Hey everyone! Picked up a 2018 Countryman S All4 6-Speed in Island Blue this past March. I was in the market for a little bigger vehicle and after lots of research this won. I ordered it so that I could get the 6-speed. That was a must have. So far I am a big fan.



It has the Technology Package and the Dynamic Damper Control. And a spare so I can ditch the run flats later.

The Dinan Elite is already on order to bump the power up (Unfortunately on backorder right now though) I also ordered Aeroforce Intercepters for fun, just need to figure out a better plan for mounting them. It has 50% tint all the way around except the windshield.

That's about it. Looking forward to being a part of the Mini family because they're passionate about the brand and the driving experience. Car enthusiasts are great people!

 

Great looking MINI! What are your initial thoughts on how you're going to mount those gauges?

 

Plan A was the Cravenspeed bracket that mounts under the existing instrument cluster. I liked the placement and the bracket looked like a nice clean install. I ordered it and the fit, finish, and quality of the bracket were phenomenal. The issue that I had was that the bracket was designed for the smaller Mini's that have a flat dash behind the instrument cluster. On the Countryman the dash curves around the instrument cluster and comes forward. Something I never even noticed when looking at the pictures on their website compared to my car. I did get around this by adding some black anodized spacers the move the gauge pods forward and they did actually fit. It's not sustainable though because with that much weight farther forward they vibrate way too much. I even talked with one of their reps through email and they were discussing some possible options for me. Unfortunately that dash configuration just does not work well with that type of bracket. Again, not their fault that the dash is different. I think they have a great product. I can post some pictures if that would be helpful.

So on to plan B. I have been searching online and looking at Mini pictures on Instagram. There is a nice looking steering column mount made by Duell AG that I would like to get more info on. It looks like a nice placement and clean install. I'm just having trouble finding info on that because it appears they do not have much of a presence in America. To be continued there.