is because they last longer than an automatic and cost less, assuming you keep your cars >5 yrs. Who wants to deal with expensive auto transmissions when they start slipping around 100k? My buddy's GMC transmission didn't even last 50k before it blew. It's kinda ironic that if you want to keep a CM for a long time the auto is recommended.

 

Do you have knowledge of the Mini automatic imploding at 100k miles? No.

Have you read about the Mini clutch issues on the manual at 15k miles on this website and heard that Mini have beefed up the clutch and made software changes due to such issues? Yes.

 

all4S manual with 22K miles to date
First clutch car my wife has owned, she is very happy with it.

my advice....don't complain to the dealer about the clutch
If you smoke it, bring it in and say all was good and all of a sudden "it no work".

 

Automatic transmissions will generally last hundreds of thousands of miles if properly maintained and if not abused. Also keep in mind how expensive clutch replacements are. They rarely last forever.

 

Agree. My last auto lasted 230,000. and was still going strong with no issues when I sold it. I did replace the timing chain at around 120,000. though.