Hi all,


Well it has been a year since I picked up my 2014 CMS ALL4.
About 1/3 of the time I absolutely love it, especially on windy roads, rainy days and day trips.
Perfect for heading to the city, and parking it is really nice.
The old gas bill has been treating me good, at 27MPG. No complaints there.


About 1/3 of the time I kind of regret buying it, thinking that there may have been another car/suv that I should have gotten instead. I have always driven 4x4 pickups, and even owned a FJ at one point. There are times that I should have gone for the 4Runner or just another Tacoma.
Mostly because I borrow my wife's car when I go mountain biking, and to pickup items for the house.


And about 1/3 of the time I am indifferent and happy my gas bill is cheap and that I can park darn near anywhere.


Where I live... space is minimal, and my driveway is tiny. I was driving a full sized off-road edition 4x4 PU, that would not fit anywhere. The gas bill was ridiculous and got about 9mpg. I really did like it, purchased in Texas.


As for a daily driver, I do like how easy the mini is to drive when commuting. The interior is quirky, and takes a while to get used to.
But the CM does feels quality, much like my dad's BMW X5.
The pep of the engine is good, reminds me of the Audi A4 base model.
It fits 4 people perfectly, as well as my dog. My wife use it all of the time for zipping around town. We use her FX35 for road trips.
Is it just me, but I do have a love/hate relationship with the CM.



Cheers,

 

I too drove a large suv before the CM, and dearly miss the copious amount of storage space i gave up... but its always about trade offs, it didnt fit in my garage (too high), so in the dead of winter it was parked outside and we'd get into a frozen car (had remote starter, but that just sucks even more gas). Now we gave up some of the practicality in storage, but can park it in the heated garage, save fuel and have a peppier\better handling ride, not to mention i enjoy the way it looks.

 

Its funny you wrote this. I just got my Countryman two months ago and am still getting used to it. I came from an absolutely amazing bmw 1 series who's lease ended. I also have had an FJ before and wonder sometimes why I didnt look at picking up one of the last of them (they stopped making the FJ in 2014). The biggest thing to me is the manual in my Countryman took alot of getting used to and is very notchy, but feels good once warmed up. Also like you mentioned the interior of the Countryman sometimes can feel a bit too playful and hard to take seriously. My biggest thing is that I cant help but feel this car is fragile, a ticking timebomb...so its hard to invest emotionally in it. Its been trouble free so far and build solid but it doesnt feel indestructable like my bmw or FJ. And Im too aware of all the horror stories about these cars. my ladt few MINIs had oil leaks, replaced transmissions and engine wirk done at an early age (under 10,000 miles).

All being said the Countryman has not disapponted because it hasnt failed to do anything more than what it promised to do. Its been reliable, and fun once I get the manual trans warmed up. But its still hard to enjoy a $35,000 car you are afraid to over rev or grind a gear or hit too big a pothole and worry the darn thing might fall apart.

 

I've had my 2011 for less than a year. So far the only thing I don't like is the regular vs sport mode performance. For me the ideal normal driving fits between those two points.

 

This thread mirrors current thoughts about the 2012 CM S that we just got, and my 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Limited that I may be trading in for a 2012 Clubman S soon.
Compared to the Montero, our Countryman sips gas...
I would miss the space of the Montero if it were to go away, but even with the large drop in gas prices over the past 2 months, it's hard for me to justify this large of a truck as a single person daily commuter vehicle when I rarely use the big interior space for hauling anything.
The Clubman would give me some small hauling ability internally, and probably look a bit silly with a sheet of plywood or two on top if I need to bring something home...... But it would do it....
Choices, Choices

 

That's is one of my biggest issue with the CM, it doesn't handle pothole well. We even got the 17" tires hoping that would help, although its better, but when we hits a big pothole, it is much like the pothole explosion we had with our 2011 328i.

 

Fellow brethren... I sold my 2003 Mitsubishi Montero XLS 5 months ago, yes its a fuel guzzler, but it was a tank. Reason i sold it is because parts are scarce in canada, had to wait 2 months to get a darn antenna mast... drove me crazy.

 

Interesting, I can't tell a big difference between the sport mode and regular mode (CMS Manual). In what area do you see a difference? Is it automatic transmission shift points?

Gregus: I live in Texas too, and I ride too (mountain and road), and have no issues throwing bikes on the roof (Mini OEM load bars and Rocky Mount Euro Pitchfork trays). Do you have a roof rack? If not, that might eliminate some of your consternation. The crossbars are easy to install/remove, I hang the whole enchilada from the garage ceiling when not in use. I also have kayak mounts, snowboard mounts, and mighty mounts (odd loads like ladders or lumber).

I'm toying with the idea of getting a rear hitch on the Countryman so I can use my Kuat hitch rack (set-on style, not the icky hanging style), but I haven't gone there yet.

 

Yeah, it's a tank, knew that going in as I owned a 1992 Montero SR from Jan. 2003 till Oct. 2014.
Unibody versus the Body-on-Frame of the '92, Way more nimble of handling due to the IFS and IRS versus the '92 as well. The reasons I talked myself into buying it to replace the '92 have changed, so it's a pretty large commuter vehicle these days with just me driving it.
It's just that owning the MINI has given me new perspective on having a smaller car for a daily commute that's better on gas, parks ANYWHERE... etc
We'll see how Saturday rolls out for me. Could be posting pictures of a Pepper White 2012 Clubman S on Monday...

 

I was living in Austin, TX out towards Manor, but relocated out to the SF Bay Area.

Yea, I have the OEM roof rack.
I may just pick up Thule bike racks that will work with my 29er.
But yea, I loved my FJ, was a 1st gen model, but the paint started chipping off in the 1st 6 months. Was the black cherry color.
Have owned 2x Tacomas with no issues tho.
I like the new 4Runner in black, but it does seem a bit big.

As towards my CM, it has been pretty mcuch problem free.
The glove box makes a clicking noise, but have a warranty fix on it. They are just waiting on parts to arrive, then will be fixing the issue.

 

Before buying my S I was looking for a Countryman S but in SWFL they are hard to come by. I miss the space and off road fun of my Wrangler Unlimited (was looking at an FJ but the local dealership said they were not getting any more 4wds.)

After 6 months of wrangler ownership I traded it in on my S. They gave me more than what I paid for it new and I haggled them $1000 under market value on my S. I don't necessarily miss the wrangler but I miss the go anywhere mentality I had when driving it.

 

I hit my one year mark with my '13 Justa two weeks ago and couldn't be happier. It's been absolutely flawless and I get as much pleasure driving it today as I did when I first bought it.

 

My only buyers remorse / regret is not waiting for the hardtop 5-door, but I'm not going to worry on it. I love my CMS, it's a joy to drive, and I can always trade it for a 5-door in a couple years.

 

Dont get me wrong, its a fun car, customized exactly the way i want and I always look forward to driving it. But lately ive been experiencing intermittant engine power loss for a few seconds every now and then (everytime i drive). Car has only 1800 miles...so like I said, it feels like a fragile car and only a matter of time...

 

Also one year in here on a 2014 S.

I chalk it up to being paranoid but but I also fight myself over this feeling of fragility with my CM. My Dealer has been great and I haven't felt any issues so I really do chalk it up to paranoia.

I do miss the larger stowage though the CM was officially listed as the same as my prior car and it has taken as much as I've tried to fit so far.

And of course I wish the gas tank was bigger.

I could probably go with 1/3s on my feelings though all thirds include being glad i'm out of the old aged 14 car I replaced.

Congrats and happy birthdays to all my fellow yearlings.

 

I wanted to stop by again after posting yesterday. I just did a 500 mile trip in the Countryman and it was brilliant. Engine performed perfectly, dare I say lots of fun. It didnt flinch at the snow and ice thrown at it, in some instances lots of it. It handled great and looked even better while doing it. I also stopped to see my buddy at the MINI dealer and asked him about Countrymans reliability. He is always honest and with a straight face said the Countrymans have overall been very rock solid, probably more than any other mode. He sees very few come in with major issues. So Ive decided to enjoy the heck out of this car, because that should be very easy to do!

 

I feel the same way. The car is a lot of fun to drive in the city, but when it hits a pothole, it makes a heck of a noise, especially when there are 3 or 4 people in the car. The CM is definitely a city car, it handles nice on the highway, but passing power is very limited. It is also very noisy and when cruising at 80 MPH, the engine rpm is pretty high and makes a lot of noise. Not a good car for long trips on the highway. Its a good thing my wife only use it for short trips around the city and short duration on the highway. I guess it is what it is, we knew what we wanted from the CM and so far it is exactly what we expected.

 

It's funny you guys are gushing about the FJ Cruiser and I absolutely hate it. I'm driving my dad's 2013 FJ while waiting for my 2015 CMS to arrive and I hate everything about it. I guess my biggest complaint is that outward visibility is absolutely terrible in every direction. I get that it's supposed to be unique and a bit quirky, but it's not for me, I can't wait to be done with it.

 

Yea, I pulled the trigger and got a 2015 4runner sr5 4wd.
I have owned an FJ and 2x Tacoma 4x4s. I actually preferred the Tacomas to the FJ.


I was toying with the idea of another FJ, but did not like the lack of rear visibility. And the FJ did have its issues. The 4runner is a bit more refined.
And have always been a fan of the power down rear window.
Luckily it fits in my garage and driveway, tested that before I traded my CMS. Figure it will be great as my errand hauler, mtn biking, and road trips. Commute so far is getting me about 18-20mpg.


The CMS was a lot of fun, I just feel more at home with a body-on-frame suv.